Name and Location
Grand Inga hydropower project, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Client
DRC government.

Project Description
The Grand Inga project, which will be located on the Congo river, is expected to generate 44 000 MW of electricity once all the phases are complete.

Inga 3, or Basse Haute – the first stage of the much larger Grand Inga project – will produce 4 800 MW of electricity and will be completed in two phases.

The first phase, the Inga 3 low-head project, will have a capacity of 1 800 MW and will not require damming the Congo river.

The second phase, the Inga 3 high-head project, will add 3 000 MW and includes the construction of the Grand Inga dam.

Five other hydropower plants will be built on the same dam, eventually increasing the plant’s cumulative capacity to 44 000 MW.

South Africa is expected to buy 2 500 MW of Inga 3’s 4 800 MW capacity.

Value
Inga 3 is expected to cost an estimated $14-billion to complete. The development of the project will be implemented through a public–private partnership. The African Development Bank, World Bank, French Development Agency, European Investment Bank and Development Bank of South Africa have shown interest in financing the project. In December 2013, the US, through its development agency USAID, also expressed interest in contributing to the financing of Inga 3.

The cost of the entire Grand Inga project is estimated at $50-billion to $80-billion.

Duration
Construction is expected to begin in 2017 and take four to five years to complete.

Latest Developments
The DRC government will decide on either a Chinese or Spanish consortium to develop the long-delayed Inga 3 hydroelectric project by October this year, with construction expected to start in June next year, a government official has said.

The Chinese consortium is led by China Three Gorges Corporation, while the Spanish consortium includes engineering giant Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA, head of the Agency for the Development and Promotion of Grand Inga Bruno Kapandji has said.

Proponents of the project say that it could eventually power half of Africa, while critics have said that the money would be better used to support smaller local plants.

The respective consortiums bids are expected to submitted in July this year. to mobilise technology.

Kapandji has said he expects construction to begin in June 2017 and last four to five years.

However, the project still needs to secure additional financing. Kapandji has declined to say how much money has already been mobilized, but has said that possible investors find the project's potential profitability an attractive proposition.

Kapandji has also defended the controversial decision last October to move control of the project from the prime minister's office to an agency within the presidency, which has raised concerns about corruption and political interference.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
The Grand Inga project has been delayed several times over the past 40 years and the cost of the project has also been underestimated several times. the true cost of the project remains unclear.

Contact Details for Project Information
Embassy of DRC in South Africa, tel +27 12 344 6475 and fax +27 12 344 4054.