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, 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 $12-billion to complete. Funding will come from several sources, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Investment Bank and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

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

Duration
The launch date for construction of the first phase of the Grand Inga project is October 2015.

Latest Developments
President Jacob Zuma has urged the responsible Ministries and government departments in South Africa and the DRC to finalise all outstanding issues regarding the Grand Inga hydropower project, to “pave the way for the construction of this Pan-African flagship project”.

Construction of the multibillion-dollar power project is expected to start this month.

On his return from a working visit to the DRC from October 13 to October 15, where Zuma co-chaired a binational commission (BNC) with DRC President Joseph Kabila Kabange, Zuma highlighted that the next decade of the BNC would seek to intensify the implementation of joint economic projects, in particular Grand Inga, with the founding treaty signed on October 30, 2013.

During the BNC, the two Heads of State reviewed progress made on bilateral programmes during the first decade of the BNC, including politics and governance; defence and security; economy, finance and infrastructure; and social and humanitarian affairs.

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.

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