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Cabinda Refinery equipment successfully tested in Houston, US
The equipment to be installed at the Cabinda Refinery was successfully tested Monday in Houston in the US and will be shipped to Angola during the next couple of days.
Angola is the second biggest sub-Saharan Africa oil producer after Nigeria which produces 1.6 million barrels of crude barrels per day but lacks adequate refining capacity.
Angola’s Cabinda province is geographically separated from the rest of the country and produces up to 70 per cent of Angola’s oil revenues that makes up half of the country’s GDP. It has a population of 400,000 people.
“The Factory Acceptance Test verifies and certifies that the equipment produced and packaged meets the defined functionality and objectives, before delivery at destination, and is one of the decisive moments in the construction of all refineries similar to the Cabinda one.”
According to a statement from the Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol, the tests were carried out at the facilities of VFuels, the company responsible for building the equipment.
Mr Diamantino Azevedo, the southern African country Minister for Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas witnessed the tests.
The result of the Factory Acceptance Test was positive, and the equipment will now be sent to Angola and assembled in Cabinda, the statement added.
The construction of a 30,000 barrel per day modular crude oil distillation unit, the biggest ever produced by VFuels is among other innovations of the equipment.
This is the biggest single-line modular crude distillation unit built so far worldwide and is an integral part of the Cabinda refinery.
“The conclusion of tests marks a fundamental moment for the global implementation of the strategy defined by the Angolan government, which aims for the country’s independence in terms of production of oil derivatives”, the statement quoted Mr Diamantino de Azevedo as saying.
“This is, in fact, a crucial step for the Cabinda refinery to start production and, at the same time, for the pursuit of the objectives we defined at the beginning of our term of office,” he was further quoted.
Mr Gaspar Martins considered the step a very important milestone for the Angolan government’s refining strategy, which aims at making the country independent from imports of refined products.
“We are going to use the natural resources we have to produce refined products on Angolan soil, with Angolan citizens,” he said.
Atanas Bostandjev, CEO of Gemcorp, cited in the statement, said he was pleased with the results achieved and, above all, with the end of a stage that is crucial for the Cabinda Refinery to start operating this year.
“Gemcorp has been committed to contributing to the development of Angola and its economy, and the Cabinda refinery is one of our most relevant projects, as it will change the paradigm of the oil and gas sector in the country, create jobs and generate added value for the province,” Mr Atanas Bostandjev, CEO of Gemcorp said during the event.
