| Work Detail |
Financial constraints are one of the major reasons the world’s largest hydropower project in Africa is still shrouded in mystery. Proposed in the 1950s, the Grand Inga Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s most ambitious and biggest projects. Its implementation would eclipse the world’s largest hydroelectric dams, such as the Three Gorges Dam in China. The project, intended to have a total installed capacity of over 42,000 MW, is designed to contribute to the electricity supply for DRC and the entire continent. Despite its amicable significance, the project has taken many years and never kicked off. The construction of the Inga Dam has been underway since 1995, but the lack of progress and transparency has led to controversies surrounding the project. The government of DRC built the first and second instalments of the project (Inga I and Inga II) in 1972 and 1982. The State of Affairs Regarding the World’s Largest Hydropower Project in Africa The construction of the world’s largest hydropower project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is shrouded in mystery. Various nations across the continents have been eyeing its completion despite its stalling progress. Following the decision by the Government of DRC in 2018 to change the Inga 3 concept from 4,800MW to 11,000MW for a total investment cost of US$ 18bn, an agreement was signed in October 2018 between the Government and a consortium of Chinese and Spanish companies. The agreement was based on the undertaking of technical studies and environmental and socio-economic impact assessments of Inga 3.Worlds largest hydropower project Out of the 11,000MW capacity, South Africa would like to receive 5,000MW, Nigeria 3,000MW, and the mining companies in DRC 1,300MW, and the rest for the DRC National Utility (SNEL). Guinea also expressed a desire to buy 7,500MW. In 2019, the DRC Government, in collaboration with the “Agence de Développement et de Promotion du Projet Inga (ADPI),” organized promotion events for the Grand Inga project. |
