Inga II — Democratic Republic of the Congo

Inga II is a 1,424 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 1.4 million 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).

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

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 351 MW for Inga I hydroelectric plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000601478; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,424 MW, Inga II is well above the median hydro plant in Democratic Republic of the Congo (75 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Democratic Republic of the Congo hydro capacity

53.4% of 2,668 MW across 13 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

7 of 12 dated hydro plants in Democratic Republic of the Congo are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Democratic Republic of the Congo

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.

Monthly mean temperature

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

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.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

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 2,668 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Zongo 1 · Hydro · 75 MW · Bas-Congo
• Zongo II · Hydro · 150 MW · Bas-Congo

Location

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

Frequently asked questions