FIS-RDC, EnPower, Trafigura and Gridworks join forces to deliver landmark power interconnector to supply the DRC's Copperbelt

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A 700MW cross-border transmission line will bring affordable power to the DRC's Copperbelt, unlock new mining and industrial capacity, open export routes for licensed Zambian power producers, and enable new generation

The Strategic Investment Fund of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("FIS-RDC"), Enterprise Power DRC SARL ("EnPower"), Trafigura and Gridworks Development Partners (together, "the Parties") have signed a Strategic Framework Agreement to jointly finance, build and operate a 200km high-voltage power line connecting Kalumbila, Zambia, with Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Kalumbila–Kolwezi Interconnector Project ("KKIP") will strengthen the DRC's connection to the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), the regional body that links national grids and allows countries to trade power across borders. The project has reached the final stage of development, with all necessary concessions, licences and authorisations secured. It has an estimated construction cost of USD300 million.

KKIP will deliver benefits on both sides of the border: a new source of reliable, affordable power for the DRC's mining and industrial sectors, and new export capacity and transmission opportunities for Zambian power producers. The line will have a thermal capacity of 700MW, enabling up to 550MW of competitively priced electricity to be imported into the Copperbelt mining region of the DRC. The line design allows for a future capacity increase to over 1GW.

Source: Wikipedia