Leading lawyer for Africa-wide projects and energy, Bertrand Montembault, will be chairing a session at DRC Mining Week 2025 titled ‘Addressing the Energy Deficit Challenge: A Key Condition to Maximise Opportunities Arising From the Demand for Critical Minerals.
DRC Mining Week takes place on 11-13 June at Pullman Lubumbashi Grand Karavia Hotel and features aspects including demonstrations of cutting-edge machinery, game-changing digital tools, hands-on technical workshops and live demos.
The DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) needs to invest its efforts in building a reliable and prosperous energy sector profitable for all by developing efficient mechanisms to unlock the energy resources. The Addressing the Energy Deficit Challenge session will discuss how the public and private sector could leverage the current demand for critical minerals to boost energy investment opportunities, partnership development and also address current projects in relation to the energy transition.
Some of the panel discussions will include:
- The investment models to boost the energy infrastructure
- What to say about the strategy of having a power line to be commissioned between the Congo -DRC and Angola?
- Boosting regional energy security: Strengthening collaboration for sustainable transmission of power capacities
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Montembault is a partner at international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. He has over 30 years of experience helping clients on various aspects of operations and projects in Francophone Africa, mainly in the mining and energy sectors. He was ranked in 6th position of Jeune Afrique’s Top 100 Legal Powerlist of the most influential lawyers in French-speaking Africa in 2023. In addition Chambers & Partners has ranked Montembault as a leading lawyer for Africa-wide Projects & Energy since 2014.
He also previously worked in Gabon for two years, which had further strengthened his knowledge of Francophone Africa’s local and regional legal and regulatory systems, including the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, as well as a strong network of local contacts.
Montembault is a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators, the French Association for Energy Law, a former honorary associate of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at Dundee University, and also lectures regularly at various universities and schools.