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 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 the 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 be built on the same dam, eventually raising the plant’s cumulative capacity to 44 000 MW.

South Africa is expected to buy 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, the 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
The DRC’s Inga site development and electricity access support project (Pasel) has received a boost with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) committing to finance nearly half of Pasel’s $169-million cost.

The AfDB will finance $68-million of the Inga project, located on the banks of the Congo river, bringing the development finance institute’s support since the inception to about $90-million.

The AfDB’s financing will be used for technical assistance to ensure the completion of preparatory activities for the first phase of the Grand Inga hydropower, or Inga 3, project.

The finalisation of the preparation of the first phase, which comprises developing a power-generating capacity of 4 800 MW on the Inga site and building power transmission lines that will supply electricity to the DRC and South Africa, is currently under way.

Inga 3 was expected to increase access to more reliable and cheaper energy in the DRC and improve the business climate and productivity of the economies of beneficiary countries.

The bank’s support will also help in dealing with electricity scarcity in remote areas that are not directly covered by Inga, but where the DRC intends to develop electrical systems in the vicinity of micro- or mini-hydropower plants.

This consolidates previous AfDB support for the project, which led to the development of institutional and technical plans, a feasibility study defining the development pattern of the Grand Inga in successive phases, and the identification of an innovative approach to the project to realise Inga’s hydroelectricity potential and promote continental integration.

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.