Name of the Project
Grand Inga hydropower project.

Location
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Project Owner/s
DRC government.

Project Description
The project, which will be located on the Congo river, is expected to have a capacity of 44 000 MW once all the phases are complete.

The dam will be built in six phases.

Inga 1 (1 351 MW) and Inga 2 (1 424 MW) were commissioned in 1972 and 1982 respectively.

Inga 3 is in the design phase, with the ultimate design and size being a subject of significant debate.

The construction of the successive phases of Grand Inga will hinge on the availability of a market and funding for the projects. 

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

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Inga 3 is expected to cost an estimated $13.9-billion to $17.9-billion to complete. The development of the project will be implemented through a public–private partnership.

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

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
International rivers and river communities rights nongovernmental organisation (NGO) International Rivers has called on South Africa to withdraw its agreement to offtake electricity from the Inga 3 hydropower project.

South Africa continues to uphold its commitment to procure power from the delayed Inga 3 hydropower dam, but the power imported from Inga is expected to cost R175-million a year more than domestic power generation, the NGO avers.

South Africa signed the Grand Inga Treaty with the DRC, which obliges South Africa to fund the construction of the transmission lines that will transmit power from Inga to South Africa, in 2013. The best available estimates indicate that this construction will cost South Africa more than $4-billion, or R58-billion, the NGO has stated.

"Pursuing Inga 3 will be much more expensive for South Africa, compared with domestic wind and solar generation. South Africa simply does not have R58-billion spare to fund a pipe-dream of the DRC government.

"It is of the utmost importance that government untangle South Africa from Inga 3. South Africans also deserve a transparent accounting of the costs of Inga 3 and what this will mean for jobs in the local renewable-energy sector, and in local skills development," International Rivers Africa programme director and spokesperson Siziwe Mota has said.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

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