BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. SOCAR Downstream, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), has been selected as Project Management Consultant (PMC) for the National Petroleum Company of the Republic of the Congo (SNPC), SOCAR Downstream Managing Director Emil Alkhasli announced on social media.
According to him, cooperation between SOCAR and SNPC, which began as an idea, has now reached an important stage. "Recently, SOCAR Downstream, acting as the Project Management Consultant (PMC) for the CORAF Refinery, supported the official launch of the Pre-FEED stage of the refinery modernization project," Alkhasli said.
He noted that the cooperation is not limited to 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 ties between Azerbaijan and the Republic of the Congo, gaining a closer understanding of different cultures, and identifying common interests and opportunities," he said.
Alkhasli also emphasized the importance of applying 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's borders and building cooperation based on trust," the managing director said.
"This is not just a project. It is a partnership built between people, organizations and countries. At the same time, it is an example of how cooperation can contribute to mutual development and shared progress," Alkhasli added.
SOCAR and SNPC signed an agreement in Baku on April 4, 2024, on the terms for upgrading and expanding the CORAF Refinery.
Located in Pointe-Noire, the refinery has been operating since December 1982 and is the Republic of the Congo's only oil refinery. Its design capacity is 27,000 barrels per day, while its current capacity is about 20,000 barrels per day.
SOCAR specialists are expected to assess the refinery's current condition and develop 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 been marketing some of the crude oil and petroleum products produced at CORAF on international markets since 2023.
