Chinese Government provides RMB 31.2 million grant for 74MW Moukoukoulou Hydroelectric Power Plant Rehabilitation Project

Project narrative

On March 5, 2000 and March 8, 2000, the Chinese Government and the Republic of Congo signed letters of exchange for the 74MW Moukoukoulou Hydroelectric Power Plant Rehabilitation Project. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) was the source of grant funding for this project and it reportedly committed RMB 31,265,400 in total. This project involved the rehabilitation of the 74 MW Moukoukoulou Hydroelectric Power Plant. More specifically, it involved the rehabilitation of four sets of hydroelectric power generating units, four main valves, 15 main transformer stations, nearly 500 km of high voltage power transmission lines, 56 circuit breakers and 250 pieces of auxiliary electromechanical equipment. Damage to the transmission network was preventing its power from reaching Brazzaville, which was relying on power from the Inga plants in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 74MW Moukoukoulou Hydroelectric Power Plant is located on the Bouenza River. It was originally built by Chinese technicians and commissioned in 1979 to supply energy to Pointe-Noire. It is the main source of power to the south of the country. The energy produced by the power plant is injected into the transmission network, which includes the 110 kV transformer substations at Bouenza Il, Nkayi and Loudima, and the 35 kV transformer substations at Loutété, Madingou and Dolisie. On July 24, 2001, the Republic of Congo sent a team to China to review the project design documents. Then, on April 4, 2002, a delegation headed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation went to China to sign a construction contract. Weihai International Economic & Technical Cooperative Co., Ltd (WIETC) was the contractor responsible for project implementation. Construction began on October 10, 2003 and the project was completed on June 15, 2007.