Grand Inga Phase 1 is an electricity-generation and transmission programme intended to interconnect African markets from the Grand Inga hydropower site through northern, southern and western transmission axes.
The current World Bank programme treats Inga 3 as the next development at the Inga site rather than as one fixed technical design. Its first phase finances technical studies, institutions, safeguards, community infrastructure and local development ahead of any main hydropower investment.
The project proposes electricity interconnections from the Grand Inga hydropower station through a northern axis, southern axes using eastern and western corridors, and a western axis. The generation and transmission infrastructure is intended to supply the Democratic Republic of Congo and wider African markets.
World Bank documentation explains that the full Inga resource could eventually be developed through several projects sharing common site infrastructure, while the next project-Inga 3- may be configured at different scales. Earlier studies examined a 4,800 MW option and later concepts reached approximately 11,000 MW. The approved development programme therefore focuses first on helping the DRC prepare the project and prepare the country and affected communities to benefit from it. The first phase supports water, electricity, roads, skills, governance, environmental and social work and technical decision-making.
<ol><li>Prepare sustainable development of Inga 3/Grand Inga hydropower potential.</li><li>Strengthen local infrastructure, safeguards and institutions before major construction.</li><li>Enable future regional power trade and industrial electricity supply.</li><li>Mobilise structured public-private finance only after bankability and safeguards are clear.</li></ol>