World Bank to finance controversial DRC hydropower project, concerns remain

The World Bank recently approved an initial $250 million in financing for the controversial Inga 3 mega dam project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a move that worries civil society organizations.

Inga 3 has long been planned as part of the Grand Inga hydropower project, a series of dams at Inga Falls on the Congo River that will eventually generate a total of 42,000 megawatts of electricity. The Inga 1 and Inga 2 dams were built decades ago, and Inga 3 is the next phase of the project, expected to generate 4,800-11,000 MW.

“The development of Inga 3’s hydropower will be transformative for DRC,” Bob Mabiala, head of the Agency for the Development and Promotion of Grand Inga (ADPI-DRC), the project developer, said in a press release.

Thierno Bah, senior energy specialist at the bank, told Mongabay by email the “Inga site is one of the world’s best renewable energy opportunities in a country that is desperately short of affordable energy. Only 21% of the 100 million population in DRC have access to electricity.”

However, Siziwe Mota, Africa program director of the nonprofit International Rivers, told Mongabay that “power from Inga 3 wouldn’t benefit the approximately 80% of Congolese who lack access [to energy], particularly the rural communities,” but will instead be sold to other countries and to foreign mining companies in the DRC.

The World Bank approved $73.1 million for Inga 3 in 2014, but suspended funding in 2016, “after the government made unilateral changes to the implementation arrangements“, Bah said, adding the bank’s re-engagement is based on changes including “the government’s improved track record on economic management.”

One contentious issue, the bank noted in 2018, was the ADPI’s creation under the DRC presidency instead of an independent agency, without consulting the bank. Mota said the bank hasn’t clarified if its concerns about political interference with ADPI are resolved.

According to International Rivers, Inga 3 could displace more than 30,000 people, many already relocated for the construction of Inga 1 and 2, and still awaiting compensation.

“My family lost everything as they were among those physically and economically displaced by Inga 1 and 2, and we are not prepared to again sacrifice our land and livelihood for the construction of Inga 3,” Angelique Mvuezolo, director of Femmes du Fleuve, said in a statement.

Mota added the local consultations had several problems, including poor engagement with communities displaced by Inga 1 and NGOs that have historically monitored the Inga project, and emphasizing project benefits while excluding potential negative impacts from discussions.

Josh Klemm, International Rivers’ co-executive director, said the World Bank “is returning to top-down mega dams that threaten communities and ecosystems, while sidelining community-driven, decentralized renewable alternatives.”

However, Bah said the World Bank is supporting decentralized renewable-based grids in certain DRC provincial capitals as part of its Access Governance & Reform for the Electricity and Water Sectors Project (AGREE) initiative.

Banner image: Inga dam site on the Congo River by International Rivers via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

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