That all Congolese, in both rural and urban areas, have access to sustainable, affordable and quality energy services by 2030.
Defining and implementing energy policies and projects should be carried out in a participatory manner. It should respect human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, be conducted in good governance, and be in control of the environmental and social impacts.
The Inga 3 project, as it is currently developed, is not well suited for the vision we have. The Democratic Republic of Congo should invest in developing power pools within its territory that are in line with its goal of becoming an emerging market by 2030.
85%
without access to electricity
The Inga 3 project is an ambitious project but would not primarily benefit the Congolese population, over 85% of which do not have access to modern energy services. And yet, the right to electricity access is guaranteed by article 48 of the country’s Constitution.
The general public and the local population in particular have not been consulted in advance by public survey regarding the project as planned in Article 24 of the law regarding the fundamental principles of the environment. No environmental and social impact assessment has been conducted to date and no mitigation and environmental management plan has been adopted.
This STOP INGA 3 site lets the world know that the project in its current state goes against the vision we have regarding accessible energy across the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A project that doesn’t benefit the people of Congo: To date, plans for the project Inga 3 have prioritized supplying power to neighbouring countries and to the mining industry in Congo. Energy developments that power mining projects in DRC seldom if ever extend access to electricity to surrounding communities.
A costly megaproject: Regardless of the project financial model being proposed, the cost estimate is 14 billion US dollars. As such, Inga 3 comes with a high price tag and the likelihood of cost overruns could undermine future generations and thwart ambitions of a developed DRC. The Democratic Republic of Congo should use its available and diverse energy resources to develop a decentralized energy system, and avoid putting all its efforts and resources in the Inga 3 project which will not benefit the majority of the Congolese population.
Weak Governance and Lack of Transparency: The Inga 3 project lacks a formal mechanism for sharing information in accordance with Article 24 of the Constitution which provides for the right of access to information. Since November 2015, the Grand Inga project has been entrusted by order to the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the Grand Inga Project (ADPI), an entity that is directly under the control of the Presidency of the Republic and which completely escapes any independent oversight and control of the institutions responsible for overseeing major public projects. A few months after the creation of the ADPI, the World Bank suspended the financing of Inga 3.
Ecological and social damage: As it stands, the Inga 3 is a project with significant potential of ecological and social damage. The environmental impacts associated with climate change and resettlement of an entire population in the Inga area would make this project an extremely risky endeavour for Congolese communities whose lives would be most impacted.
To date, numerous civil society organizations have publicly denounced the project and more than twelve thousand residents have signed a petition to express their dissatisfaction. → CLICK HERE to view the petition
We are a group of eight Congolese civil society organizations that have long documented many human, social and governance concerns related to the Inga 3 project.
We are supported by several other Congolese organizations and movements and we act in synergy with the more than 12,000 habitants of the Inga site who signed a petition to denounce this new hydroelectric project.
Regardless of the project financial model, with a cost estimate of 13.9 billion US dollars, we believe Inga 3 comes with a high price tag and the likelihood of cost overruns inherent to mega projects will undermine future generations and thwart all ambitions of a developed DRC.
— Civil Society Organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo
We ask that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its partners abandon the implementation of the Inga 3 project in order to focus on developing its enormous sustainable energy potential to effectively meet its national service needs and its goals as an emerging nation.
Please fill this form to join the campaign to Stop Inga 3.We will contact you.
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