A merger of Chinese and Spanish consortia involved in the development of the Inga 3 Project
“A giant leap for Inga 3: the Chinese & Spanish consortia have just merged, in accordance with the exclusive development agreement signed since 2018”, we can read on Patrick Kabuya’s tweeter account for whom after this merger, the next steps should be successively laying the foundation stone, carrying out additional studies, creating the project company, preparatory works, financial closing, the concession, construction and finally commercial contracts.
This unique new consortium is made up of six predominantly Chinese companies including China Three Gorges Corporation (manager of the gigantic Three Gorges dam in China), a unit of State Grid Corporation and AEE Power Holdings Sarl of Spain. During the first half of 2020, the Spanish construction group ACS withdrew from the project. However, other potential partners can always join this unique consortium, according to ADPI / RDC.
The challenge of the construction of Inga 3 is not only to compensate for the energy deficit of mining companies located in Katanga in the DRC but also to export part of the electrical energy to supply South African industry. Equally, part of the electricity produced should supply the Congolese population. The electrification rate in the DRC is still below 15%.
It is since October 2018 that the two Chinese and Spanish groups had competed for this project as Co-developers. With a production capacity of 11,000 megawatts for an investment cost of 13.9 billion USD, Inga 3 is the first of six phases of the Grand Inga on the Congo River.
