Presented at Africa 2025 in Accra, Ghana
Rehabilitation of unit 5 of Inga 2 hydroelectric power plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Managing hydropower rehabilitation and transmission upgrades within a complex EPC-M project
Authors: Y. Favrel, Dr. Christopher David, Nicolas Hugo, Gruner Stucky Ltd , Switzerland; Henri Makap A Muteb, Société Nationale d'Electricité (SNEL) SA, Democratic Republic of Congo
Building on the success of the rehabilitation of the Mwadingusha hydroelectric scheme in southern Democratic Republic of Congo under a public-private partnership between the National Electric Company, SNEL SA and Ivanhoe Mines Energy —presented at Africa 2023— the focus has now shifted to the renowned Inga hydroelectric scheme in western DRC with the rehabilitation of unit 5 at Inga 2 power plant, which is expected to be commissioned end Q3 2025.
The project's current phase transitions from power generation to transmission. This includes strengthening the transit capacity of the HVDC line by approximately 200 MW, achieved through the installation of additional harmonic filters at Inga, along with the construction of a new static VAR compensator with a capacity of +/-200 MVar at Kolwezi.
The entire implementation is managed by Gruner Stucky under an EPC-M contract. This is a highly complex, and critical project for the economic development of DRC, aimed at expanding mining activities to generate added value for the country and its population.
The paper focuses on the rehabilitation of the Inga 2 power plant's generation assets and the necessary transition of the project from a focus on power generation to transmission infrastructure during execution. It will highlight Gruner Stucky’s end-user-focused approach and the flexibility required throughout the project.
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