World Bank Eyes Inga 3 as Future World’s Largest Hydropower Project
World Bank Backs Inga 3 Dam to Surpass China’s Three Gorges and Power DRC’s Industrial Future
On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, during an appearance on the Okapi radio program Parole aux Auditeurs (“Talk to the Listeners”), Albert Zeufack, World Bank Country Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reaffirmed the institution’s ambitious vision to make the Inga 3 hydropower project the largest dam in the world—surpassing even China’s Three Gorges Dam.
“Inga 3 is a landmark project. We’ve been discussing it for decades—ever since Congo completed Inga 2 back in 1982,” Zeufack stated.
“Our goal is to begin with Inga 3 and eventually expand to Inga 8. At full capacity, the complex would generate 42 gigawatts (42,000 megawatts)—twice the output of the Three Gorges Dam, currently the largest in the world at around 18,200 megawatts.”
Zeufack emphasized the importance of phasing the development of the Inga project to ensure long-term viability and sustainable growth.
He also stressed the need to learn from past shortcomings, particularly with Inga 1 and Inga 2, which failed to bring tangible benefits to nearby communities.
“To correct that, we’ve designed a comprehensive program,” he explained, “including vocational training, urban development, and infrastructure investment around the Inga site.
Additionally, the project will support the industrialization of the Kongo-Central region and nearby provinces by providing affordable energy for mineral processing and job creation.”
Zeufack added that the Inga 3 model could serve as a blueprint for hydropower development across the DRC, enabling other large-scale energy projects to follow a similar community-centered and industrially integrated approach.
The World Bank approved funding for Inga 3’s first phase on June 3, 2025, with an initial commitment of over $250 million.
The project is expected to be a major catalyst for energy access, regional economic growth, and climate-resilient infrastructure in Central Africa.
