The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is taking a significant step towards addressing its persistent electricity deficit, with four strategic partners joining forces to advance a major cross-border power transmission project designed to transform energy access across the region’s mining heartland.
The Strategic Investment Fund of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FIS-RDC), Enterprise Power DRC SARL (EnPower), global commodities trader Trafigura and Gridworks Development Partners have signed a Strategic Framework Agreement to jointly finance, build and operate the Kalumbila–Kolwezi Interconnector Project (KKIP), a 200-kilometre high-voltage transmission line linking Kalumbila in Zambia with Kolwezi in the DRC. With an estimated construction cost of US$300 million, the project is expected to deliver up to 550MW of competitively priced electricity to the DRC’s Copperbelt, while the transmission line itself will have a thermal capacity of 700MW. Designed with the potential for future expansion beyond 1GW, the interconnector could become a cornerstone of the region’s evolving energy infrastructure, supporting growing industrial demand and deeper electricity market integration across Southern Africa. The project has reached the final stage of development, with the necessary concessions, licences and authorisations secured. Once delivered, it will strengthen the DRC’s connection to the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), the regional platform that facilitates cross-border electricity trading and links national power grids.
Closing the DRC’s power gap
For the DRC, where an electricity deficit exceeding 1GW continues to constrain economic development, reliable and affordable power is essential to unlocking the full potential of its mineral wealth. The Copperbelt is central to the country’s mining economy, hosting major operations and offering considerable scope for further investment in mineral processing and refining. However, limited access to dependable, cost-effective baseload electricity has held back the development and expansion of several industrial projects.
By opening a new route for electricity imports from the wider Southern African region, KKIP aims to ease these constraints and provide the energy foundation needed to support increased mining output, expanded refining capacity and broader industrial activity.
Beyond the mining sector, the project is expected to deliver wider economic benefits by improving the availability of electricity for businesses and communities, encouraging local enterprise, creating employment opportunities and supporting the DRC’s efforts to diversify its economy. Greater access to reliable power could also help strengthen public revenues, as increased mineral production and domestic processing generate additional fiscal contributions for the Congolese state. The agreement marks the first announced investment by FIS-RDC since the fund was established in October 2025, placing the project at the centre of its early efforts to mobilise capital for strategic national infrastructure.
Emile Osumba, CEO of FIS-RDC, said: “KKIP is the Fund’s inaugural transaction, and it reflects precisely the mandate entrusted to us by the Government. By helping close the Copperbelt’s power deficit, the project will unlock industrial growth, skilled jobs and fiscal revenue for the DRC. By backing a project led by a private Congolese developer, FIS-RDC is demonstrating that sovereign capital can act as a catalyst for private investment rather than a substitute for it. And by co-investing alongside credible and experienced partners such as Gridworks, we are building the track record that will allow the Fund to mobilise further capital for the country’s strategic infrastructure.”
A strategic partnership combining capital, development and trade
The project brings together partners with complementary roles across infrastructure development, investment and commodity markets. FIS-RDC, EnPower and Gridworks have confirmed their intention to invest equity in KKIP, with Gridworks expected to serve as lead equity investor and majority shareholder. Discussions are also under way with Zambian entities regarding potential participation in the project, reflecting its cross-border significance and the opportunity to broaden local ownership. EnPower, the project developer, is a licensed Congolese power trader and a member of SAPP. Gridworks, a specialist developer of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, is owned and funded by British International Investment, the United Kingdom government’s development finance institution.
Trafigura, meanwhile, has agreed to arrange a significant share of the project’s debt financing, bringing its experience in global commodities markets and energy-related investment to the financing structure. Together, the partners aim to establish a model in which public capital helps catalyse private investment in infrastructure with substantial economic and regional benefits. For EnPower, the agreement represents a major milestone in advancing a project intended to meet the DRC’s growing electricity needs while establishing new transmission capacity between the two neighbouring countries.
Marc Orphanides, Managing Director of EnPower, added: “This agreement is an important milestone towards executing this strategic transmission infrastructure, which will add significant capacity to meet the ever-growing power demand of the DRC mining industry. We are grateful to the authorities, stakeholders and communities in the DRC and Zambia, as well as the International Finance Corporation, for their support to KKIP, which will be the first privately developed and financed cross-border transmission infrastructure on the African continent.”
New opportunities for Zambia’s power sector
While the DRC stands to benefit from increased electricity imports, the interconnector is also expected to create significant opportunities for Zambia’s electricity industry. By establishing additional transmission capacity, KKIP will enable licensed Zambian power producers to access export markets in the DRC, creating a potential new revenue stream and improving opportunities for regional electricity trade. The project could also support investment in additional generation capacity by strengthening the commercial case for supplying electricity to neighbouring markets. The involvement of FIS-RDC, Gridworks and Trafigura, alongside the potential participation of Zambian investors, is expected to reinforce cooperation between the two governments and establish a platform for longer-term investment in cross-border energy infrastructure. The project’s design, which allows for capacity expansion beyond 1GW, also provides scope for the transmission corridor to accommodate future growth in electricity demand and supply. For Zambia, this creates the prospect of a more integrated regional electricity market in which generation resources can be connected to demand centres across borders, helping to improve the commercial use of available power and encouraging further investment in the sector.
Gonzalo De Olazaval, Global Head of Metals and Minerals at Trafigura, commented: “Trafigura is proud to support this landmark power project in the DRC, part of our broader power strategy in Africa. Reliable, competitively priced power is a critical enabler of economic growth across the continent, and Trafigura is well placed to bring together the investment, infrastructure and partnerships needed to make these projects a reality. KKIP has the potential to unlock industrial growth in the DRC and Zambia, while also supporting job creation and local communities in both countries.”
Strengthening regional energy integration
Beyond its immediate commercial and industrial objectives, KKIP reflects a wider ambition to deepen energy cooperation across Southern Africa. Cross-border transmission infrastructure is an important component of regional electricity market development, allowing countries to exchange power, connect producers with new customers and make more effective use of available generation capacity.
For the DRC, a stronger connection to SAPP would provide an additional avenue for meeting electricity demand. For Zambia, the project would create new transmission opportunities for licensed electricity exporters. For both countries, closer integration could help lay the groundwork for further investment in regional power infrastructure. Gridworks, which will lead the project’s equity investment, sees the interconnector as an important step towards a more connected and efficient regional electricity system.
Chris Flavin, CEO of Gridworks, said: “Gridworks is proud to be the lead equity investor in KKIP. This is an important regional integration project. Zambia and the DRC both stand to benefit from closer interconnection, and this project will give the Copperbelt access to reliable, competitively priced power and lay the foundation for further cross-border transmission investment across Southern Africa. While the project is anchored by mining offtake, there is capacity on the line to serve the wider population too. Connecting regional power markets and supporting efficient energy trading is key to sustained economic growth in the region. We look forward to working alongside ourpartners to deliver this important infrastructure.” The inclusion of capacity that could serve demand beyond the mining sector is particularly significant. Although industrial and mining customers provide the project’s principal commercial foundation, the line’s broader potential could help support wider economic activity as electricity availability improves.
A milestone for infrastructure investment
With an estimated price tag of US$300 million, KKIP represents a substantial investment in infrastructure intended to address one of the DRC’s most pressing economic constraints. Its significance extends beyond the construction of a transmission line. The project brings together Congolese public capital, private-sector development expertise, international financing capabilities and the prospect of Zambian participation in a shared regional asset.
The involvement of FIS-RDC is particularly notable, as the fund seeks to use strategic investment to support infrastructure with far-reaching economic benefits while encouraging private-sector participation. Its inaugural transaction establishes an early example of how sovereign capital can be deployed alongside experienced commercial partners to advance nationally and regionally significant projects.
For the DRC, the prospect of additional electricity supply could help unlock mining and refining investments, expand industrial activity and support employment and public revenue. For Zambia, the interconnector offers a new route to electricity export markets and an opportunity to attract investment in generation. For Southern Africa, it represents another step towards a more interconnected regional power system. The project’s ultimate impact will depend on its successful financing, construction and operation, as well as the availability of competitively priced electricity and the continued development of cross-border power trading arrangements.
Nevertheless, with the key concessions, licences and authorisations secured and the project entering the final stage of development, KKIP has emerged as a significant infrastructure initiative for both countries. As the DRC seeks to translate its mineral resources into broader economic prosperity, reliable electricity will remain a critical part of the equation. By linking Zambia’s power network to the industrial heart of the Congolese Copperbelt, the Kalumbila–Kolwezi Interconnector has the potential to turn a longstanding energy constraint into a platform for industrial growth, regional cooperation and new investment across Southern Africa.
