Australian company, FGM Fortescue, is prepared to invest in the Grand Inga hydroelectric construction project in DR Congo.
The leader of a delegation of the company to DR Congo, Julie Shuttleworth, revealed this at the end of talks on Thursday with Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba.
“We have already carried out the feasibility studies, but we are in the process of collecting additional information, and we will start work as soon as we have the official contract,” Shuttleworth said.
She said the company has the capacity to develop the environment very quickly and efficiently and is committed to training local staff to contribute to this major long-term project.
The company, which specialises in the exploration, development, production, processing and sale of iron ore, is committed to the development of Grand Inga and the establishment of an environmentally friendly industry.
The Grand Inga project is seen as the largest hydroelectric project of all time.
It is twice the size of the Chinese Three Gorges Dam, now considered the largest in the world.
With an expected production of 40,000 megawatts, it could supply electricity to half of the African continent — from South Africa to Egypt, via Nigeria. There would be some 15,000 km of power transmission lines to supply some 500 million households.