Cameroon Refinery Project Nears First Fuel Output in December

By December, Cameroon expects to begin producing refined fuel from a new refinery in Mboro, near Kribi, as the government steps up efforts to cut dependence on imported petroleum products.

The project, which is being developed in phases, will start with an initial processing capacity of 10,000 barrels per day before expanding to 30,000 barrels per day at full completion. State oil company SNH has outlined June as the start date for construction, with procurement and fabrication for the first phase due by September.

The first phase is expected to meet about 22 per cent of Cameroon’s domestic demand for petrol and diesel when operations begin later this year. Officials also plan to raise the refinery to its full design capacity by 2027.

The Mboro facility is set to become a major addition to Cameroon’s downstream petroleum sector and is expected to ease pressure on fuel supply. It is located several hundred kilometres from the Sonara refinery in Cape Limboh near Limbe, which has remained largely inactive since a fire in 2019.

Ownership of the project is split between three investors. SNH holds 20 per cent, Tradex owns 31 per cent, and Dubai-based Ariana Energy controls the remaining 49 per cent.

Developers estimate the project will cost about $520 million, to be financed through a mix of shareholder equity and external borrowing. BGFI Bank is coordinating a syndicate to raise about $210 million in debt for the project.

Plans also include a 250,000-barrel storage terminal beside the refinery, which SNH will fund entirely. Future expansion could add more storage for diesel, petrol, aviation fuel and kerosene.

The refinery forms part of Cameroon’s wider plan to strengthen fuel supply security, expand domestic refining capacity and improve its position in the regional petroleum products market.