Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

China Eximbank provides $96.3 million loan for 19.2MW Liouesso Hydroelectric Dam Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#60219)

$96.36M USD

Funder	Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank)
Recipient Organization	Government of Republic of Congo
Country	Congo
Start Date	Sep 29, 2011
End Date	Oct 13, 2026
Duration	5,493 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`31028`

Grant Description

China Eximbank provides $96.3 million loan for 19.2MW Liouesso Hydroelectric Dam Construction Project On June 19, 2006, China Eximbank and the Republic of Congo signed a $1.6 billion loan framework agreement — also known in the Republic of Congo as the “strategic partnership” (“partenariat stratégique”) — that allowed the Republic of Congo to obtain China Eximbank loans for infrastructure projects through a securitization mechanism: Société Nationales des Pétroles Congolais (SNPC)—the country’s state-owned oil company—agreed to deposit a portion of the cash proceeds from its oil exports into an escrow account that is controlled by China Eximbank.

This framework agreement (captured in Record ID#60219) was ratified on October 26, 2006.

One of the subsidiary loans that was approved through the framework agreement was a $96,363,372.65 loan in 2011 for the 19.2MW Liouesso Hydroelectric Dam Construction Project.

📋 Loan / Grant Terms

💰 Loan Amountare as follows: 19-year maturity

📅 Maturity19 years

⏳ Grace Period4 years

💹 Interest Rate0.25%

Its (principal) amount outstanding was $85,218,355 as of December 31, 2019.

The project involved the construction of a 19.2MW hydroelectric power plant — with three hydroelectric power generation units — on the Lengoué River in Mokéko district and the department of Sangha. The plant was designed with 3 sets of Francis vertical shaft suspension-type water-turbine generator units.

It was meant to supply power to the neighboring towns of Ouesso and Mokéko and their surrounding localities via adjoining transmission lines. China Gezhouba Group Company Limited was the contractor responsible for implementation. Construction commenced on May 18, 2012 and ended on June 28, 2016. The power plant was connected to the national grid in August 2016.

The plant was officially inaugurated on May 29, 2017.

📋 Staff Comments

The French project title is Barrage Liouesso or la centrale hydroélectrique de Liouesso. The Chinese project title is 里韦索水电站 or 利韦索水电站导 or 利韦索水电站.
In the database of Chinese loan commitments that SAIS-CARI released in July 2020, it identifies a $105 million China Eximbank loan (with a maturity length of 20-years) for this project. AidData relies on the face value of the loan ($96,363,372.65) and the maturity length (19-years) that is recorded by the Republic of Congo’s Public Debt Agency (Caisse Congolaise d’Amortissement or CCA) and Délégation Générale des Grands Travaux (DGGT).
According to a 2019 report published by the Republic of Congo’s National Assembly, all loans approved under the June 19, 2006 framework agreement had an interest rate of 0.25% and grace periods between 3 and 5-years. Therefore, AidData assumes an interest rate of 0.25%. Also, since the grace period of the China Eximbank loan for the 19.2MW Liouesso Hydroelectric Dam Construction Project is missing, AidData imputes a value (4-years) at the middle of the distribution of this range as an approximation.

📚 Sources & References

China's Xi wraps up Africa tour in Republic of Congo
Liouesso Hydropower Project Undertaken by CGGC Praised by the Congolese Government
Liouesso Hydropower Station Dam closes in the Republic of Congo
Congo to build 19.2 Mw hydro-electric power station
Congo plans a 19 megawatt hydro power plant
Decree 2015-178
EXIMBANK-CHINA
Both Houses of the Parliament have ratified a Complementary Agreement on the Restructuring of Congo's debt to China by 1, 479.83 billion FCFA.
里韦索水电站举行竣工仪式
Inauguration du troisième barrage congolais financé par la Chine
驻刚果（布）大使夏煌陪同萨苏总统出席利韦索水电站竣工仪式
金融时报：进出口银行倾力支持助推非洲路通业兴, ÉTAT DES LIEUX DE LA DETTE PUBLIQUE EN LA RÉPUBLIQUE DU CONGO
Chinese Loans to Africa Database
Do China-Financed Dams in Sub-Saharan Africa Improve the Region's Social Welfare? A Case Study of the Impacts of Ghana's Bui Dam
刚果（布）总理考察中国能建葛洲坝集团承建的利韦索水电站项目
Discours - JJB Liouesso, Électricité : le barrage de Liouesso, un atout pour le développement de la Sangha, note_de_position_centrale_electrique_du_congo
Congo : inauguration d'un barrage construit avec l'aide de la Chine (PAPIER GENERAL)
Congo-Brazzaville : Denis Sassou-Nguesso inaugure le barrage de Liouesso, qui doit améliorer la couverture électrique dans le nord
Bargaining with Beijing: A Tale of Two Borrowers
Operation of 2# Generator Unit of Liouesso Hydropower Station in the Republic of Congo
Initiative pour la Transparence dans les Industries Extractives Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.

All Grantees

Government of Republic of Congo

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