South Africa eyes regional power link to tap DRC’s grand inga hydro project
South Africa is in talks with Zambia and Zimbabwe to develop a transmission line that would bring electricity from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Grand Inga hydropower project, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has confirmed.
Speaking to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tuesday, Mantashe said the proposed line, which is critical to South Africa’s plan to import 2,500 megawatts from the Inga 3 dam, would cross both countries en route to South Africa.
“The Grand Inga project is not ours; it’s a DRC project, given to the Spanish and Chinese. We have a right to buy equity in it, which would have to be approved by the DRC. We have not bought that equity, so we can’t really pretend to be managing the Inga project. It is not our project. We have committed ourselves to a quantity of electricity that will be taken up by South Africa, but the driving of the project is out of our jurisdiction,” he is quoted by Daily News.
South Africa signed a treaty with the DRC in 2013 to secure electricity from Inga, with a long-term vision of importing up to 5,000 MW. However, the project has seen repeated delays amid financing and political hurdles.
Crown Prince Adil Nchabaleng, a member of parliament on the ticket of the MK Party, challenged the minister’s optimism, questioning the viability of relying on Grand Inga for domestic power supply. Mantashe, however, maintained that talks with neighbouring countries are ongoing.
Meanwhile, Mantashe also addressed the recent launch of the South African National Petroleum Corporation (SANPC), created through the restructuring of his department. He said the move allows the country to better prioritize petroleum, which still accounts for 80% of global energy consumption, despite the growing focus on renewables.
The Grand Inga project, located on the Congo River, is one of the world’s largest proposed hydropower schemes.
