The oil-producing
central African state of Congo Republic inaugurated a 120 Megawatt
Chinese-funded hydroelectric power station late on Saturday aimed at
bridging the gap in its energy needs. The $377 million Imboulou plant
150 km (90 miles) north of the capital Brazzaville is 85 per
cent-funded with soft loans by China and was built by China National
Machinery Equipment Import Export Corporation (CMEC). Terms
of the financing have not been released.
Energy Minister Bruno Jean Richard Itoua said the plant, which is
due to produce 876 million kilowatt-hours a year, would allow Congo
Republic to wean itself off energy imports from its larger neighbour,
the Democratic Republic of Congo.
