China Pulls Out of Grand Inga Dam Project, But World Bank Still In
The Chinese contractor Three Gorges Corporation has reportedly pulled out of the Inga Dam project, which, when built, is set to become the world’s largest hydroelectric project. Th dam is situated across the Congo river near the estuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
However, the government of DRC has maintained that the project is still ongoing, despite many issues plaguing it from making any material progress. “Through the Inga Dam, the DRC will play the role as the trigger of the African revolver … a catalyst for the industrialization of Africa,” stated a spokesperson from the Agency for the Development and Promotion of the Grand Inga Dam.
The departure of one of the most experienced civil contractors with actual experience in building the Three Gorges Dam, the current world’s largest, has put doubt on whether the project will ever take shape.
On a more optimistic note, the World Bank appears to signal its continued interest in the mega. Not later than at the end of last year, the WB announced announced it has resumed talks with the Congolese government after negotiations stalled in 2016.
“I think it’s the first time that I feel more optimistic. I almost believe that we can get it done.“
World Bank Global Director of Energy
The optimism seemed to be shared by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Spanish company, AEE Power. Frabrice Lusinde, leading the DRC’s public electricity company went so far as to forecast a possible start of works in 2026 with at least two turbines up and running by 2032.
The Grand Inga Dam has a design capacity of 40-50 GW and will generate more than 300 TWh of renewable power annually. South Africa has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding to buy about half of this power. Nigeria company, Natural Oilfield Services, has also signed up as an offtaker. Additionally, Guinea and Angola have expressed to purchase power from Grand Inga.
UK Lancaster University Professor George Aggidis seems to take everything in stride and pointed out that such twists and turns are quit normal for a project of this size and scale. He reminded that the Mersey Tidal Project in the UK has yet to see the light as it experienced such ups and downs as the idea was dropped and picked up multiple times over decades.
Austrian turbine maker Andritz also signed an MoU with the Congolese government since 2021 and remains hopeful something positive will come out of it soon. The huge price tag of the Grand Inga Dam estimated at USD 80 billion is undoubtedly a hurdle.
To add to the complexity of thee project, issues of environmental impact and displacement of people exit, but these are not insurmountable. The World Bank has assured that the socio-economic impact will be duly taken into consideration. Nevertheless, construction cannot start until funding is secured despite its undeniable benefits.