DRC–Zambia power line targets 550 MW for Congo’s Copperbelt

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia are advancing a $300 million cross-border electricity project that could deliver up to 550 megawatts of power to the DRC’s Copperbelt, a region central to the country’s copper and cobalt industries.

The DRC's Strategic Investment Fund, Congolese power trader EnPower, infrastructure investor Gridworks, and commodities group Trafigura signed a framework agreement on Oct. 6 to jointly finance, build, and operate the Kalumbila–Kolwezi Interconnector. The proposed 200-kilometre high-voltage line would link Kalumbila in northwestern Zambia with Kolwezi in southern DRC. The announcement was distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Trafigura.

Project partners say the line would have a thermal capacity of 700 MW and be designed to enable electricity imports of up to 550 MW into the Copperbelt. They say the region faces a structural power deficit of more than 1 gigawatt, with mines and processing facilities relying in part on diesel generation to meet demand. The project is intended to give the DRC access to additional electricity through regional markets and strengthen its connection to the Southern African Power Pool, which facilitates cross-border electricity trading.

The agreement sets out a public-private financing structure. Gridworks has confirmed its intention to become the lead equity investor and majority shareholder, alongside the DRC’s Strategic Investment Fund and EnPower. Trafigura has agreed to arrange a significant share of the project’s debt financing. The partners said discussions are underway with Zambian entities about possible investment in the project.

The estimated construction cost is $300 million. Project partners say the required concessions, licences and authorisations have been secured, allowing the project to move into its final stage of development. They have not announced a construction start date or completion schedule.

For the DRC, the immediate aim is to improve electricity availability for mining and industrial users in the Copperbelt. The partners say additional power could support the development of mining and refining projects that have been delayed by shortages of reliable, cost-effective electricity. They also expect the transmission line to have capacity to serve businesses and communities beyond the mining sector.

The project’s potential impact on local processing will depend on whether electricity can be delivered consistently and at prices industries can afford. Greater power availability could support refining and other mineral-processing activity in the DRC, but the line itself does not generate electricity. Deliveries will depend on power available for export, demand in Zambia, the capacity of connected grids and the commercial arrangements between generators, traders and buyers.

Zambia could gain a new export route for licensed power producers. The project partners say the line may also help create demand for new generation investment. The actual amount of electricity available for sale across the border will depend on domestic supply conditions and competing demand, as well as the terms reached by participating companies and utilities.

The DRC’s Strategic Investment Fund, established in 2025, is intended to mobilise financing for strategic infrastructure and attract co-investment. The interconnector is the fund’s first announced investment. The arrangement brings a public institution together with private infrastructure and commodities-sector partners for a project that requires substantial upfront capital and long-term cross-border coordination.

The partners say the line could eventually be expanded to more than 1 GW, subject to further development. That would increase the project’s potential role in regional electricity trade, although any expansion would depend on additional investment and the availability of power to transmit.

The Kalumbila–Kolwezi project is separate from the Kolwezi–Solwezi interconnector, a different DRC–Zambia transmission project identified by the African Development Bank as a regional priority. The two proposals address a shared infrastructure challenge: expanding electricity connections so power can move between countries with different supply and demand needs.