World Bank’s controversial support for Inga 3 dam signals return to big hydropower projects
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Article summary
CSOs criticise Bank’s return to financing ‘top-down mega dams’ and question its claims that project will resolve energy access deficit in DR Congo
Despite serious concerns from communities and civil society organisations (CSOs), the World Bank’s executive board approved a $250 million loan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 3 June in support of the first phase of the long-delayed Inga 3 dam’s construction.
The project, which was first proposed in 2014, has an estimated price tag of $10 billion, with the Bank potentially providing $1 billion in total financing. CSOs have highlighted the staggering social and environmental risks from the mega-project, which could displace 30,000 people, according to a 3 June civil society press release responding to the board’s decision. It noted that the climate credentials also do not stand up to scrutiny as, “Mega-dams are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and are prone to failure under extreme weather conditions.”
“The Bank is returning to top-down mega dams that threaten communities and ecosystems, while sidelining community-driven, decentralized renewable alternatives,” said Josh Klemm of global CSO International Rivers.
While the Bank claims Inga 3 will improve energy access in the country, the CSO release points out that the public-private partnership being pursued for Inga 3 is likely to see communities’ energy access bypassed in favour of more lucrative commercial uses and regional export markets (see Briefing, A just energy transition deferred).
“Inga 3 threatens to deepen the DRC’s debt burden without delivering promised energy access to the millions of Congolese who need it,” said Emmanuel Musuyu of DRC-based CSO Coalition des Organisations de la Société Civile pour le Suivi des Réformes et de l’Action Publique (CORAP).
