17/06/2021 (Agence Europe) – The EU will mobilise €20 million for a new hydropower plant in Rwanguba (Eastern DRC) that will provide an additional 15 megawatts of electricity in the Virunga region. The Commission announced this on 16 June at European Development Days (EDD). EU emergency aid had already restored up to 96% of the power lines and 35% of the water pipes damaged in Goma by the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in May, giving access to drinking water and electricity to 500 people in two hospitals (see EUROPE 12730/25). “Access to electricity saves lives and is crucial for economic and human development in this vulnerable region”, stressed Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen at a panel on the protection of people and nature in Virunga National Park, which the EU has been supporting financially since 1988 (see EUROPE 12624/25). (AN)