A planned 5,000 MW HVDC line from the Congo River to South Africa, estimated at US$3.6 billion, now in feasibility. No tenders yet — which is exactly why early movers win.
The Grand Inga site on the Congo River holds one of the largest untapped hydropower resources on Earth. Its next stage, Inga 3, could transform electricity supply across southern Africa — but only if the power can reach the industrial centres that need it. That is the role of the Inga 3 Transmission Interconnector.
The project at a glance
According to the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the interconnector is a planned HVDC line of about 3,000 km with a capacity of 5,000 MW, carrying power from the DRC to South Africa via Zambia and Zimbabwe and/or Botswana. Its total cost is estimated at US$3.56 billion (PIDA Investment Prospectus, July 2025 update).
The national utilities involved are SNEL (DRC, sponsor), Eskom (South Africa), ZESCO (Zambia), ZESA (Zimbabwe) and BPC (Botswana), coordinated through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Funding for project preparation has been requested from the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the World Bank; PIDA lists a preparation funding gap of US$25 million.
Timeline: early stage, long runway
PIDA’s indicative schedule (July 2025 update):
- 2024–2026: feasibility studies
- 2027–2028: project structuring
- 2028–2032: construction (4–5 years after financial close)
- From 2032: operation
The project is still at the initial assessment stage. Next steps include finalising the transmission corridor memorandum between the countries and completing a pre-feasibility study. No public construction tenders have been launched.
The power source: Inga 3 itself
The dam is the larger story. Its cost is estimated at US$10–14 billion, and no final investment decision has been made. The DRC and South Africa were due to resume talks in April 2026, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa is reported to be involved in financing a transmission corridor to the South African grid (Construction Review Online, 20 March 2026). The World Bank has committed up to US$1 billion over ten years to an Inga 3 development programme; the first US$250 million was approved in June 2025 for technical studies, vocational training and social safeguards (Construction Review Online; PIDA).
Why this matters now
Projects of this size are shaped years before construction. The engineering firms, equipment suppliers and advisers that support feasibility, environmental studies and financial structuring are best placed when tenders eventually open. Opportunities include:
- Studies: feasibility, route selection, environmental and social impact assessment, resettlement planning
- Grid technology: HVDC converter stations, overhead lines, substation automation, grid stability and balancing
- Advisory: transaction structuring, power-pool regulation, cross-border wheeling agreements
- Capacity building: utility training and digital asset management
What Connectivity is monitoring
- Signature of the transmission corridor agreement between the five countries
- Feasibility study awards and preparation funding from AfDB, AFD and the World Bank
- Progress on the Inga 3 dam negotiations between the DRC and South Africa
- SAPP rules for cross-border power trading
Build your position before Inga 3 goes to tender. Connectivity follows the interconnector’s preparation, funders and decision-makers across the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.