Caxito - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, concluded his working visit to the province of Bengo, where he inaugurated the Ocean Terminal located in the municipality of Barra do Dande.
The Holder of the Angola Executive Power formalized the entry into operation of a large strategic infrastructure, which will make the operation of the Angolan oil company Sonangol more efficient and safer.
Speaking to the press, after the project inauguration, President João Lourenço said that only with the completion of the Lobito Refinery, in the coming years, will the country be self-sufficient in fuel production.
He informed, however, that the delivery of the Cabinda Refinery is scheduled for this year.
However, the Head of State considered the Barra do Dande Ocean Terminal a strategic project for the growth of the oil sector and, therefore, regretted the fact that it had been stopped for five years.
“It is a strategic project, I repeat, the second is the Lobito Refinery. Therefore, this project has an end, but if in the next few years we complete the works on the Lobito Refinery we will be able to say that in terms of self-sufficiency in fuel production the country will be fine”, he highlighted.
The president also spoke of the need to build more fuel storage infrastructure in the provinces of Huíla, Moxico Leste and Cuando.
With the inauguration of this infrastructure, budgeted at US$642 million, Angola will have more onshore storage capacity for gasoline, diesel and cooking gas, representing a notable gain and a huge step forward in solving the country's logistical challenges.
Data from the construction company indicate that this maritime terminal is the largest fuel storage park in the country, with an area equivalent to 22 football fields, which is a priority for the Angolan economy, which will allow a significant increase in exports.
In the first phase, 29 storage tanks were installed at the terminal and a 1,700-meter pier was built to receive large ships.
At the terminal, lines of more than 500 linear meters were also built for the transshipment of fuel, which must be stored in several tanks.
In the second phase, depending on market demand, capacity could reach up to 728,500 cubic meters of fuel storage.
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