The Imboulou Hydropower Plant with CMEC as the general contractor and built by SINOHYDRO Corporation was the first large engineering project undertaken by Chinese companies in the Congo (Brazzaville). It smoothly passed the completion acceptance by the Congo side, signifying the basic completion of the construction of the Imboulou Hydropower Plant.

At Imboulou Hydropower Plant provisional acceptance ceremony held on November 10, the chairman of Large Engineering Project Committee of the Congo (B) stated at his interview with Xinhua News Agency journalist that the Congo (B) was “very satisfied” with the construction of the Imboulou Hydropower Plant by China. He said that “the completion of the Imboulou Hydropower Plant meant a great step forward for the Congo (B) and it would benefit many people in the Congo who had been longing for the electric power for a long time.”

The Imboulou Hydropower Plant is located at the Lefini River of the Congo (B), 215 Km away from Brazzaville, the capital of the Congo (B). The total installed power of the project was of 120 MW and the total contract value amounted to 280 million U.S. dollars. The construction of the project started in 2005 and has been the largest hydropower plant in the Congo (Brazzaville) up to now. The Imboulou Hydropower Plant was a turnkey project with Chinese companies as the general contractor. The design, the construction, the equipment supply and commissioning were all completed by Chinese companies.

As the backbone power plant of the national power grid in the Congo (Brazzaville), after putting into operation, this hydropower plant would enable the Congo (Brazzaville) to be self-sufficient in the electric power supply. In June 2010, the first unit of the hydropower plant started to transmit the electric power to the grid. At present, the four units of the hydropower plant have passed the continuous operational tests.