Indeni Petroleum Refinery

The Indeni Petroleum Refinery is an oil refinery in Zambia's industrial city of Ndola.[1]

Indeni Petroleum Refinery
Location of Indeni Petroleum Refinery
CountryZambia
StateNdola District
CityNdola
Coordinates13°02′21″S 28°40′48″E
Refinery details
OperatorIndeni Petroleum Refinery Limited
Owner(s)Government of Zambia
Commissioned1973 (1973)
Capacity24,000 bbl/d (3,800 m3/d)

Location

The refinery is located in Ndola, Ndola District, Copperbelt Province, approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi), by road, southeast of the city's central business district.[2] The geographical coordinates of the refinery are:13°02'21.0"S, 28°40'48.0"E (Latitude:-13.039167; Longitude:28.680000).[3]

Overview

The petroleum refinery is described in some publications as a "very small and simple refinery". It was constructed in 1973, with capacity to refine 24,000 bbl/d of crude oil, and process 1,200,000 tonnes (1,322,774 tons) of feedstock annually. Crude oil is imported via the Kurasini Oil Jetty in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and is delivered to the refinery through the 1,704 kilometres (1,059 mi) Tazama Pipeline. The annual delivery capacity of the pipeline is also the annual processing capacity of the refinery.[4]

Operations

The Indeni Refinery is configured as a Hydro-skimming refinery. Designed in 1973, the refinery is not able to refine pure crude at commercial levels and processes spiked crude.[5]

The refinery is able to produce the following products:[4] (a) unleaded petrol (b) automotive gas oil (c) industrial kerosene (d) domestic kerosene (e) Jet fuel (f) Liquefied Petroleum Gas (g) reformate (h) fuel oil and (i) asphalt.[4]

Ownership

When the refinery was established in 1973, it was owned and managed by Indeni Petroleum Refinery Company Limited, a 50/50 joint venture between the government of Zambia and Eni, the Italian energy conglomerate, through their subsidiary Agip Zambia. Under the terms of the joint venture, Eni was responsible for the management of the refinery.[4] In 2001, Eni sold their shareholding to Total S.A., through their subsidiary TotalFinaElf. Total took over management of the refinery.[6] In 2009, Total S.A. sold their shareholding to the Zambian government for consideration of US$5.5 million.[4][7]

Since then, there have been attempts to bring on-board a strategic partner with funding and expertise to upgrade, modernize and expand the refinery.[8][9][10]

Modernization

In 2017, the World Bank stated that the Indeni Petroleum Refinery was "inefficient and technologically unsuited for current fuel needs". Its capacity is too small. It does not produce refinement products that larger, more efficient refineries can. For the amount of resources expended to keep it running, the government can do better towards meeting their national petroleum objectives.[11]

In order to meet increasing petroleum products demand both nationally and regionally, there are two choices (a) build a new modern refinery that meets current and future national and regional needs or (b) expand and modernize the present refinery to improve its efficiency and output. Building a new refinery is ruled out by its cost. Rehabilitation, expansion and modernization has been estimated at about US$500 million. As the government considers its options, the capacity at the refinery has dropped to 21,000 bbl/day. The last hope is to find a deep-pocket investor who can buy a stake in the present refinery and modernize it.[1][8][9]

See also

References
  1. Construction Boxscore Database (16 May 2020). "Zambia Seeks Investor In Indeni Refinery". Houston, Texas, United States: Construction Boxscore Database. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  2. Google (16 May 2020). "Road Distance Between Downton Ndola And Indeni Petroleum Refinery" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  3. Google (16 May 2020). "Location of Indeni Petroleum Refinery" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. A Barrel Full (16 May 2020). "Overview of Indeni Petroleum Ndola Refinery". A Barrel Full. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. UNCTAD (2009). "The Petroleum Industry In Zambia: A Study On Market Structure And Competition" (PDF). Geneva Switzerland: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. A Barrel Full (27 November 2001). "TotalFinaElf Acquires Refining Interests And Strengthens Marketing Network In Zambia". Killajoules.wikidot.com. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  7. Lusaka Times (5 February 2010). "Government has paid for the 50% Indeni shares–PS". Lusaka Times. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  8. Reuters (6 November 2009). "Zambia Seeks New Partner for Indeni Oil Refinery". Reuters.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  9. Zambia Development Agency (2018). "Indeni Oil Refinery Stake Attracts 7 Bids, Says ZDA". Lusaka: Zambia Development Agency. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  10. Oil Review Africa (17 April 2018). "Five firms shortlisted to buy stake in Zambia's oil refinery". Oilreviewafrica.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  11. Lusaka Times (26 January 2017). "Indeni Refinery Is Inefficient And Technologically Unsuited for Current Fuel Needs – World Bank". Lusaka Times. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
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