Angola will process first oil at Cabinda Refinery in the first quarter of 2025, with commercial operations slated for July 2025, according to Marcelo Hofke, CEO Cabinda Refinery Corp.
During Angola Oil & Gas 2024 last week, Hofke told Energy Capital & Power that construction at the refinery is now 60% complete with commissioning of utilities – including firefighting, generating and air compressing systems – expected before year end.
“Cabinda is the first refinery built in Angola after independence and aligns with efforts by the government to decrease the necessity of processed import products,” he said.
Owned by asset manager Gemcorp (90%) and Angolan National Oil Company Sonangol (10%), the refinery will produce 30,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) as well as products such as diesel and jet fuel during phase 1, according to Hofke.
Cabinda Refinery Corp aims to double the refinery’s capacity to 60,000 bpd during phase 2, increasing produces with gasoline, diesel and gas.
“Today we have 2,800 people working on-site with 85% of them being Angolans. We are finalizing a training program in which we will train around 180 workers through next year to have a full capable workforce when we launch operations,” added Hofke.
Construction of the project began in 2023.
