Two senior officials from Gemcorp recently announced in an interview with African Energy that construction at the Cabinda Refinery is 60 percent complete.
The first phase, with a processing capacity of 30,000 barrels per day (b/d), is expected to be commissioned in November, with crude oil processing slated to begin in February 2025.
The Cabinda Refinery is a key part of Angola’s strategy to optimize its mineral resources by transforming crude oil into products for both domestic and neighboring markets, thereby reducing reliance on imported refined products.
The first phase of the refinery will supply around 10% of Angola’s domestic demand for refined products, providing a reliable local source of essential fuels.
This initiative promotes Angola’s energy self-sufficiency and boosts the local economy, with 95% of the workforce being hired from the province of Cabinda.
“Cabinda will be the first refinery in Angola built after the country’s Independence in 1975. Despite being one of the main oil producers in Africa, Angola imports a substantial part of the refined products it consumes.
This project will not only improve the country’s energy self-sufficiency but is already creating jobs and strengthening the local economy,” highlighted Felipe Berliner, Gemcorp Group Chief Investment Officer.
The Cabinda Refinery is Gemcorp’s second refining project in Africa, following an investment in Liberia. Besides refining, Gemcorp has investments in other areas of energy and natural resources in Africa, including Milele Energy, an independent energy producer based in Nairobi, and the main shareholder in Africa’s largest wind farm at Lake Turkana in Kenya.
They are also involved with Walkabout Resources, which is developing the Lindi Jumbo graphite project in Tanzania.
