The African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a grant agreement April 10 to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for rehabilitation of the Inga hydroelectric complex on the Congo River as well as work on the Kinshasa area electricity distribution system.
The US$58 million grant agreement was signed at bank headquarters in Tunis by AfDB Vice President Gantsho Mandla and DRC Charge d’Affaires Genevieve Lukusa Kayembe Nkaya.
Gantsho said the project, which is being co-financed with other donors including the World Bank, is to enhance operational efficiency in the energy subsector, boost power generation and transmission capacity, meet domestic demand, and support regional integration.
�I would like to underline the need for an urgent implementation of this project given the dilapidated state of the electrical infrastructure and the need to improve electricity supply in the country,� he said.
The DRC previously said, with the AfDB funds, it plans to solicit international bids from suppliers of large hydroelectric equipment to supply two turbine-generator groups for rehabilitation of the 350-MW Inga 1 and 1,424-MW Inga 2 projects. (HNN 1/24/08)
The DRC recently awarded a contract to German engineering firm Fichtner to guide the rehabilitation work. (HNN 4/9/08)
The World Bank recently approved a second additional financing grant to the DRC for emergency rehabilitation of critical infrastructure, including the DRC hydropower system. South Africa also is helping the DRC to refurbish Inga 1 and Inga 2 and to develop a new 4,300-MW Inga 3 project, also on the Congo River. (HNN 4/10/08)
