Cabinda - The future Cabinda Refinery with the capacity to process 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day, in a first phase, will be inaugurated in the first half of 2025.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Mining Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino de Azevedo, at the end of an assessment visit made on Tuesday to that industrial unit, where he received technical explanations on the progress of the work.
The minister expressed happiness towards what he saw and at the occasion he estimated that 60% of the work has been physically completed, especially the construction of storage tanks, crude oil transport lines from the Malongo base to the Refinery, as well as the oil pipeline from the Refinery to export, through the confessional narration buoy, an infrastructure built for docking large vessels on the high seas.
He revealed that from the beginning of next year, tests will begin that will allow the commissioning process to determine the type of product to be commercialised.
“We recognise the slight delay in implementing this project, for various reasons. Once this phase has been overcome, the work will proceed as normal”, said the minister.
The work on the future Cabinda Refinery currently employs more than 2,000 workers, 90% of whom are Angolan citizens.
The construction of the Cabinda Refinery is a strategic project for the Angolan government, because it aims to reduce the country's dependence on imported refined products.
The infrastructure located on the Malembo plain in the north region of Cabinda province, will also export the surplus to some of Angola's neighbouring countries.
The work which started in 2021, is valued at more than USD 400 million. JFC/JL/MRA/DOJ