Grand Inga: Who Will Benefit
The ability of Congo to provide electricity for the entire African continent and have enough left over to export to Southern Europe and the Middle East is legendary. It appears that steps are being accelerated in order to bring this vision to fruition. However, as is almost always the case when it comes to Congo, the central question is who will benefit? As has been the case since 1885, things do not look good for the Congolese people.Click here to find the grand Inga Dam!
1. Banks meet over £40bn plan to harness power of Congo river and double Africa's electricity
2. Grand Inga, Grand Illusions?
3. Congo's Inga power projects seek new lease of life
4. World Energy Council Facilitates Action On The Inga Hydropower Projects
5. Scramble to Dam the Congo Keeps Africans in the Dark
6. Will Italy, Israel and Egypt Benefit From Congo's Hydro Power At The Expense Of The Congolese People?
7. Will Italy, Israel and Egypt Benefit From Congo's Hydro Power At The Expense Of The Congolese People? (AUDIO VERSION)
8. Inga Hydroelectric Facility
posted by Blog Scholar @ 12:19 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
In a 2007 debate on water and electricity shortages, Congo’s parliamentarians asked why the Congolese people have to cope with frequent power cuts while supplies abroad have not been seriously interrupted in twenty years.
Summoned to give evidence, the technical director of the national electricity company (SNEL), blamed antiquated, unserviced equipment, and financial deficits due to expenses outstripping production.
(The nice round figures he presented were $10m for the former and $9m for the latter. He did not mention what has been done with the World Bank loans or the $9m that has been invested in the last two years by MagEnergy and South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation.)
Parliament called for an audit. I don't know if this was followed up.
Projects such as these suddenly become feasible when the smoke-and-mirrors of UN clean development mechanism [CDM] credits are involved. The bankers will make money, the dam builders will make money, and the importers of the power (SA, Egypt, and maybe even Europe) will benefit, but what will the DRC get?
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