The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Africa are holding discussions on reviving the stalled Inga 3 hydropower project. It was previously reported that the DRC was attempting to bypass the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by looking for private investors to fund the 5,000 MW scheme on the Congo River.
South Africa’s Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said, “We are engaging with the government and department of energy in the DRC so as to make it possible that the initiative that we put on hold can be able to be resuscitated.”
In February it was announced that AECOM and Electricité de France (EDF) would conduct the feasibility study over two years on the development of the site and the associated transmission lines.
The Inga 3 is part of the Grand Inga scheme, which is said to have the potential to be the world’s largest hydropower project; however, many issues have thwarted efforts to complete the scheme. The dismantling of the Western Power Corridor (Westcor) – composed of SADC member states’ utilities – pulled out once news struck that the DRC was trying to complete the project alone. Yet in mid-October, it was announced that a reinvented Westcor would surface, hoping to rebuild relations with the DRC for the Inga 3.
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