Name and Location
Grand Inga hydroelectric 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 40 000 MW of electricity once all the phases are complete.

Inga 3, the first stage of the much larger Grand Inga scheme, 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 of the Congo river.

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

Five other hydropower plants will then be built on the same dam, eventually raising the plant’s cumulative capacity to 40 000 MW.

South Africa is expected to purchase 2 500 MW of Inga 3’s 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, the World Bank, French Development Agency, the European Investment Bank and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

Duration
October 2015 has been announced as the launch date for construction of the first phase of the Grand Inga project.

Latest Developments
Three consortiums are bidding to clinch the contract for the project, namely China’s Sinohydro and Three Gorges Corporation; Spain’s Actividades de Construccion y Servicios, Eurofinsa and AEE; and South Korean firms Daewoo and Posco with Canada’s SNC Lavalin.

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.