DRC and Hydro-Link Sign $1.5 Billion Deal to Power Mining Belt with Angolan Hydropower
DRC Partners with Hydro-Link in $1.5 Billion Project to Supply 1,200MW of Clean Energy to Copper and Cobalt Mines
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has signed a $1.5 billion preliminary agreement with Hydro-Link, a unit of Symbion Power, to construct a major 1,160-kilometer (720-mile) electricity transmission line connecting Angola’s hydropower plants to Congo’s key copper and cobalt mining region.
Once complete, the project will deliver up to 1,200 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy to the DRC’s mining heartland—helping reduce reliance on costly and polluting diesel generators that many operators currently depend on due to chronic power shortages.
“I’m delighted by this partnership and I urge American investors to follow suit,” said Aimé Sakombi Molendo, Congo’s Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity, during the signing ceremony at the U.S.-Congo Investment Conference in Washington.
“This agreement demonstrates our shared vision for sustainable industrial growth powered by clean energy.”
The signing took place as the U.S. and DRC advance discussions on a broader minerals, infrastructure, and security pact aimed at promoting private investment by U.S. companies in Africa’s energy and mining sectors.
Powering Congo’s Mining Boom
The transmission line will channel electricity from Angola’s Lauca hydropower plant and other facilities across the border to the Congolese city of Kolwezi, a hub for copper and cobalt production.
The supply is expected to begin as early as 2029, following Hydro-Link’s memorandum of understanding with Angola signed in June.
The DRC’s mining belt—home to global producers such as Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., Glencore Plc, and CMOC Group Ltd.—faces a power deficit of at least 1,500MW, according to the Ministry of Mines. The new line will help close this gap and support the country’s plans to expand mineral processing capacity domestically.
“With the growth of the mining sector, the next decade will be a complete game-changer for Congo’s electricity supply,” said Paul Hinks, Hydro-Link CEO and co-founder of Symbion Power, which began operations in 2005 building transmission infrastructure in Iraq.
U.S. Manufacturing and Financing Partnership
Designed to align with U.S. industrial policy, Hydro-Link plans to award over 30% of project contracts—for materials such as cables, insulators, and hardware—to U.S.-based manufacturers.
The company will seek to finance about 70% of the project cost through a loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and will also pursue feasibility funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) as well as export credits from the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM).
Swiss-based Mitrelli Group will partner with Hydro-Link on project execution, while Sargent & Lundy, a U.S. engineering firm, will provide technical and design services.
A Liberalized Market Opportunity
Congo’s decision to liberalize its energy sector a decade ago has opened the door for private investors to generate, transmit, and market electricity independently—a rarity in the African energy landscape.
“It’s one of the only countries in Africa where you can manage the entire value chain privately,” Hinks noted. “That makes Congo one of the most exciting frontiers for private power investment on the continent.”
A Step Toward a Greener, Stronger Economy
The Hydro-Link project marks a pivotal step toward strengthening DRC’s energy security and supporting sustainable industrialization. By harnessing Angola’s hydropower potential to fuel Congo’s mineral-rich economy, the initiative represents a model for regional energy cooperation and a new era of green growth in Central Africa.
