Celebrating Angola's Independence

28 Pages·2015·3.96 MB·English

Universo
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ISSUE 48 | DECEMBER 2015
www.universo-magazine.com
Celebrating
Angola’s
Independence
IS DOWNSTREAM MSTELCOM SPORTS
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8 ANGOLA’S SONANGOL’S ANGOLA’S FIRST
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EC REFINING PROJECTS TELECOMS SUCCESS CYCLING TOUR
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OVERVIEW José CONTENTS
Universo is the international
magazine of Sonangol
President
AnFabraeEnlxace iSscocuoati rvdeees a Lddeemm Bionrsiits oJt ordasaté oF Mrosan:rsieaca, 4 3 NEWS BRIEFING Thierry Gonzales
Ana Joaquina Van-Dúnem Alves da Costa,
Fernandes Gaspar Bernardo Mateus,
Fernando Joaquim Roberto, A roundup of national and international news concerning
Mateus Sebastião Francisco Neto, Sonangol and Angola
Paulino Fernando Carvalho Jerónimo
Non-executive administrators: 4
Albina Assis Africano, José Gime,
10
André Lelo, José Paiva 3 ANGOLA: SO REFINED
Sonangol Department for
CommMautneicuast Ciornis &tó Ivmãoa gBee DnziraectorShutterstock SENSE OF H ow Sonaref is contributing to fuel self-sufficiency
Corporate Communications Assistants
Nadiejda Santos, Paula Almeida, 18
Hélder Sirgado, Kimesso Kissoka INDEPENDENCE 3 MSTELCOM: CONNECTING ANGOLA
S onangol’s communications’ arm achieves success 10
Publisher: Sheila O’Callaghan
Editor: John Kolodziejski
ManaAgritn Dg iEredcittoorr:: MToanuyr oH Pillerillo A nasg oplaar th oelfd t hites cvoemrym fiersmt oinratetironnast imonaarlk cinygc l4e0 t oyuera risn oOfc tober 26 3 ANABELA FONSECA: WORKING FOR ANGOLA Brazuk Ltd.
Sub Editor: Brian MacReamoinn
independence. The cyclists raced along 1,177km of good
Proofreading: Gail Nelson-Bonebrake roads and crossed nine of the most populous provinces from Bié to The career of the Sonangol board member
Circulation & Production Manager: Matthew Alexander
Benguela, Malange and Uíge before arriving in Luanda.
Production Assistant: Sebnem Brown
The open road has long been a popular metaphor for freedom,
Project Consultant: Nathalie MacCarthy
32
Group President: John Charles Gasser and the bicycle, which can go almost everywhere and relies only on 3 LIANZI GOES LIVE 18
the rider’s energy, is a symbol of personal independence.
Angola’s road to independence wasn’t smooth, many sacrifices A ngola’s first binational offshore scheme starts up Chevron
were made in life, resources and basic infrastructure. The most
Universo is produced by Impact Media Custom Publishing. satisfying date after the ending of colonial rule in Angola was April
34
tThhoes ev ioefw Sso enxapnrgeosls oerd t ihne t phueb pluisbhleicrast.i oRne parroed nuoctt inoenc iens swahroillye 2002 which saw the signing of the peace agreement. Since then the 3 ANGOLA WEARS THE YELLOW JERSEY
or in part without prior permission is prohibited. country has boomed and invested massively in reconstructing its
The winning ways of the country’s first international cycle tour
roads, bridges, railways, ports and airports.
This magazine is distributed to a closed circulation.
To receive a free copy: The value of the cycle tour lies in the fact that has permitted 32
[email protected]
Angola to showcase its economic recovery and tourist potential, 40
Davenport HouseC, U1ir6nc uiPtleeadpt ipKoeninr: gS1d5tro,0em0e0t, London E14 9RP dinefmraosntrsutcratutirneg i sth inat p tlhaec en taot iaolnlo iws nthowe faret ep emaocve eamnden tth oe f people and 3H owA mNoGdOeLrnA :A HngAoPlaP Yis 4re0aTpHin BgI tRhTeH frDuAitYs of peace Shutterstock
Tel + 44 20 7510 9595 | Fax [phone] goods throughout its territory. The roads in independent Angola
[email protected]
now ensure a much smoother running economy.
www.universo-magazine.com
www.sonangol.co.ao
[email protected]
John Kolodziejski
Front cover: Kost adin Luchansky / 40
Editor
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SONANGOL UNIVERSO SONANGOL UNIVERSO
NEWS BRIEFING NEWS BRIEFING
Sonangol gives best
A NEW MODEL
FOR ANGOLA’S
conference paper
OIL SECTOR
3 President José Eduardo dos Santos ordered
the setting up of a commission to draw up 3 A member of Sonangol E.P.’s production department, Jacob Jacob Cruz receives
his award
an integrated strategy and to propose new Cruz, received a prize during the recent Deep Offshore Technology
organisational models for Angola’s oil sector (DOT) conference held in Texas. The award was in recognition of the
on October 23. The aim behind the move is to quality of his paper on monitoring riser systems in Angola.
increase the efficiency of the industry. Risers are the pipes or flow lines which transport oil and gas from
According to a statement from the wells on the ocean floor to platforms or vessels on the surface.
Sonangol and
president’s cabinet office, the commission will Cruz’s article was considered the best at DOT 2015 and was
consist of ministers of state and the head of produced as part of a study on the riser system undertaken by the
the cabinet office. Ministries included will be Angola Deepwater Consortium, a partnership between Sonangol
those of Planning and Territorial Development, E.P. and Doris Engineering.
Eni get closer
Finance, Economy and Petroleum as well as the
National Bank, a representative of Sonangol
E.P. and two independent consultants.
MOZAMBIQUE LEADER
The committee is tasked with preparing a
diagnostic study of the oil sector’s situation
3 Sonangol’s chairman, Francisco de Lemos José Maria, and Eni’s CEO, Claudio as well as developing organisational models,
Descalzi, agreed to strengthen the operational and strategic partnership between identifying operational opportunities and
TOURS REFINERY
the two companies at a meeting in Rome on November 4. quantifying potential improvements to
They confirmed their commitment to using gas extracted by Eni in Angola to Sonangol E.P. to find the best way forward for
provide energy for the domestic market. The partners will jointly evaluate the the national oil and gas industry.
development of gas fields in the Angolan basin of the Lower Congo and propose During a state-of-the-nation speech to the
to Audsed itthioen gaallsy ,l oEcnai lwlyi ltlo s guepnpeorrat tSeo ansa mnguoclh i na sth 1e.5 dGeWve.lopment of the multi-billion NSaantitoonsa ol nA sOscetmobbelry 1o6n, bVeichea lPf roef sPidreesnitd Menatn duoesl 3 President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique visited Luanda’s Malocha
dollar Lobito refinery project. Vicente, Sonangol’s former chairman, said that Sonarel refinery on November 9 during his two-day visit
oil production’s share of GDP fell to just 35 per to Angola. Staff showed the president the control room,
cent in 2014 from 58 per cent in 2008, owing production units, the laboratory and the combined cycle
to the doubling between 2008 and 2014 of the power plant. Sonangol’s delegate administrator at the
non-oil GDP rate. Forecasts for this year point refinery, Custódio Gonçalves, said output would rise
to GDP growth of 4 per cent, with the oil sector from its current processing capacity of 55,000 barrels
rising by 7.8 per cent. per day (bpd) to 65,000 bpd by the second half of 2016.
Shutterstock
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SONANGOL UNIVERSO SONANGOL UNIVERSO
NEWS BRIEFING NEWS BRIEFING
Block 17 VP ATTENDS INDIA–AFRICA SUMMIT
ANGOLAN EUROBONDS
pumps up FOR SALE
the volume 3 Angola announced the launch of sovereign debt bonds on the international 3SSau TnmVhtiocmese i,t t elP eianrdme N tsh eiaedwt eA nDtnhteg elMo hlfiaao onnun urd -eOedllc aetVgyoi acbsteeuionrm nt2e m9t,o .i rtteh cpeor Tmehsiperrdni stIinenddgi a fP–oArreefrsigiicdnae Fanoftf raduiormss AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal
market in the form of eurobonds worth $1.5 billion in October. The move is part of minister, Georges Chikoti, agriculture minister, Afonso Pedro
3 Sonangol and Total E&P Angola announced the government’s long-term economic and financial development programme. Canga; energy and waters minister, João Baptista Borges; and the
the start of an innovative project to raise oil With this bond issue on the London Stock Exchange, the government aims to minister for telecommunications and information technologies,
production in Block 17 on October 30. The use diversify the country’s funding sources and building up enduring relationships José Carvalho da Rocha.
of new deepwater multiphase high-pressure with international investors in all major financial centres. India is one of the main investors in African countries, covering
pumps (MPPs) will add 30,000 barrels of oil The bonds may also help increase the inflow of foreign capital and build areas such as oil, gas, the petrochemical industry, information
per day to output from the Rosa oil field. The Angola’s international reserves. The sale is the fruit of efforts begun in 2011 technology, infrastructure, agriculture and health. It has made
pumps are located on the seabed and connect to enter this market. The government took technical and legal advice for the particularly significant progress in farming, industry and
to the existing underwater network of wells initiative from financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, the technology and is one of the world’s 10 largest exporters of
and pipelines. World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. agricultural produce.
The pumps will allow recovery of about Goldman Sachs International, Deutsche Bank and the Industrial and Over the past four years, the Asian powerhouse has invested
42 million barrels of additional reserves, Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) will act as agents for the bond issue. $7.4 billion in 137 development projects in 41 African countries.
Sonangol said.
The extra pumping capacity is part of the
wider Girassol Resources project, initiated Mozambican author
in 2010, which aims to recover more oil
from mature fields. The wells in question
nets Sonangol prize
are connected to the Girassol FPSO (floating Chevron registers
Angolan banks
production, storage and offloading vessel).
5 billion barrels
The project technology is a world first and
includes the installation of an electrical cable 3 Mozambique’s Suleimane Cassamo Abdulumane has won the 2016 Sonangol
make top 100
linking two FPSOs, Girassol and Dália, in order Grand Prize for literature with his book The Mbona Letter. Abdulumane works 3 Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, a
to power the new pumps. under the pseudonym Peniwaku Sassa. Chevron subsidiary recorded the
Block 17, involving four FPSOs, is one of The award was made in Luanda by the Union of Angolan Writers (UEA) which drilling of its 5 billionth barrel of oil
Total’s most important operations and reached praised the quality of the book’s subject, its educational value and the rhythm 3 Nine of the top 100 banks in Africa in terms of capital are Angolan, according to the 2015 list from Blocks Zero and 14 in Angola
an impressive 2 billion barrels of accumulated of its sublime prose, as well as its creative power and originality. drawn up by African Business Magazine. in August, to having operated in the
production in April this year. The prize jury also gave an honourable mention to The Dance in the Rain by The first of these is Banco Económico de Angola (formerly Banco Espírito Santo Angola) in country for 60 years.
Angola’s Fragata de Morais, who writes under the name of Soma Yinene. 16th place. Its capital is estimated at $1.6 billion. In 25th spot on the list is Banco Angolano de Managing director John Baltz said
Antonio Fernandes da Costa from Angola’s Minsitry of Culture presided Investimentos with $980 million, and in 29th is Banco de Poupança e Crédito with $880 million, that despite the fall in international
Thierry Gonzales ospveorn sthoer; jMurayn, uwehl icMhu caonmzap rfirsoemd Cthoern UelEioA ;C Calaeryl,o sre Pparerasednotninag ( MSoonzaamngboilq, uteh)e; in B34atnhc ios M Biallnecnon diuem F oAmngeonltao r Aencegnotllay (m$7e0r7g emdi wlliiothn )B, aBnacnoc oP rBivICad (o$ 6A8tl6â mntiilcloio, ns)o. the resulting outfit oitisl pprroicdeusc,t iConh eevfrfiocnie nisc ym leavinetlasi,n ainndg
Fátima Fernandes (Cape Verde); Francisco Conduto de Pina (Guiné-Bissau) is expected to rise significantly in the 2016 rankings. in the long period it has been in
and Frederico Gustavo dos Anjos (São Tomé e Príncipe). The first five places in the list include four banks from South Africa: Standard Bank Group Angola, it has been able to deal with
There will be a presentation ceremony on February 25, 2016, when Sonangol ($12.4 billion), FirstRand ($4.8 billion), Absa Bank ($4.3 billion) and Nedbank Group ($4.2 billion). times of crisis.
commemorates its 40th anniversary.
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SONANGOL UNIVERSO SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Shutterstock
NEWS BRIEFING NEWS BRIEFING
ANGOLAN
President Neto’s
INVENTORS
life in pictures
WIN GOLD
3 Angolan inventors won two gold medals at the
3 The Angolan embassy in London held a photographic exhibition in September to 67th International Fair of Ideas, Inventions and Exponential success
commemorate the life and work of Angola’s first president, Agostinho Neto. New Products (IENA) held in Nuremburg, Germany,
The 253 photographs on display showed various facets of Angola’s first president’s life in October.
as a politician, doctor, statesman and man of culture. The first gold went to Lueji A’Nkonde of Luanda’s at Milan
In a statement, the embassy said: “Thirty-six years after his death, the teachings of Faculty of Medicine for his work on protection against
António Agostinho Neto remain alive in the memory and everyday practice of the continuers snakebites in rural populations and preventive
of his immortal works, particularly his successor, President José Eduardo dos Santos, ‘the measures in urban areas. 3 Angola’s pavilion at the international exhibition Expo Milano 2015 attracted
Architect of Peace’ and the principal builder of the country’s development.” António Manuel Kawele picked up his gold for the a record 2 million visitors during its 184-day run which ended on October 31.
The statement went on to say that the executive aims to make Angola grow even more recycling of waste materials into works of art such as The country was awarded the fair’s silver medal for its display ‘Food and
and continue to distribute income better, and to engage in a wide-ranging dialogue with the handbags, slippers, necklaces and bracelets. Culture: Education for Innovation’.
young, with women in the countryside and with the country’s active forces, showing that Altogether 10 Angolan entrants presented 19 The pavilion showcased Angola’s rich culinary tradition and its tourism
Neto’s legacy is an aspiration already deeply rooted in Angolans’ collective memory and projects at the fair, including an apparatus to avoid oil potential. Albina Assis, general commissioner of the country’s delegation,
one that the nation is achieving gradually and consciously. spills at sea devised by Ricardo Antunes Figueiredo. said the award demonstrated the wide international interest expressed in
There were 10 medals awarded to the Angolans: knowing more about Angolan traditions and culture.
two gold, three silver and five bronze. Gabriel Luís National Day was celebrated at the Expo on September 17 and several
Miguel, the director of the National Technological cultural and political activities took place, which were graced by the presence
Centre (CTN), led the country’s delegation. of Vice President Manuel Vicente.
BOTSWANA’S FIRST STATE VISIT BLOCK Shutterstock
3 Botswana made its first state visit to Angola in October. President Seretse PROPOSALS
Khama Ian Khama said his two-day trip came at the right time, noting
that, though the two countries are neighbours, they had no cooperation
ON THE TABLE
agreements in the areas of trade, agriculture and tourism.
However, the southern African nation has been selling beef and livestock
vaccines to Angola, and there have been discussions regarding the
development of the Okavango wildlife park on their shared border. 3 Sonangol opened proposals to prospect for oil and gas in 10 onshore Among the 38 oil companies prequalified in this bidding process,
President Khama said Angola was interested in Botswana’s farming blocks on October 2. Examination of the proposals for the blocks in the begun in April last year, were operators including Italy’s Eni, US major
expertise, beef production and veterinary services, while in turn, his Kwanza and Lower Congo basins will take place and then Sonangol will Chevron, Colombia’s Ecopetrol and Portugal’s Galp Energia and Partex.
country would be interested in a partnership in Angola’s developing oil award concessions, the company said. In the running as non-operators (minority contractors in groups
refining projects. There are seven blocks in the Kwanza Basin and a further three in the to be established in each block), Sonangol selected 47 companies as
Lower Congo Basin, and together they could account for over half of all prequalified, although it is not known which of these did in fact put
known reserves in Angola at around 7 billion barrels. forward final proposals.
8 SONANGOL UNIVERSO United Nations SONANGOL UNIVERSO 9
DOWNSTREAM

The oil terminal site at Lobito refinery
Angola currently imports
around 80 per cent of
its fuel needs, but this
situation is set to end
thanks to the construction
of two new refineries.
Universo donned its hard
hat and went on-site
to find out
ANGOLA:
SO REFINED
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SONANGOL UNIVERSO SONANGOL UNIVERSO
DOWNSTREAM DOWNSTREAM
Shutterstock
Lobito is a larger refinery than
Soyo, capable of processing
200,000 bpd of crude

The Lobito refinery site. The oil terminal is just visible top right of the picture.
A ngola spends around momentum in June with the start of 100,000 tonnes of crude. There will also industries such as petrochemicals and possibly Lobito is a larger refinery than Soyo,
$5 billion a year on imports work on a second facility at Soyo, Zaire be a power plant, a residential area for plastics later on. capable of processing 200,000 bpd of crude,
of refined oil products and province, near the Congo estuary. a thousand employees, and water and In turn, the chairman of the China and will produce unleaded gasoline, diesel, jet
currently processes just one-fifth of The Soyo refinery will have the wastewater treatment facilities. International Fund, You Hao Ming, noted that fuel (Jet1), kerosene and LPG, as well as sulphur
its requirements. In order to reduce capacity to process 110,000 bpd of The construction site is at the project was a capital gain for the province in and oil coke. These products will match target
imports and achieve self-sufficiency, oil when it starts operations in 2017. Kifuquena, 5km southwest of Soyo. particular and the country in general. markets including Angola, Europe and USA.
the government has embarked Refined products will include 853,400 Building work is being undertaken by “We are building a modern refinery with This high conversion type of refinery, with a
on building two new refineries on tonnes per year of diesel, 558,500 tonnes China Tianchen Engineering Corp. and very sophisticated equipment and rigorous price tag of over $8 billion, will occupy an area
greenfield sites. of petrol, 180,000 tonnes of kerosene, is expected to last 26 months. environmental criteria,” he added. of approximately 150 hectares and is located
The country currently has just 44,500 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas In a speech marking the laying of about 8km north of Lobito. Its facilities will
one operational refinery – Sonangol (LPG) and 20,700 tonnes of benzene. the first stone at Soyo, Sonangol CEO Lobito project be equipped with groundbreaking technology
Refinaria de Luanda (Sonarel) on the This extensive installation Francisco de Lemos José Maria said Soyo is Angola’s second new oil processing project which, in order to ensure reliability and safety,
northern outskirts of the capital – which comprises a processing unit, crude oil construction of the refinery was part following in the wake of the Lobito Sonaref complies with the industry’s international
has processing capacity of around storage tanks and a transportation area, of the executive programme aimed refinery in Benguela province, where construction certification standards. The plant will be
57,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude. as well as a pier to moor two tankers, at diversifying production, reducing work began in 2012. Sonaref (Sonangol Refinação) self-sufficient with regards to electricity and
The refining industry gained new each with capacity to carry up to fuel imports and stimulating other is Sonangol’s oil refining subsidiary. water supply.
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SONANGOL UNIVERSO Shutterstock SONANGOL UNIVERSO
DOWNSTREAM DOWNSTREAM
INTERVIEW WITH JOÃO RAMOS,
PRESIDENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMISSION AT SONAREF
What does the Lobito project mean for Angola? At what stage is the work on the Lobito refinery?
The project is of outstanding importance for Work began in January 2012, and is related to
Sonangol and for Angola. It’s strategic and supporting the infrastructure for building the
considered a mega-project because of the volume refinery itself, namely:
of investments, because of its technological • T he oil terminal, which Sonangol will use to
complexity and for its economic and social impact unload the material and heavy equipment during
on the country and on the province of Benguela the refinery’s construction phase and later for
in particular. As we know, Angola’s economy has the dispatching of fuel
grown vertiginously in recent years, as have its • T he special highway prepared to support and
industry and vehicle fleets. transport extremely heavy and large equipment
The only refinery we have, located in Luanda, • T he service road for the pipelines between the
doesn’t cover domestic market consumption. refinery and the oil terminal
Following the orientation of the Angolan • Terracing, where the refinery will be erected
executive’s National Development Plan, the
government mandated Sonangol – through The level of execution of the above is around 95 per
Sonaref – to implement this structural project, cent. Work has proceeded satisfactorily, using best
which aims to reduce dependence and add value to practice in engineering, safety, environment and
Angolan crudes, transforming them into high-value quality as well as meeting schedules.
commercial fuels.
This refinery was designed to process 200,000 What will be the next step?
bpd and will supply the country’s needs by producing Once US company KBR completes the studies of
high-quality commercial fuels, namely LPG, petrol, the refinery’s configuration, then Sonangol and
Jet 1, kerosene and diesel. It will be a highly Engineers India Limited [EIL] will carry out the final
complex, efficient and modern refinery. revision process to adapt to the characteristics of
Implementation of the project will increase the new types of crude oil discovered in Angola.
domestic supply and strengthen Sonangol’s logistics Then Sonangol will contract a company to build
chain in refining and fuel sales, as well as sales of the refinery, which will comprise processing units,
other oil products for the home market and for the utilities, storage and systems of importing and
region. The projected production capacity at the exporting products at the sea terminal.
Lobito refinery, added to current production at the At the same time we will start the second
Luanda refinery, will allow us to satisfy a significant package of works that will allow us to accelerate
part of domestic market demand. In this crucial the future mobilisation of the refinery. This package
phase of Angola’s development, diversification will include:
of the economy is the order of the day, and the • C amps for the company staff and contractors
processing of the raw material, which is Angolan • A dministrative and support buildings
crude, will support the country’s industrialisation • Tanks for the temporary import of refined products
and contribute to greater revenue collection for the • S upport structures for importing and dispatching
Quarenta state budget. • Utilities
José
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SONANGOL UNIVERSO SONANGOL UNIVERSO
Shutterstock
DOWNSTREAM DOWNSTREAM
SONAREF
The Lobito project will increase domestic fuel supplies
and strengthen Sonangol’s logistic chain – João Ramos
On July 1, Sonangol’s refining arm Sonaref,
celebrated six years since its foundation.
As part of the Sonangol group, it builds
and operates refineries, maintains its
installations and prepares, processes and
Will the refinery produce petrochemicals Sonangol is the only investor in the project The executive branch has called upon Lobito oil terminal site sells oil products.
in the future? at the moment and is represented by its Sonangol E.P. to develop infrastructure It also has shares in refining
The refinery’s configuration does not subsidiaries Sonaref, through SIP (Sonaref projects to support the country’s overall companies at home and abroad. Sonaref
envisage petrochemicals in this current Investimentos e Participações) with 51 per sustainable development and to support Corporação has two subsidiaries: Sonarel,
phase. The Lobito project is aware of the cent, Sonangol Gás Natural with 39 per cent efforts to diversify the economy. It’s in this Luanda refinery In June 1999, oil company Total which oversees the Luanda refinery, and
dynamic of the needs of the local market. and Sonangol Holdings with 10 per cent. context that new projects may be considered. The Luanda refinery is the only one acquired a stake in the refinery, which it SIP, its investment vehicle.
We believe it (refining) to be a sector in On the other hand, the search for in operation in Angola at present. It managed jointly with Fina Petróleos de
rapid growth, a factor of opportunity for investors wishing to become partners to Does Sonangol have any involvement in the processes an average of 52,000 barrels Angola (Total Fina Consortium).
the implementation of the policies that develop the Lobito refinery is of particular Soyo refinery project? of oil using the Palanca and Plutónio In February 2000, Elf took a
guarantee its sustainability. It is with this in importance, in the sense that it will reduce Sonaref, via its subsidiary SIP, has already grades. They satisfy around 20 per cent shareholding and joined the refining and sales. Currently the refinery uses
mind that the project expects to include a Sonangol’s financial burden and contribute formalised its intention to acquire a of Angola’s fuel needs. business in partnership with Total and Angolan grades such as Palanca, Soyo,
petrochemical component in the future, so with technological and commercial know- 20 per cent share in the Soyo refinery. The first refinery installations were Fina to form TotalFinaElf. A few years Nemba, Kuito, Canuku and Hungo.
as to respond to domestic needs. how. In this respect, efforts continue to The initiative stems from the corporate inaugurated in May 1958 on a 170-hectare later, in May 2003, Total bought all the Refined products include gas, butane,
attract potential partners. strategy of increasing its processing site 14km north of Luanda city centre. shares of the other companies and began naphtha, petrol, Jet B, Jet A1, oil, diesel,
How is the process going for recruiting capacity so as to maintain its lead in The facility has since been enveloped by to manage the business as sole owner of fuel oil and asphalt. Some products such
and training new staff to operate and work Is the electricity transmission line from supplying products at the local level and the capital’s huge conurbation. the refinery. as fuel oil and naphtha are exported to
in Lobito? Cambambe to Lobito already operational? later regionally. The original refining company was Finally in July 2007, with an eye to markets in Europe and USA.
As part of building the refinery, Sonangol This enterprise isn’t under Sonangol’s Companhia de Petróleos de Angola, a the strategic value of the country’s only
has recruited and trained dozens of control. The Ministry of Energy and Waters Is there a possibility of building a rail link subsidiary of Belgian group Petrangol, refinery, Sonangol acquired all of Total’s Quality performance
engineers and technicians that will work on is undertaking responsibility for it. At any from the refinery to the Benguela railway? which now gives its name to the suburb. shares with a view to completing its As with all Sonangol operations, Sonarel
the project. Other specialists will be trained event, the use of of the public grid may be a At the moment we are studying the Initial output was just 100,000 tonnes business chain, and gave the refinery is constantly improving staff performance
to be part of project teams, to accompany means of reducing production costs. possibility of building a new rail link to per year. the name Sonangol Refinaria de Luanda in processes and in equipment
the work, raise technical capacity and in connect the Benguela railway to the Lobito The refinery has survived war damage. (Sonarel). It became a subsidiary of maintenance. This makes it stand out as
future be part of the refinery operating staff. Are there plans to build pipelines between Ocean Terminal, owned by Sonangol In 1981 it was attacked by South African Sonangol E.P. and since then Angola one of the leading African refineries.
the refinery and its main markets, for Logística, to cement factory Secil, to the troops and six fuel storage tank and an has managed the refinery. In 2012, the Sonarel holds ISO 9001:2008
Which companies are involved in example Lobito to Huambo or even as far Minerals Terminal and eventually to the LPG sphere were destroyed, although this Luanda plant became part of subsidiary certification for the quality of its
developing the Lobito project? as Zambia? Sonaref Oil Terminal. did not stop refinery operations. Sonaref, which became an arm of products and ISO 14000:2004 for its
On October 27, 1982, Petrangol, owner Sonangol E.P., a sub-holding of the environmental protection measures.
of the refinery, was acquired by Fina and refining business. It also boasts safety certificate OHSAS
was renamed Fina Petróleos de Angola. After a series of expansions, Sonarel 18001:2007 for risk prevention.
In 1987, another South African now has capacity of 2,800,000 tonnes per The refinery also aims to be a good
sabotage attempt was made but a year or 57,000 bpd, 28 times its original corporate citizen. It supplies water to
mine was activated and the attack was capacity. The fuel produced is dispatched the Petrangol suburb and supports local
abandoned. Troops made another attack from the refinery by sea and land via schools in the São Pedro da Barra district,
on the refinery during the Civil War in a network of pipelines to Sonangol where it has built and equipped three
1991, but did not damage it. Distribuidora, which handles distribution health centres.
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COMMUNICATIONS
Angola benefits from
having one of the
most sophisticated
telecommunications
networks in Africa.
Universo examines
the key role MSTelcom
plays in the sector
The revolution brought about by information technology
and modern communications in our everyday lives is one
that each of us marvels at regularly. Almost gone are the
days when a telephone was just a means to speak to someone.
Now a diminutive handheld device can transmit voice calls, take
high-definition photos, make films, send texts and access the
Internet, while also monitoring your health and holding your
lifelong music collection. All these functions are supported behind
the scenes by a vast complex of high-speed digital infrastructure.
Sonangol’s MSTelcom subsidiary plays a discreet role in
MSTELCOM: this world and is a largely unsung hero in the history and
development of Angola’s telecommunications sector.
“The importance of MSTelcom resides in the fact that the
company acts as a partner par excellence for Sonangol E.P.
and its subsidiaries in its role as a telecommunications service
CONNECT
provider. This includes, among other segments, providing a
private network for secure communications services such as
data transmission, telephony, radio communications, Internet
connectivity and so on,” Oldemiro Napoleão, head of the
ANGOLA
company’s marketing department, told Universo.
“Additionally, MSTelcom gives Sonangol E.P. increased value
because of its focus on meeting the telecommunications needs
of the Angolan oil and gas sector, contributing in this way to
this sector’s growth,” he explained. He outlined the impact of
AngoSat and of the West African Cable System (WACS) on the
company’s operations.
“We view the commercial launch of Angola Cable back in
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