The Inga hydroelectric power facility is already one of the biggest sources of energy in Africa, yet running at only 2.5% of its real capacity.

In addition to significant, as yet undeveloped oil reserves (with 6 percent of Africa’s total oil reserves), the DRC has one of the greatest sources of natural energy in the world: the Congo River. Second in size only to the Amazon River, the Congo has the potential of supplying hydroelectric power not only for its own country’s needs and those of the region, but also via power highways north, south, east and west to the farthest corners of the continent and even beyond to Europe.

However, even though the DRC has 60 percent of Africa’s hydroelectric potential, only 7 percent of the country’s population has access to electricity. It will require massive development and financial support to make sure that within 20 years the country “will be supplying reliable power internally and externally throughout Africa at low cost and to the satisfaction of customers,” as per the vision of Vika di Panzu, CEO of the national electricity company Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL).

With a hydropower potential of 100,000MW - and 44,000MW alone at a single site on the Inga river - most of the energy production is concentrated at the Inga hydroelectric facility in the southwest of the country, about 150 miles from Kinshasa.

VIKA DI PANZU CEO of SNEL

Mr. di Panzu explained that Inga is the largest single hydropower initiative in the world, with the potential to reach 50,000MW of electricity. Today, Inga currently consists of two stations: Inga I (six turbines of 52MW each) and Inga II (eight turbines of 178MW each), for a total potential of 1774MW. Due to years of low demand and low maintenance budgets, Inga I and II currently produce only about 700MW. This total is only 2.5 percent of its actual capacity, with only one turbine working at the moment.

Plans to rehabilitate the stations have existed for a while. Inga I was commissioned in 1972 and Inga II in 1980; equipment is out of date and run down. In terms of obstacles, most of them are related to financial constraints, and Mr. di Panzu believes the solution to redeveloping the site and increasing production is to negotiate with donors or to create public-private partnerships.

In June last year, SNEL signed a $9 million agreement with Canadian firm MagEnergy for the refurbishment of at least one turbine currently installed at Inga II. First energy revenues are expected by the end of 2006 and all four turbines should be in full production by 2009. Minister of Energy Salomon Banamuhere said, “This rehabilitation agreement marks a crucial step in the expansion of our energy production to meet the growing needs of the DRC and those of the Southern and Central African region.” SNEL CEO Mr. di Panzu added, “We are very pleased that after many years of discussions we can now plan on the successful rehabilitation of our country’s most important energy installation.”

Plans are also under way for the development of Inga III (3,500MW) and an initial stage of a fourth plant Grand Inga (29,000MW). The Inga site can be expanded at relatively low cost and without any significant environmental impact due to consistently high water volumes and the run-of-river type of installation. While the plant currently supplies power to Kolwezi and Brazzaville in the DRC, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, the successful completion of Inga III to its full capacity could potentially see pollutant-free power supplied to Western Africa as far as Nigeria, North Africa and the whole of Southern Africa. This would generate capacity for the creation of a new regional electricity export scheme, the Western Power Corridor (Westcor). Furthermore, the Grand Inga scheme would be the largest generating facility in Africa at 39,000MW.

SNEL’s main aims are to provide reliable and affordable energy to its customers. At the moment, the state company faces the challenge of updating its equipment, both at the consumer end (only 10 percent of customers have access to meters) and at the production level (new high-tension lines are needed to meet rising demand in the capital alone).

Other issues, such as non-payment of debts and the theft of electricity, are pressing for the company, which is in real need of better-managed operations. “I found the company was in a very bad position and immediately set up a commission to develop a rescue and recovery plan,” says CEO Vika di Panzu. “But there is also a true need for technology transfer. We need foreign experts to work with us and we are developing partnerships.”

Over the next five years the company will continue to be reformed, separating the production and distribution segments to improve management and raise productivity, and also look at increasing exports and generating profits.