Angola will save around 300 million dollars annually on gasoline imports, with the quadrupling of this oil derivative at the Luanda refinery.
The new gasoline production complex at the Luanda refinery, an investment of 235 million dollars by state oil company Sonangol, was inaugurated last week Friday by President João Lourenço.
According to the chairman of Sonangol’s Board of Directors, Gaspar Martins, the new gasoline production complex will reduce imports of this fuel by 15 percent and contribute to achieving self-sufficiency.
Gaspar Martins also underlined that the Luanda refinery started operating in 1958 and currently has a processing capacity of 65,000 barrels of oil per day, and still had limitations in relation to the production of a large part of the oil derivatives necessary for the National market.
With the new complex, added the head of the state oil company, gasoline production quadruples, which will increase from 395,000 to 1.5 million liters of gasoline per day.
“In order to overcome the aforementioned limitations, Sonangol, in cooperation with Eni, an Italian oil company, developed the current project with the aim of maximizing gasoline production”, stressed Gaspar Martins, also highlighting the 70 percent reduction in the use of gasoline. ‘fuel oil’ from the furnaces, for the production of steam, and the exchange of naphtha for the generation of 10 megawatts of electric energy by the hydrogen produced in the refinery, in addition to the increase in the production of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for the intern consumption.
“This complex will be managed by young Angolan staff who have been properly trained, thus reinforcing our commitment to the development of national human capital”, he stressed.
In turn, the Minister of Natural Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, said that with the entry into operation of this complex, Angola will have significant gains, including a reduction in the expenditure of foreign exchange for the State, as well as an improvement in quality. of gasoline and environmental benefits.
“Many Angolan staff and technicians participated in the construction of this new catalytic reform unit and its inauguration will create new direct and indirect jobs that will greatly contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of our population”, stressed the minister.
Diamantino Azevedo also underlined in the set of benefits of the project the training and specialization of young nationals at the Corporate University of Eni, in Italy, who acquired new technical skills for refining activities, including the operationalization of the complex.
The representative of the Italian oil company, the director general of Eni’s Natural Resources Division, Guido Brusco, considered the completion of the project to expand and modernize the Luanda refinery as an example of the long and fruitful strategic partnership between the two Angolan and Italian companies.
“Today, this event represents the fulfillment of the commitment made by our CEO [executive president] with the President of the Republic, to cooperate, support Sonangol in improving and increasing the capacity of the Luanda refinery, taking advantage of the specific ‘know-how’ of the Eni”, said Brusco, affirming the total commitment of the Italian oil company “to continue to support possible future expansion and modernization efforts”.
