Recently, the World Bank approved a $73.1 million grant to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for development of Inga 3 Basse Chute (BC) and mid-size hydropower development technical assistance project.
The funding will be used to offer expertise to support DRC in the development of its large hydropower potential, which is assessed to be the third largest in the world following China and Russia.
The money, combined with another $33 million from the African Development Bank, will fund technical studies to analyse the dam’s environmental and social impact and ensure it is sustainable.
The grant will also help establish the independent Inga Development Authority, which is meant to follow best international practices in managing the project and selecting private companies to help fund it, the bank said. Inga 3 BC is the world’s largest hydropower site, with the potential for 40,000 megawatts (MW).
It is also one of the most affordable sources of energy in Africa, with an estimated generation cost of $ 0.03 per kilowatt hour, the bank said. Makhtar Diop, World Bank Africa vice president said by being involved in the development of Inga 3 BC from an early stage the bank can help ensure that its development is done right so it can be a game changer by providing electricity to millions of people and powering commerce and industry.
“Supporting transformative projects that expand people’s access to electricity is central to achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals of helping to end extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity,” Diop added.
About one thousand MW of electricity produced by the Inga 3 BC would be sold to the national utility SNEL, which would use it to power households and small businesses in greater Kinshasa, in a move to increase power generation and meet the expected rise in demand for power in Kinshasa by 2025. Additionally, 1,300MW of power would be sold to mining companies in DRC’s Katanga Province and a 2,500 MW would be sold to South Africa.
In Nigeria, the Zungeru hydro power station which was flagged off on May 28, 2013, is expected to generate 700 MW. In late January, the government said it was building over 200 new dams in order to increase electricity generation in the country, according to Vice President Namadi Sambo.
Chinedu Nebo, minister of power had recently said that Mambilla hydro power station of 3,050MW capacity will be flagged off in a couple of months. While Nigeria has acknowledged the need to diversify its energy mix, which is currently dominated by gas, a lot still needs to be done by the government to ensure that the country’s hydropower potential is fully optimised.
