BHP Billiton has shelved plans to build an aluminium smelter that would have underpinned a hydropower plant known as Inga III in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Following a review of the project’s economics, BHP Billiton has decided not to continue with its smelter project in the DRC, which was still at a very early stage,” Ruban Yogarajah, a London-based BHP spokesman, said. The Inga plant was to provide about 5000 megawatts of energy at an estimated cost of $US5.2 billion. Between 3500 and 4200 megawatts would have been used for Congo’s internal demand, prioritizing BHP’s proposed aluminum smelter, according to the Energy Ministry.
See http://www.smh.com.au/business/bhp-scraps-plans-for-congo-smelter-20120216-1ta7h.html.