The Congolese government announced on Wednesday, September 18, the start of construction, in January 2025, of its largest hydroelectric dam in Sounda, in the south of the country.

The government, through the Ministry of Energy and Hydraulics, has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Overseas Co Ltd for the development of the Sounda site, with the aim of producing 600 to 800 megawatts of electricity," said Thierry Moungalla, government spokesperson. "We finally have the realization of this long-awaited project to strengthen electricity production," he added. According to Thierry Moungalla, who is also the Minister of Communication, work on this major project will begin next January and is set to be completed by June 2030

The total cost is estimated at 1.3 trillion CFA francs, pre-financed by China. Beijing pre-financed the construction of the Imboulou hydroelectric dam (120 megawatts) in 2011, located 160 km north of Brazzaville.

With more than 2.5 million inhabitants, the two main urban areas of Congo (Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire) frequently face issues of prolonged power outages

The authorities often mention losses in the electricity transport circuit between Pointe-Noire, which has, among other things, a gas plant of over 450 megawatts, and Brazzaville. "We lose between 80 and 120 megawatts between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville from a total production of 720 megawatts. What is produced is lost in the transport network," which is faulty, explained Thierry Moungalla. This problem is compounded by the poor management of Electricité du Congo (E2C), the public operator responsible for managing electricity, according to the minister.

Article source: jeuneafrique