- Ivanhoe Mines has announced that the newly refurbished 178MW Turbine #5 at the Inga II hydropower station is now delivering its first 50 megawatts of renewable electricity to the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The company expects power deliveries to increase to 100MW in the first quarter of 2026, rising to 150MW in 2027 as upgrades to the national electricity grid are completed.
The milestone marks more than a decade of collaboration between Ivanhoe Mines and the DRC’s state-owned power utility, Société Nationale d’Électricité (SNEL), aimed at restoring 250 megawatts of hydropower capacity at the Inga facilities.
According to Ivanhoe Mines, installation of new mechanical and electrical systems at Turbine #5 was completed in the third quarter of 2025, followed by synchronization and energization early in the fourth quarter. The turbine has since reached full output, feeding around 180 megawatts of clean power into the national grid. Kamoa-Kakula is currently receiving 50 megawatts of that supply, bringing its total domestic power intake to roughly 110 megawatts.
Kasper Badenhorst, Kamoa Copper, Construction Manager, and Papy Enona, Mechanical Engineer, Gruner Stucky AG, reviewing commissioning plans during the commissioning of Turbine #5. Image credit: Ivanhoe Mines
Further increases will depend on a series of grid-strengthening projects, including upgrades at substations in Inga (SCI) and Kolwezi (SCK). Resistor banks at the Inga substation were upgraded in May 2025, with corresponding work at Kolwezi expected to finish shortly. A new static compensator at Kolwezi is scheduled for completion in early 2026, enabling deliveries from Inga II to reach 100 megawatts.
Additional enhancements to filter banks at both substations will be carried out in phases through mid-2027. Once complete, power received from Turbine #5 at Kamoa-Kakula is projected to rise to 150 megawatts. By late 2027, the company expects its total supply of domestically produced renewable power to reach approximately 210 megawatts.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
