Regional effects of Grand Inga : A project-focus application of TEMBA (The Electricity Model Base for Africa)

The proposed Grand Inga project could reach a total generating capacity of 42 GW, making it the biggest hydropower plant in the world. The scale of the proposed project is immense in comparison to numerous national power systems in Sub-Saharan Africa – and their relatively small demand. As such, when it reaches its full potential, Grand Inga’s low-cost electricity has the potential to dominate the electricity supply mix of neighbouring countries. However, as a result of the required mobilization of funds for Grand Inga’s construction, potential markets and hence investors need to be identified. Energy-intensive and growing economies in Southern and Western Africa are likely destinations for the project’s electricity, but this also necessitates transnational grid expansion to enable trade. This paper employs a cost-optimization approach to provide an indication, under various scenarios, of selected national economies that are likely to demand electricity from Inga and the associated trade routes that should be put in place. A national-scale model of the African continent is employed and results are compared to a preceding study, which used a coarser resolution of the continent’s electricity supply system.QC 20170613