VOA常速英语2008年-Plan to Harness Congo River Could Double Electr

By Tendai Maphosa
London
21 April 2008

Seven African governments and some of the world's largest banks and construction firms are meeting in London to plan the biggest hydro-electric power project in the world. Tendai Maphosa reports from London that supporters say the $80 billion project on the Congo River could double the amount of electricity available on the African continent.

Half a billion people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity. Where it is available, most countries suffer from erratic¹ supplies.

The World Energy Council says the power shortage has contributed to continued poverty and underdevelopment across the continent. The Council organized the two-day London meeting to discuss the problem.

World Energy Council Secretary General Gerald Doucet says one solution is the Inga hydropower project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"The Congo sits on the biggest energy project in the 21st century, so with our Congo committee and the utilities in the region we have been trying to facilitate the decision making that would allow this project to go forward on a sustainable and affordable² basis," said Gerald Doucet.

The Inga hydropower project could generate twice as much electricity as the world's largest dam, the Three Gorges³ in China. It is hoped that millions of Africans would benefit by having access to electricity.

The World Energy Council says electricity is a bridge to sustainable development and a prerequisite⁴ and cornerstone for economic progress, social development, harnessing technological⁵ progress and environmental sustainability.

The London meeting is dicussing the refurbishment of Inga 1 and 2 built in the 1970s but said to be operating under capacity and the development of Inga 3 and Grand Inga hydropower projects.

While Inga 1, 2 and 3 would not require any damming, environmentalists have raised concerns over the Grand Inga which would lead to flooding of a valley. Doucet says no people live in the valley and whatever the environmental costs, these would be offset⁶ by the benefits of the project.

Concerns have also been expressed that local people would not benefit from the project. More than 90 percent of Congolese have no access to electricity at the moment.

Doucet allayed⁷ those fears by saying the total cost of the project includes transmission costs within the Congo and beyond.

"The Congo owes it to its people and will be required in my view by its people to improve the access to electricity in Kinshasa and in the neighboring areas of Inga," he said. "There definitely is a growing desire to use Inga 3 electricity in the Congo itself, not export it."

If and when completed, the Grand Inga hydropower project is expected to export power to countries in the region and others as far as Nigeria and Egypt.

1 erratic   

adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
• The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 gorges   

n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕

参考例句：

• The explorers were confronted with gorges(that were)almost impassable and rivers(that were)often unfordable. 探险人员面临着几乎是无路可通的峡谷和常常是无法渡过的河流。 来自辞典例句
• We visited the Yangtse Gorges last summer. 去年夏天我们游历了长江三峡。 来自辞典例句

4 prerequisite   

n.先决条件；adj.作为前提的，必备的

参考例句：

• Stability and unity are a prerequisite to the four modernizations.安定团结是实现四个现代化的前提。
• It is a prerequisite of entry to the profession that you pass the exams.做这一行的先决条件是要通过了有关的考试。

5 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

6 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

7 allayed   

v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His fever is allayed, but his appetite is still flatted. 他发烧减轻了，但食欲仍然不振。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His fever was allayed by the medicine. 这药剂使他退烧了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》