With a view to upgrading existing facilities and driving new project development to ensure a consistent and dependable energy supply the inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum (CEIF), taking place from March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, will feature a dedicated downstream and midstream panel session. The Boosting Midstream and Downstream Capacity session will focus on how growing hydrocarbons demand in the country is set to drive infrastructure development in the country.

The inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum, set for March 24-26, 2025, in Brazzaville, under the patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and supported by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, will bring together international investors and local stakeholders to explore national and regional energy and infrastructure opportunities. The event will explore the latest gas-to-power projects and provide updates on ongoing expansions across the country.

Congo has showcased its commitment to the modernization of downstream infrastructure with the development of a second refinery in the country. Developed by Chinese company Beijing Fortune Dingheng Investment, the Atlantic Petrochemical Refinery is due for completion this year. The refinery will have an annual production capacity of 2.5 million tons of petroleum products, including diesel and gasoline.

In the gas sector, Chinese company Wing Wah’s Banga Kayo project is focusing on monetizing previously flared associated gas. Over its 25-year duration, the project is expected to produce around 30 billion cubic meters of gas, which will be processed into dry gas, LNG, LPG and polypropylene. Meanwhile, energy supermajor Eni’s Congo LNG project commenced with the delivery of its first LNG cargo from the Tango FLNG facility in February 2024. The project, which will have a total liquefaction capacity of 3 million tons per annum, represents a substantial step towards increasing the country’s LNG production capacity.

In the midstream sector, Russia tentatively agreed to construct a fuel pipeline linking the port of Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, aiming to enhance the efficiency of fuel distribution within the country. Meanwhile, a 1,200km SNPC-operated pipeline connecting Pointe-Noire to Ouesso is expected to commence operations in 2029. Russia was also tapped to construct the pipeline, which is being implemented under the patronage of the Russian-Congolese Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation.

“This pivotal session at CEIF 2025 will highlight the important role infrastructure development plays in meeting the growing demand for hydrocarbons in Congo. With the country’s energy sector undergoing rapid modernization, this dialogue will provide an invaluable platform for discussing innovative solutions, strategic investments and collaborative opportunities that will drive the expansion of the country’s midstream and downstream sectors,” states Sandra Jeque, Events and Project Director, Energy Capital & Power.

As a mature hydrocarbons market with proven resources, numbering 1.8 million barrels of proven crude oil reserves and 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, Congo offers investors dynamic opportunities in gas processing and refining, LNG trade and infrastructure opportunities.