New Oil Refinery set for Zambia
By Nawa Mutumweno – The construction of the Bwana Mkubwa Oil Refinery project under a joint venture (JV) has been earmarked for 2016 at a cost of about $1.6 billion.
Maysen and Borowski Claymont Joint Venture (MBCJV) of Australia in partnership with Phoenix Materials and Constructing Company will construct the new refinery with a capacity to process about five million metric tonnes of oil annually.
According to MBCJV group executive director, legal and strategy Charles Kamwi, the new refinery wil triple the current national crude oil supply.
Bwana Mkubwa Oil Refinery, which will be situated at the Sub-Sahara Gemstone Exchange (SGE) Industrial Park in Ndola, Copperbelt, is anticipated to create over 13 000 jobs.
‘’The capital cost of the Bwana Mkubwa pipeline is approximately at $1.6 billion. Once fully operational, the new refinery will be capable of processing up to five million metric tonnes of crude oil per annum,’’ he elaborated.
The construction of the project is expected to start in 2016 and if successful, the project will be one of the biggest infrastructure project in Zambia.
In a statement released to the media in Lusaka recently, Mr. Kamwi said the new plant will be fed with crude oil through a new pipeline that will be built alongside the 1 800-km TAZAMA Pipeline.
The new refinery which will stimulate the growth of other auxiliary industries, will also include the development of commercial entities, warehousing, dry port, container depot, a skills training centre, houses and a green space.
The project will also include developing two new exporting lines to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania to provide efficient regional distribution of refined oil products.
‘’Last year, Government gave approval to conduct a bankable feasibility study. The group will spend close to $3 million this year in completing the study. The project is being developed in cooperation with a number of companies, including Samsung Engineering of South Korea,’’ the statement reads in part.
The SGE industrial park project will be a multi-function economic development zone located next to the current Indeni Refinery in Ndola.
