Angola’s New Cabinda Refinery Starts Fuel Production, Reducing Dependence on Imports
Angola’s newly commissioned Cabinda oil refinery, the first refinery built in the country since independence from Portugal 50 years ago, has officially begun supplying refined fuel products to both domestic and international markets.
The development comes at a time of heightened global fuel supply concerns linked to ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Iran and the broader Middle East region.
Before the launch of the Cabinda refinery, Angola operated only a single refinery located in the capital, Luanda, under the state-owned oil company Sonangol.
The Cabinda refinery has an initial processing capacity of 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is already supplying diesel to the Angolan market while exporting naphtha and heavy fuel oil to international buyers, according to Gemcorp Capital, which owns a 90 percent stake in the facility.
Gemcorp founder and Chief Executive Officer Atanas Bostandjiev said the refinery was initially designed to strengthen Angola’s long-term energy security and reduce reliance on imported fuel products.
He noted that current geopolitical instability in the Middle East has further highlighted the strategic importance of expanding domestic refining capacity.
Although relatively modest in scale compared to some global mega-refineries, the Cabinda refinery’s 30,000-barrel-per-day output could still meet approximately 10 percent of Angola’s national fuel demand.
By comparison, Dangote Refinery in Nigeria has a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it the largest refinery on the African continent.
The Cabinda refinery is expected to help Angola significantly reduce fuel imports and improve supply stability as international energy markets face increasing volatility.
Developers invested approximately US$470 million in the first phase of the project. Gemcorp Capital estimates that a planned second-phase expansion, which would increase refining capacity to 60,000 barrels per day, could require an additional US$700 million in investment.
The company said it expects to make a final investment decision on the expansion before the end of the year.
For decades, many African oil-producing nations exported crude oil while relying heavily on imported refined petroleum products due to inadequate refining infrastructure.
That trend is gradually shifting in major oil producers such as Angola and Nigeria, where large-scale refinery projects like Cabinda and Dangote are helping strengthen domestic fuel production, reduce import dependence, and improve regional energy security.
