Name of the Project
Grand Inga hydropower project.

Location
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Project Owner/s
State-owned Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL).

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 could potentially generate between 2 GW and 11 GW of power.

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 project is estimated at between $50-billion and $80-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Inga 3 has been delayed by about eight years and has been in the pipeline for decades. The project’s scale and technical and stakeholder complexity will result in its preparation and construction taking about a decade.

Latest Developments
Ivanhoe Mines has successfully completed the ramp-up of Turbine 5 at the Inga II hydropower plant, with an initial 50 MW of hydropower being provided for the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex.

Ivanhoe, together with SNEL, has refurbished the turbine to ultimately provide 100 MW of power for the Kamoa-Kakula mines in the first quarter of next year and 150 MW by 2027.

The partners installed replacement mechanical and electrical equipment at the 178 MW Turbine 5 plant in the third quarter, which was followed by synchronisation and energisation of the turbine early in the fourth quarter.

The balance of power generated from the turbine is being supplied to the DRC national grid.

Ivanhoe and SNEL grid improvement works, including upgrades to the Inga and Kolwezi substations, will allow for the ramp-up of power delivery from Inga II to Kamoa-Kakula to 100 MW once completed.

By the end of 2027, the total domestically sourced renewable-energy power to the grid of the country will amount to 210 MW.

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.