Angola-DRC Power Supergrid Project Moves Forward with 1,450km Cross-Border Interconnector Network

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Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have moved forward with plans for one of Africa’s most ambitious and largest electricity transmission networks, a cross-border interconnector supergrid project designed to export Angola’s surplus hydroelectric power into the energy-starved Congolese mining belt.

Announced following high-level talks in Luanda between Angolan President Joao Lourenco and DRC officials led by Water Resources and Electricity Minister Aime Sakombi Molendo, the project centers on a 1,450km high-voltage transmission line from Malanje in Angola to Fungurume in the DRC’s Copperbelt. The development is positioned as both an industrial enabler for critical minerals processing and a cornerstone of regional energy integration.

The project also aligns with wider strategic infrastructure under the Lobito Corridor. This is a Western-backed logistics and mineral transport corridor linking inland mining zones in the DRC and Zambia to Angola’s Atlantic coast. Reliable electricity supply is increasingly seen as the missing infrastructure layer needed to maximize Lobito corridor’s industrial value proposition.

It will also position Angola as a major regional electricity exporter and advance long-discussed ambitions for African power pool integration.

DRC Grid System. Source: Maupin, Agathe. (2017). Energy Challenges in Southern Africa: Balancing Renewable Energy Source Options in the Democratic Republic of Congo.