Nzilo Hydroelectric Power Station ( French: ''Centrale hydroélectrique de Nzilo'') is an operational hydropower plant in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, with installed capacity of . It is operated by the Congolese electricity utility company,

Société Nationale d'Électricité Société Nationale d'Électricité (SNEL) is the national electricity company of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its head office building is located in the district of La Gombe in the capital city, Kinshasa. SNEL operates the Inga Dam fa ...

(SNEL).

Location

The power station is located on the

Congo River The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...

, in

Lualaba Province Lualaba Province (''Jimbo la Lualaba'', in Swahili) is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning when the former Katanga province was split up into four new provinces—Lualaba, Haut-Katanga, Haut- ...

, in southeastern DR Congo, close to the border with

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. Its location is approximately , north of the city of

Kolwezi Kolwezi or Kolwesi is the capital city of Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It has an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. Just outside of Kolwezi there is the static inverter plant of the ...

, the provincial capital. This is approximately , northwest of

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi ( , ; former ; former ) is the second-largest Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital ...

, the nearest large city. The geographical coordinates of Nzilo Hydroelectric Power Station are: 10°29'59.0"S, 25°27'45.0"E (Latitude:-10.499722; Longitude:25.462500).

Overview

This power station was constructed in the 1950s and commercially commissioned in 1953. The dam impounds the Congo River to create

Lake Nzilo Lake Nzilo (formerly Lake Delcommune, also Lac del Commune) is a reservoir formed by a hydroelectric dam on the Lualaba River in the Haut-Lomami Province of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is about northeast of the major coppe ...

. The power plant comprises four turbines, each with generating capacity of 25 megawatts. The power produced is integrated into the national electric grid, by the national electricity utility, SNEL. Due to the old age of the hardware, during the 2014 to 2015 time frame, Nzilo Power station underwent rehabilitation to maintain functional efficiency.

Ownership

Nzilo Power Station was constructed in the 1950s and commercially commissioned in 1953 to supply power to

Glencore Glencore plc is an Anglo-Swiss Multinational corporation, multinational commodity trading and mining company with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, Baar, Switzerland. Glencore's oil and gas headquarters are in London, London, England as well a ...

, a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

mining conglomerate, which owns mines in Lualaba Province and in the adjacent

Haut-Katanga Province Haut-Katanga (French for "Upper Katanga") is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the Subdivisions of the DR Congo#New provinces, 2015 repartitioning. Haut-Katanga, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba Province, Lualaba, an ...

. In 1974, SNEL, the

electricity generation Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utility, utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its Electricity delivery, delivery (Electric power transm ...

, transmission and distribution monopoly took over ownership of the power station, following a

presidential decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

References

External links

Democratic Republic of Congo and GE sign energy infrastructure agreement
As of 13 February 2020. {{Authority control Hydroelectric power stations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Energy infrastructure completed in 1953 Lualaba Province Hydroelectricity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Dams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Location

Overview

Ownership

See also

References

External links