SOCAR Downstream, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company SOCAR, has been selected as the project management consultant (PMC) for the National Petroleum Company of the Republic of the Congo (SNPC).
SOCAR Downstream Managing Director Emil Alkhasli announced this in a social media post. According to Alkhasli, cooperation between SOCAR and SNPC, which started as an idea, has now reached an important stage.
“Recently, SOCAR Downstream, acting as the project management consultant for the CORAF refinery, helped officially launch the Pre-FEED stage of the refinery modernization project,” Alkhasli said.
He noted that the cooperation goes beyond technical matters and is also important for strengthening ties between Azerbaijan and the Republic of the Congo.
“This cooperation has also become an important experience in strengthening relations between Azerbaijan and the Republic of the Congo, gaining a better understanding of different cultures, and identifying common interests and opportunities,” Alkhasli said.
At the same time he highlighted the importance of applying the experience and knowledge gained from corporate projects to create additional value for partners.
“I am proud that our team is taking this experience beyond Azerbaijan and building partnerships based on trust,” the managing director said. “This is not just a project. It is a partnership built between people, organizations and countries. It is also an example of how cooperation can contribute to mutual development and shared progress,” Alkhasli added.
SOCAR and the National Petroleum Company of the Republic of the Congo (SNPC) signed an agreement in Baku on April 4, 2024, setting out the terms for the upgrade and expansion of the CORAF refinery. Located in Pointe-Noire, the facility has been operating since December 1982 and is Congo (Brazzaville)'s only oil refinery. Its design capacity is 27,000 barrels per day, although it currently processes around 20,000 barrels per day.
SOCAR specialists are expected to assess the refinery’s current condition and prepare proposals for its modernization. More than half of the petroleum products produced at the refinery are used to meet domestic demand in the Republic of the Congo.
SOCAR Trading has also been marketing some of the crude oil and petroleum products produced at CORAF on international markets since 2023.
