Three mining companies in Katanga would cooperate with the World Bank for more reliable power line Inga-Kolwezi

Three mining companies in Katanga would cooperate with the World Bank for more reliable power line Inga-Kolwezi

Kinshasa, 05/07/2012 / Economy

The reliability of the power line Inga-Kolwezi in there carrying 1,000 MW is being considered by three mining companies in Katanga willing to finance this project with assistance from the World Bank in a beautiful synergy of partnership a copy

The World Bank and three mining companies in Katanga have partnered to the reliability of the power line Inga-Kolwezi. Ultimately, it is this path to route 1 000 MW. The Board of Directors of The World Bank approved 28 June 2012 additional funding in the form of a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) amounting to USD 201.5 million to strengthen the capacity of energy transport in the DRC in order to better meet the national demand for energy in this country and support the integration of this country in regional energy market in Southern Africa.

This additional funding will be used primarily to restore the long transmission line of 2,300 km connecting the Inga site in Zambia. This further strengthens the project underway with the National Electricity Company; project in which are put to three mining companies in Katanga, including KCC, and MUMI Kansuki. If the World Bank project is intended primarily to production for export to Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) which connects the power grids of twelve countries, ten countries in the subregion of Southern Africa (Angola Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe), the project managed on behalf of mining companies from Kolwezi is part of strengthening the mining industry in Katanga.

Genesis Project



In the 1970s, faced with the imperative to increase production of Gecamines at 700 000 tonnes of copper per year (project P2), it proved necessary to provide and make available nearly 700 MW Katanga. Considering the lack of energy in Katanga (about 360 MW), it proved necessary to get the energy to transport it to Inga and Katanga. Hence, the Inga-Shaba.

This project required the one hand, the realization of the plant Inga 2 with eight (8) machinery of 178 MW each, is 1424 MW and, secondly, the construction of a high-voltage DC [THTCC Inga-Kolwezi (Inga-Shaba) (500KV)] of about 1800 km with a transit capacity of 1000 MW. Initially, the transit was limited to 2 times 250 MW, 500 MW.

Unfortunately, the project P2 Gecamines does not happen. Therefore, the two projects inaugurated in the 1980s could not be exploited and equipment maintenance was not done.

From 2003-2004, peace resettling in the country, various mining companies have taken over operations of Gecamines. They will invest in both mining and in metallurgy of copper and cobalt to achieve or exceed in 2020 the 700 000 t of copper per year foreseen in the project P2. It is therefore essential to seek the power to Inga and transit the 1,800 km line THTCC Inga-Kolwezi (Inga-Shaba). Unfortunately, 30 years have passed. This is the average lifespan of electrical equipment. It was necessary to rehabilitate and modernize the equipment of the same interconnected system of SNEL in Bas-Congo and Katanga, both production and transmission of electrical energy.

To carry out the rehabilitation and modernization required the mobilization of significant financial resources. Unfortunately, the DRC was under embargo since 1990 - more cooperation with foreign states, more collaboration with the private banking institutions. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund structural adjustment going structural adjustments. He had to either go through regional projects, that is to say that involve multiple states or find resources inside the DRC.

Regional projects

SNEL, through the government, obtained loans from the World Bank for the project that allows SAPMP rehabilitate its infrastructure to export electric power to Southern Africa. Interest SNEL, is the rehabilitation of its infrastructure and the sale of 500 MW out. But these investments have not provided the use of online THTCC Inga-Kolwezi to its full capacity of 1000 MW. Mining and the people of Katanga concerned by the embargo on the DRC could not be served. It was therefore complementary investments and those of SAPMP PMEDE: World Bank, ADB and EIB, using the internal resources of the DRC.

Use of own resources of DRC

In recent years, global demand for nonferrous metals is so strong that traders, including Glencore, could not investing in mines in the DRC mainly as peace takes hold. But to ensure the production and refining of copper and cobalt were also needed for energy, which is mainly supplied by SNEL. In December 2005, against the urging of energy estimated to be 2000 MW by 2020, SNEL convened a round table in Lubumbashi. The Managing Director General told the mine that the only way to solve the energy problem was their involvement in the rehabilitation and modernization of equipment SNEL form of public-private partnership. It is then that this scheme is underway with several mining companies including KCC, and MUMI KANSUKI.

These three companies have set up a financing of around 300 000 000 USD for the project FRIPT (Reliability, rehabilitation and strengthening of infrastructure SNEL production (Inga & Nzilo) and transport (DC and AC combined) whose consistency includes a number of works, including the reliability pole # 2 of the link THTCC Inga - Kolwezi, the realization of the project Nzilo urgent actions; return to service of Unit No. 3 of the hydroelectric Nzilo, rehabilitation of G28, G28 of rehabilitation, etc..

This project is not only complementary to the projects and SAPMP PMEDE, but it optimizes the operation of the line THTCC Inga-Kolwezi to its full installed capacity of 1000 MW. This 1,000 MW, 500 MW is for export, while 500 MW are intended for consumption Katanga (nearly 400 MW will be allocated to industries that have mounted the financing and 100 MW will be available to SNEL for population).