Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station

Zongo II Dam
Barrage de Zongo
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station
Location of Zongo II Power Station
Placement on map is approximate
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station is located in Africa
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station (Africa)
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station is located in Earth
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station
Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station (Earth)
LocationZongo, Central Kongo Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates04°46′57″S 14°54′22″E / 4.78250°S 14.90611°E / -4.78250; 14.90611
Construction began2012
Opening date2018
Construction costUS$360 million
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity dam
ImpoundsInkisi River
Power Station
Commission date2018
Turbines150 MW (3 x 50 MW)
Installed capacity150 MW (200,000 hp)

The Zongo II Power Station, also Zongo 2 Power Station, (French: Centrale hydroélectrique de Zongo II) is a 150 MW hydroelectric power station across the Inkisi River that harnesses the energy of the Zongo Falls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Construction began on 14 March 2012 and concluded in 2018. The power station was officially inaugurated on 22 June 2018 by the President of the DR Congo, at that time, Joseph Kabila.[1]

Location

Zongo II Dam is located in the village of Zongo, in Central Kongo Province, in southwestern DR Congo. The power station lies across the Inkisi River, (a tributary of the Congo River), approximately 78 kilometres (48 mi) southwest of Kinshasa, the capital and largest city in that country.[2] This is about 275 kilometres (171 mi), by road, northeast of the port of Matadi, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.[3]

The coordinates of Zongo II Power Station are 04°46'57.0"S, 14°54'22.0"E (Latitude:-4.782500; Longitude:14.906111).[4]

Zongo II HPP sits at the location, formerly occupied by Zongo I Hydroelectric Power Plant. The 75 megawatts power station was constructed between 1955 and 1965. It comprised five turbines, each with capacity of 15 megawatts.[5] By the time it was replaced, output had greatly diminished due to equipment obsolescence and lack of maintenance, over its 60-year lifespan.[6]

Overview

The installed capacity at Zongo II HPP is 150 megawatts. The energy produced here is purchased by Société Nationale d'Électricité (SNEL), for integration into the national electricity grid under a long-term power purchase agreement.[6] A 220kV high voltage transmission line measuring 70 kilometres (43 mi) conveys the energy from the power station to the SNEL substation at Kinsuka, in Kinshasa, where the energy enters into the national grid.[7]

Development, funding and timeline

The engineering, procurement, and construction contract was awarded to Sinohydro, the Chinese state-owned, hydropower engineering and construction company, at a contract price of US$360 million.[6]

The funds were borrowed by the Government of DR Congo, from the Exim Bank of China at an interest rate of 2 percent per annum, over a 20-year period, beginning the day of commercial commissioning.[6]

Construction began in 2012 and was originally scheduled for three years. However, due to delays, it took six years to complete the dam and power station, which came online in June 2018.[1][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Olivier Kamo (11 July 2019). "DRC: dam Zongo II, a project poorly evaluated technically and financially (study)". ZoomEco.net. Kinshasa, DRC. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Road Distance Between Kinshasa, DRC and Zongo, Kongo Central, DRC" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Road Distance Between Matadi, DRC and Zongo, Kongo Central, DRC" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Location of Zongo II Hydroelectric Power Station" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ^ Rajan Gupta (22 December 2011). "Profile of Zongo I Hydroelectric Power Station". Global Energy Observatory. Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e Jean Marie Takouleu (3 July 2018). "DRC: Sinohydro has finally completed the Zongo 2 hydroelectric dam". Afrik.21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  7. ^ HuatuChina (2018). "Zongo II Hydropower Station in DRC". Huatuchina.com. Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Retrieved 28 June 2021.