Nzilo Hydroelectric Power Station
Hydropower station in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Location
The power station is located on the Congo River, in Lualaba Province, in southeastern DR Congo, close to the border with Zambia. Its location is approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi), north of the city of Kolwezi, the provincial capital. This is approximately 282 kilometres (175 mi), northwest of Lubumbashi, the nearest large city. The geographical coordinates of Nzilo Hydroelectric Power Station are: 10°29'59.0"S, 25°27'45.0"E (Latitude:-10.499722; Longitude:25.462500).
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Overview
This power station was constructed in the 1950s and commercially commissioned in 1953. The dam impounds the Congo River to create Lake Nzilo. The power plant comprises four turbines, each with generating capacity of 25 megawatts. The power produced is integrated into the national electric grid, by the national electricity utility, SNEL.
Due to the old age of the hardware, during the 2014 to 2015 time frame, Nzilo Power station underwent rehabilitation to maintain functional efficiency.
Ownership
Nzilo Power Station was constructed in the 1950s and commercially commissioned in 1953 to supply power to Glencore, a Swiss mining conglomerate, which owns mines in Lualaba Province and in the adjacent Haut-Katanga Province. In 1974, SNEL, the electricity generation, transmission and distribution monopoly took over ownership of the power station, following a presidential decree.