Angola employed approximately $549 million in the importation of 704.7 million metric tons of fuel for commercialization during the 2nd quarter of 2023, which is 21% less than the same period in 2022, as declared yesterday in Luanda by the Director-General of the Petroleum Derivatives Regulatory Institute (IRDP).
Luís Alves Fernandes, speaking during the presentation of the sector’s balance from April to June, stated that the imported volume represents about 68% of the total fuel consumed, which amounted to 1.036 million metric tons, with the remaining quantities being distributed between the Luanda Refinery (31%) and the Cabgog-Topping of Cabinda (1.00%).
The total volume of sales for various business segments to the final consumer and national industries was approximately 1.17 million metric tons, showing a growth of 7.00% compared to the previous quarter.
In terms of market share by sales volume, Sonangol Distribuidora e Comercialização maintains its leadership with 63.5%, followed by Pumangol, Sonangalp, and TotalEnergies with 20.9%, 7.9%, and 7.7%, respectively.
State-owned Sonangol
During the reference period, Sonangol E.P recorded a total production of 53.532 thousand metric tons of refined products, of which 67% were destined for domestic consumption and 37% for export, according to the representative of the state-owned Sonangol, João Cusomba.
According to the presented data, during the 2nd quarter of 2023, Sonangol acquired a total of 4.3 million barrels of oil for refining and petrochemical purposes, processing four million barrels, a reduction of 21% compared to the previous period.
The number of barrels of oil acquired in that quarter resulted in a turnover of $293.8 million, representing a 35% reduction compared to the same period in 2022.
According to the data, Sonangol marketed one million metric tons of fuel, bitumen, and lubricants, an increase of 2.00% compared to the same period last year.
Promising prospects
João Cusomba announced that the inauguration of the Cabinda Refinery, aimed at producing petroleum derivatives, is scheduled for December this year.
Available data indicate that the first phase of construction of the Cabinda Refinery includes the building of a crude oil distillation unit with a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, which is one of the first in Africa with this feature of not burning gas.
Between the construction, assembly, and operationalization of the refinery, 1,500 jobs will be created, with the majority being allocated to the local population.
The construction of the Soyo Refinery is still ongoing, with a progress of 98%, and the Lobito Refinery with a physical progress of 15%.
47 municipalities without fuel stations
According to IRDP data, the country has a total of 872 operational fuel stations in 117 out of 164 municipalities, with the absence of stations mainly in municipalities of provinces in the Eastern, Northeastern, and Southeastern regions of the country.
Among the operational fuel stations, Sonangol Distribuição e Comercialização owns 320 (37%), Pumangol 79 (9.00%), Sonangalp 59 (6.00%), TEMA-Total Marketing Angola 51 (5.00%), and 366 are unbranded (not affiliated with major brands), representing a 42% market share.
During the occasion, Luís Fernandes assured that all companies in the industry are focused on making additional investments to create new fuel stations, even this year, in some of the 47 municipalities without stations.
