The Western Power Corridor Company (Westcor), a joint venture (JV) between African utilities from five Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, namely, SNEL (Democratic Republic of Congo), ENE (Angola), Nampower (Namibia), BPC (Botswana), and Eskom (South Africa), has announced that it will pull out of the Inga III power project and is shutting down its Botswana office.
The Inga III, which Westcor had hoped to develop was expected to produce 4,500 MW and the whole project was expected to cost $7 billion, driven and owned by the five national utilities of the member states. The project has reportedly failed after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) decided to take on the project alone, instead of initial joint efforts by southern African countries.
Chairman of Westcor, Kahenge Simson Haulofu, in a confidential memo to Westcor directors said that the DRC government had initiated a different agenda on how to proceed with the project. Haulofu said contrary to the memorandum of understandings signed amongst the Westcor members, the DRC was now roping private investors into the deal, snubbing the neighboring SADC countries.
He said the DRC "no longer has Westcor in its planning radar or consideration especially the existing agreements.”
Haulofu said, “If the new way forward is to have Inga III developed by DRC for internal consumptions and that of BHP Billiton smelters only, Westcor board be directed to plan for Kwanza river as well as Lower Kunene projects as part of the original plan.”