A coalition of Central African nations have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a regional oil and gas pipeline network.
The coalition which includes; Angola, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, signed the MoU with the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO), and the Central Africa Business Forum.
The deal will see construction of storage depots, liquefied natural gas terminals, refineries, and gas-fired power plants, that will position Central Africa to boost energy supply within the region, reduce dependence on imports of refined products, and eradicate energy poverty by 2030.
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Multinational pipeline systems
Launched by H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons for Equatorial Guinea, at this year’s MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2022 Conference in Dakar, the pipeline system is expected to measure 6,500km and link 11 countries by the end of the decade.
The system will comprise three multinational pipeline systems, the Central North Pipeline System, linking Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Chad; the Central West Pipeline System, linking Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo; and the Central Southern Pipeline System, linking Angola, the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi.
Expressing his support for the project, Secretary General for APPO, H.E. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, stated, “It shall take energy from areas of abundance to areas of need within the Central African subregion.”