Cameroon’s state-owned National Hydrocarbons Company (SNH) and CSTAR have officially inaugurated a 30,000 b/d modular refinery in the Kribi industrial-port zone, local sources told Bavijas.
Valued at $200 million, the refinery will be built by RCG Turnkey Solutions in partnership with Global Process Systems (GPS) and Norinco International.
Construction is expected to take 18 months, with commissioning slated for June 2028.
The facility also includes a 250,000–300,000 cbm fuel storage terminal for diesel, gasoline, Jet A1, kerosene, and heavy fuel oil.
Cameroon’s only other refinery, SONARA, has struggled since a 2019 fire severely damaged operations—despite ongoing repair efforts.
As a result, the country now relies on importing approximately 1.9 million tonnes of refined fuel per year, despite producing around 72,000 b/d of heavy crude oil. Production has declined continuously since the 1980s.
Officials estimate the new refinery could save up to $710 million annually, reduce fuel imports by 30%, generate $250 million in export duties, and create 7,000 jobs—both direct and indirect.
Located in Limbe, in Cameroon’s Southwest region, SONARA was commissioned in 1981 with a nameplate capacity of 42,600 b/d.
The plant was originally designed to refine light crude oil (mainly Saudi Arab Light grades) before Cameroon discovered its own heavy crude reserves.
By the late 1970s, Cameroon’s commercial oil production had shifted toward heavier crude types, which SONARA was not equipped to process efficiently.
A 2020 industry report reveals that only 15% of the country’s heavy crude is refined locally due to technical limitations and other constraints.
[…] construction work of the refinery kicked off in July and is being carried out by the RCG Turnkey Solutions consortium in partnership with Global Process […]