Grand Inga scheme dusted off

The long-awaited Grand Inga Dam hydroelectric scheme after years of controversy is back on the cards and a priority for the African Union Commission (AUC) under its Agenda 2063. Namibia however, while it was involved in the early stages of talks, will not benefit from this scheme.According to Agenda 2063 coordinator Retselisitoe Mabote, the series of Grand Inga dams in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have the capacity to generate more than 39 000 MegaWatts (MW) and can power the entire continent. The Inga Dams are two hydroelectric dams connected to one of the largest waterfalls in the world, Inga Falls. They are located in the western DRC and 225 km southwest of Kinshasa. The Congo River drops 96 metres at those falls.The Grand Inga Dam scheme would generate 39 000 MW. At that installed capacity, the Grand Inga alone could produce 250 TerraWatt hours annually (1 TerraWatt is equal to a million MegaWatts). In 2005, Africa’s annual electricity production was 550 TWh (600 kWh per capita). If the dams were to be completed somewhere in the 2020s, the continent might produce more than 1 000 TWh, 20% of total estimated energy requirements, at that time.It would significantly boost the energy available to the African continent, but it would come at a cost of US$80 billion. Connecting Inga to a continent-wide electricity grid for main population centres was estimated to cost US$10 billion more in 2000. Critics contend the huge amounts of money required for the project would be better spent with smaller scale, localised energy projects that would better meet the needs of Africa’s poor majority. “You know we have a shortage of electricity. I don’t know if in Namibia you have the blackouts like in South Africa. As we speak South Africa has already negotiated to get 4 000 megawatts and Nigeria has been negotiating for almost the same amount,” Mabote said. The plan to build the Inga 3 Hydropower Scheme has been on the cards as far back as the early 1950s.The announcement of the project’s revival comes at a time when the entire African continent is faced by serious blackouts, load shedding and overtime demand of energy supply. However, according to Namibian energy Minister Obeth Kandjoze Namibia may not necessarily benefit from this project and it is South Africa and the DRC who are largely involved with the project. He said that Namibia historically was party to this project through the Southern African Power Pool but the “tables have turned” on the initial intent which was that southern African countries and SADC would be party to that for the greater region. “Now all other parties in as far as I know, I am speaking under correction, are only now at the mercy of the DRC itself and SA. Other than buying power, I do not think we are at the heart of it in design, participation, contributions and all that,” he said. He also said that securing energy supply from the Inga dams is also not on the priority list for Namibia. According to international media reports, in 2004, the Western Power Corridor (Westcor), a consortium of national utilities from five southern and central African countries (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo), organised and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the DRC government to construct Inga 3, with its power to be distributed to all signatory countries through the Southern African Power Pool. Kandjoze earlier this year announced that his ministry requested roughly N$99 million to improve energy supply, as the country’s reliance on electricity imports from the Southern African Power Pool poses a threat to its strategic economic vision and industrialisation programme.He also explained that government has robust plans in place to construct short-, medium- and long-term power plants in order to avoid electricity shortages.These plans according to Kandjoze would be through solar photovoltaic power supply projects, wind energy projects from independent power producers and a diesel power plant, as well as confirmed import supply options. Namibia currently imports 300 MW from Eskom, between 50 and 100 MW from EDM in Mozambique, 40 MW from Lusemfwa Hydro Power plant in Zambia and 50 MW from ZPC in Zimbabwe.JEMIMA BEUKES

Grand Inga scheme dusted off

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Grand Inga scheme dusted off

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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