HYDROELECTRICITY
Inga 3 dam delays a chance for DRC to weigh options
Mismanagement, misspending and corruption have conspired to keep the Inga 3 project at blueprint stage, writes Tom Nevin
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should hit the brakes on the Inga 3 hydroelectric scheme and consider alternate ways of powering its mines and bringing electricity to its people. The DRC can power its future — and become a model for energy development in Africa — by making visionary investments in small hydro and microhydro and solar energy, according to a high-level study by energy economics expert Tim Jones, whose work for the Jubilee Debt Campaign focuses on debt risks for countries in the global south. His investigation into the Inga 3 hydroelectric scheme probes whether the dam will accomplish its goals. It finds Inga 3, in most scenarios, will sink the DRC deeper into debt, while other countries (notably SA) and international investors will reap the benefits. Inga 3 is a proposed 4,800MW hydroelectric scheme on the Congo River at the Inga Rapids, the site of an ambitious six-dam project to be known as Grand Inga. Two smaller dams are already in place: ...
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