https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Inga energy project to benefit Southern African Power Pool

Inga energy project to benefit Southern African Power Pool

Photo by Reuters

21st January 2016

By: Megan van Wyngaardt

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

Font size: - +

To ensure the successful implementation of the Inga III hydroelectric project, on the Congo river, transmission and distribution networks under the leadership of South Africa will require technical expertise in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and locally, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan energy and power systems research analyst, Tilden Hellyer.

“Connecting the Southern African Power Pool through transmission makes it easier to collaborate, strengthen relationships and build revenues,” he said in an analysis of the Inga III project.

Hellyer added that the success of the first phase of the Inga III dam project, Basse Haute, would also open up further opportunities to explore the DRC’s hydroelectric power capacity and its potential to truly become Africa’s energy highway.

With the capacity to generate 4 800 MW of green energy, Basse Haute was planned to start in 2017.

“If the project gathers momentum, it will take six years to complete common infrastructure. Both direct and indirect markets stand to gain,” said Hellyer, noting that the DRC would need to collaborate with several African States, either as offtakers of power or as host countries for transmission lines.

He added that, should the project gain traction, a multitude of opportunities would be presented in operations, maintenance and indirect markets, such as consulting and skills development.

However, Hellyer noted that Inga had already been delayed as the selection of a consortium to build the dam was in an unplanned second round of bidding.

In the analysis, he further outlined that while the cost of Inga III and the associated transmission lines had been budgeted at $14-billion, the amount had been underestimated several times in the past and it was unclear what the true cost might be.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

Rentech
Rentech

Rentech provides renewable energy products and services to the local and selected African markets. Supplying inverters, lithium and lead-acid...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
VEGA Controls SA (Pty) Ltd
VEGA Controls SA (Pty) Ltd

For over 60 years, VEGA has provided industry-leading products for the measurement of level, density, weight and pressure. As the inventor of the...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.058 0.717s - 144pq - 4rq
Subscribe Now