A force to be reckoned with
The Inga hydro site is the most powerful in the world, comparable with Three Gorges in China. It is an essential source of energy in Central and Southern Africa, and provides power to Kinshasa and other parts of western DRC. Supplying nearly one-third of the electricity consumed by neighboring Republic of Congo, Inga also exports power to Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. A power mega-project foresees increasing energy production at Inga by rehabilitating plants I and II at an estimated cost of $550m, building a third plant at the same Nkokolo Valley site, and creating a fourth, bigger generating plant, Grand Inga, at an estimated cost of $50bn and an output of 39,000MW.

Regional development
Inga Falls on the Congo River has a potential generating capacity that equals that of all Southern African countries put together. With its huge potential for producing hydroelectric power, the DRC has a key role to play in regional development. As a member of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), the country is taking part in the Southern African Power Market Project. In light of Africa’s growing energy needs, this project will create favorable conditions for increased investment in the power sector. Financed primarily by the World Bank, it should run until 2009. The DRC will benefit from the strengthening of existing electricity transmission networks and the construction of a high-tension line to increase the transmission capacity from the Inga facility to the SAPP.