Zambia plans 60,000-bpd oil refinery in copper belt
Zambia's government has signed an agreement that paves the way for the development of a $1.1-B crude oil refinery and energy complex in Ndola in the country's copper belt, it said on Monday.
The planned facility will process about 60,000 bpd of crude oil, providing enough refined products to satisfy the Southern African nation's entire current fuel demand and potentially allowing for future exports to neighboring countries, a government statement said.
It will save the nation millions of dollars annually in fuel imports once complete, the statement added.
Officials hope construction will start in the third quarter of 2025, with a first phase of commercial operations planned for 2026.
The agreement was between Zambia's Industrial Development Corporation and Fujian Xiang Xin Corporation of China.
An IDC spokesperson said the refinery would source crude from the Middle East and that it would be imported through the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam.
As well as fuel production, the planned energy complex will include units for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling, bitumen production, lubricants blending and a 130-megawatt power plant, Zambia's government said.
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