100 million loan for electricity distribution in the DRC

16 October 2009

A loan from the World Bank in the amount of 100 million Dollars has been earmarked to finance the modernisation of two electricity converters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A contract was signed this week in Kinshasa between SENL, the national electricity company, and the Swedish concern Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), which will be carrying out the work.

The aim is to improve the security, capacity, and flexibility of the distribution of electric current between the production station at Inga and the distribution centre at Kolwezi.

The scheme also includes boosting the transit capacity of the DRC to southern Africa from 500 to 1000 MW, in order to develop the export of electricity.

“At present we have a surplus of current at Inga, but we cannot distribute it to meet the needs of Kinshasa because we only have one line. A new line is needed for that purpose”, explained the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of reconstruction, Emile Bongeli, quoted by radiookapi.net.<br/>

Category: Energy