Angola’s new refinery will begin supplying petroleum products before the second quarter of 2026, according to its owners.
The Cabinda Refinery officially opened in September 2025 and received its first crude shipment from Malongo that same month, after which it entered its final testing stage.
The project experienced multiple delays, mainly due to funding challenges, since developers first introduced the concept in 2019.
Marcelo Hofke, CEO of Gemcorp, the lead developer and 90 percent majority stakeholder, explained that the refinery could not meet the planned December 2025 commercial start date because the team prioritized strict safety compliance.
Hofke stated that engineers are currently conducting performance tests and expect to complete them by the end of March 2026.
Developers structured the refinery as a two-phase project that will produce diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, and heavy fuel oil through a public-private partnership between Gemcorp and Sonangol, with a 90 to 10 equity split.
As the first phase, with a capacity of 30,000 barrels per stream day, prepares to supply the market, engineers continue work on the second phase through October 2026 before launching the construction tender.
Hofke added that developers aim to begin the second phase in the first half of 2027 to expand capacity to 60,000 barrels per day.
He also confirmed that the second phase will require an investment of about 700 million dollars.
source: africaoilgasreport.com
African Energy Council