DR Congo: Kinshasa blacks out with Inga II breakdowns, power line delays

The situation at the 1,424MW capacity Inga II plant has become extremely problematic, with state utility Société Nationale d’Électricité (Snel) warning the public in mid-October that Kinshasa and Bas-Congo Province would suffer serious power cuts until December, owing to maintenance problems. Two of Inga II’s five operational 178MW turbines will have to be repaired before end-November. Snel has also announced that Indian engineers and workers from Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd (KPTL), which is building the second high-voltage power line between Inga and Kinshasa, have stopped working for several weeks due to fears over Ebola.