Cameroon’s state-owned National Refining Company Ltd. (Sonara) is working on restarting its 42,000 barrel per day (bpd) Limbe refinery in December 2027, bringing it back online after it had been lying dormant since a fire occurred in 2019.

According to Sonara, Ekium – a UK-based engineering consultancy – recommended a partial restoration of the facility; however, the exact nameplate capacity of this development has not yet been revealed, Argus Media notes.

Ekium has revealed that 75% of Limbe’s original capacity is recoverable, with 8% likely to be lost and an additional 17% set to be verified this month, while Sonara plans to install a hydrocracker, isomerisation unit, and diesel hydrotreatment plant between 2028 and 2030 in order to make sure the plant’s diesel meets Afri 5/6 standards. The refinery’s fuel oil is also expected to meet Marpol (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) specifications, containing less than 5,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur, according to Argus.

Moreover, an additional crude distillation unit is also planned for between 2031-2035 as well as a second hydrocracker unit and a vacuum distillation unit that will improve output by around 3.5mn tonnes per year.

Argus Media notes that rehabilitation work on the plant will begin in January 2026, with Sonara set to provide refined products until production restarts at the plant.

Cameroon’s decision to revive Limbe could provide a challenge for other refiners in the region and will certainly increase competition on the African continent.

In July, African Energy Council revealed that Cameroon was also constructing a brand new refinery and petroleum reserve depot in its southern region – part of efforts by state-owned National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) to develop the country’s refining slate in addition to Limbe.

According to SNH, the new plant will be constructed on land within the Kribi industrial port, with the planned fuel storage facility expected to begin operations with significant holding capacity.

Notably, the plant will be constructed to run on Cameroon’s own crude oil, which will aid in reducing the amount of imported feedstock.

SNH noted that construction was expected to last for more than a year.