- HYDRO-LINK is planning to build a 1,150-kilometre (720-mile) electricity transmission line between Angola and DRC.
- The new transmission line, scheduled for completion in 2029, will connect hydropower sites in Angola, which enjoys a surplus of energy at its hydroelectric power plants, to the critical mineral mines in the Southeastern DRC’s energy-hungry Copperbelt region.
HYDRO-LINK, a U.S.-based company set up specifically for this project, is planning to build a 1,150-kilometre (720-mile) electricity transmission line between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The project, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, has taken a major step forward with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Angola.
Mining and processing operations in mineral-rich DRC are frequently hampered by unreliable power supply and electricity shortages.
The new transmission line, scheduled for completion in 2029, will connect hydropower sites in Angola, which enjoys a surplus of energy at its hydroelectric power plants, to the critical mineral mines in the Southeastern DRC’s energy-hungry Copperbelt region.
”The transmission line will promote regional energy integration, provide energy security to the DRC, support the development of industrial hubs for local manufacturing and mineral processing, and create thousands of local construction jobs,” HYDRO-LINK CEO & Chairman Paul Hinks said.
“While primarily designed to power mining operations, the line will also connect to load centres in both Angola and the DRC, supplying much-needed electricity for public use”, he added, and will serve both African and American strategic interests.
HYDRO-LINK also signed an MoU with Swiss-based Mitrelli Group, which has joined as a major investor and partner, bringing decades of experience in Angola to help deliver the project, as well as another MOU with Sargent & Lundy, a leading architecture, engineering and design firm, which will provide engineering services for the project. The signings took place in Luanda during the U.S.-Africa Business Summit.