The Luanda Refinery plans to produce 10,000 barrels per day of green diesel and bio-jet fuel (SAF) within the next two years.
This increase in production, using “Ecofining TM& UOP and UOP” technology, will result from refining 500,000 tons of raw materials annually.
Implemented by Sonangol Refinação e Petroquímica (Sonaref), the project is projected to create 200 direct jobs and 400 indirect jobs.
Initial projections estimate production at 5,000 barrels per day, refining 70,000 tons per year.
According to Sonangol’s New Business Office, in its final phase, the project aims to produce 420,000 tons of green diesel annually and 350,000 tons of aviation fuel (SAF).
The second phase is expected to yield 7,500 barrels per day of biodiesel, refining 370,000 tons annually, including 310,000 tons of green diesel and 250,000 tons of bio-jet fuel.
This initiative is part of Sonangol’s commitment to meeting the increasing market demand for biofuels, which are considered essential for cleaner and more sustainable energy sources due to growing environmental concerns and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Sonaref report emphasizes the critical role of the agricultural sector in supplying raw materials for biofuels production.
Angola’s fertile lands support a wide variety of crops, including staple foods like corn, cassava, and rice, as well as commercial crops like coffee, cotton, and sugarcane.
Despite its agricultural abundance, Angola’s sector remains underdeveloped, with significant potential for increased productivity and modernization.
Most of Angola’s agricultural output comes from small subsistence farmers who could greatly benefit from improved access to resources and technology.
Potential raw materials for first-generation biofuels include sugar cane, jatropha, and oil palm, given Angola’s favorable climate and soil conditions.
For second and third-generation biofuels, suitable raw materials include non-food biomass and agricultural residues such as cassava husks, corn waste, wheat straw, cover crops, and dedicated energy crops like switchgrass and miscanthus.
Ecofining TM& UOP and UOP technology, introduced in 2016, represents an advanced method for producing aviation fuel.
