The long-delayed Inga 3 hydroelectric project looks set to get under way, as the Democratic Republic of Congo opens bidding for investors, reports Engineering News.

Energy Minister Laurent Muzangisa Mutalamu indicated that BHP-Billiton had expressed an interest in the project and could contribute up to $35 million to the project.

Inga 3 is expected to address the growing concerns surrounding southern Africa’s strained power supply, providing output of about 4320MW to the region’s power grid.

The DRC government is currently involved in repairs and upgrades to the Inga 1 and Inga 2 hydroelectric projects, and hopes to increase capacity to 1700 MW by 2012.