KfW digitalises DRC substation to better connect power from the Congo River

Germany’s state-owned development bank KfW invested €20 million ($22.1 million) to finance the modernisation of the substation at the Inga I and Inga II hydropower plants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

On behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the KfW overhauled and digitalised the substation.

According to the bank in a release, the substation was outdated and not fully utilising energy from the two largest hydropower plants on the Congo River, despite the fact that they have been modernised.

The substation’s digitalisation, adds KfW, will help make the electricity supply in the DRC more stable, efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Commenting in a release was KfW’s country representative for financial cooperation with the DRC and the Republic of Chad, Markus Schlömann: “By modernising the substation, we have made an important contribution to making the electricity supply in the Congo more secure.

“Electricity distribution is often undervalued, but it is just as important for the supply as the electricity generation itself.”

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The new substation aims to ensure that the electricity from the two hydropower plants reliably reaches consumers, which significantly improves the living situation and facilitates economic development.

In addition to the €20 million, an additional €4 million ($4.4 million) was allocated to connect four turbines at the hydroelectric power plant to the new, modern switchgear control system.

The Kinshasa control centre now has direct access to Inga II’s substation. According to KfW, faults are detected and corrected early, thereby stabilising the entire power grid and minimising energy losses.

The challenge in modernising the substation was that only individual parts of the plant could be shut down while the plant was still operating. This meant that the different areas had to be modernised bit by bit, which made work more difficult.

The modernisation of the DRC substation and control equipment was also delayed due to work restrictions and supply problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, work concluded successfully this year with the integration of the four generating units.

DRC: Fixing supply with hydropower

Electricity is a luxury in the DRC and is not available to the majority of the population.

According to the KfW, fewer than one in five residents draws electricity from the socket. Most have to use expensive diesel generators or do without power.

They add that, of the country’s roughly 18 million households, only 2 million have access to electricity at all, with major variation between urban and rural areas. This not only complicates living conditions, but also economic development. Power outages due to damage or overload also hinder business operations.

However, says the KfW, the DRC has great potential for sustainable energy supply, namely from hydropower.

Two power plants on the Congo River, with installed capacity of more than 1.7GW, are the country’s main energy suppliers – they alone generate 90% of the electricity consumed in the capital Kinshasa.

These two run-of-river power plants Inga I and II are integrated into dams on the mighty Congo River, where it overcomes a drop of more than 90 metres.

The two power plants are located in the west of the DRC, but in addition to the capital Kinshasa with its 16 million inhabitants, they also supply the south of the country via a high-voltage power line that is more than 1,000 km long.

The most important consumers in economic terms are industrial companies, which in this way are supplied with green electricity.

A substation provides the high voltage required to transmit the power over vast distances. In addition, the switchgear protects the power grid in the event of lightning strikes, short circuits or line failure.

Yet the outdated station was in a poor condition – one of the causes of the frequent power outages. The energy generated in the hydropower plants was not being fully utilised and power losses were high.

According to the KfW, the substation’s modernisation will help meet the country’s electricity demand significantly, although not entirely.

For this reason, they add, the World Bank is now considering further expansion of the Inga power plants.

According to Germany’s BMZ, on behalf of which the substation investment was made, the DRC is a nexus and peace partner.

They add that the DRC is generating almost all of its electric power from renewable sources and has the largest hydropower potential in Africa – estimated at 100GW.

Through its development cooperation, says the BMZ, Germany is helping to ensure that this potential is harnessed more efficiently in the Great Lakes region.