Inga II

Hydro power plant in Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Approximate location -5.5267, 13.6206.

HydroBas-CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo

Inga II is a 1,775 MW hydro power station in Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is operated by SNEL (Société Nationale d'Électricité). Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1,777,028 homes (estimated). It ranks #1 of 15 Democratic Republic of the Congo power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1982, it is around 44 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 84.2% of Democratic Republic of the Congo's electricity; the national grid averages 28 gCO₂/kWh (100.0% low-carbon) (2024).

1,775MW installed capacity
1,777,028homes powered (est.)
1982commissioned (~44 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000003.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Inga II: 1,775 MW2kInga IINseke: 260 MW260NsekeNzilo: 228 MW228NziloZongo II: 150 MW150Zongo IIImboulou: 120 MW120ImboulouRuzizi I: 81 MW81Ruzizi IZongo 1: 75 MW75Zongo 1Moukoukoulou: 74 MW74Moukoukoul…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by SNEL (Société Nationale d'Électricité).

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 5.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

24.9°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,515cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
312 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 27 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 25 °CON: 26 °CND: 26 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 100% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 13/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest hydro power plant of 13 in Democratic Republic of the Congo by capacity.

Democratic Republic of the Congo has 13 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 3,019 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -5.5267, 13.6206 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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