Angola’s Cabinda Refinery to begin operations this year

Angola launches Cabinda Refinery, set to nearly double refining capacity

LUANDA, September 1, 2025 – Angola has inaugurated the first phase of its Cabinda Refinery during a ceremony on Monday.

The facility, a public-private partnership between state-owned Sonangol and UK-based Gemcorp, will begin the production and sale of diesel and jet fuel within three months with an initial capacity of 30,000 bpd. A second phase will increase the refinery’s capacity to an ultimate 60,000 bpd, nearly doubling the country’s overall refining capacity.

Construction began in 2019 but faced repeated delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and logistical complexities. Phase one was financed by African financial institutions including the Africa Finance Corporation, which mobilised USD 335 million, with an additional USD 138 million raised from equity sponsors.

The project’s cost exceeded USD 500 million as of October 2024, up from an initial estimate of USD 473 million due to pandemic-related delays and inflation. Funding for the second phase has not yet been finalised.

“Today we can affirm that the Cabinda Refinery is entering its decisive phase and that, by the end of the year, Angola will have the first commercial derivatives produced at this facility,” Angola’s minister of mineral resources, petroleum and gas Diamantino Azevedo said.

The Cabinda Refinery will significantly reduce Angola’s reliance on imported fuel. The country’s only other refinery, the Luanda Refinery, currently produces 65,000 bpd.

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