December 09, 2025 [Business in Cameroon]- Cstar has announced that an engineering mission will arrive in January 2026 to begin construction of the Kribi refinery and petroleum storage terminal. The decision follows a December 6 board meeting held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Operational work is therefore expected to begin about six months after the symbolic groundbreaking of the two facilities.

The project was officially launched on July 17 at Mboro, on the site of the Kribi deepwater port. Cstar, a subsidiary of the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) created to oversee the project, indicated that the next steps include finalizing technical studies, launching full construction, and continuing financing efforts.

The project covers 250 hectares and will feature a refinery with a processing capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, along with a fuel storage terminal offering an initial capacity of 250,000 to 300,000 m³. The total cost is estimated at around CFA115 billion.

Construction has been awarded to an international consortium composed of RCG Turnkey Solutions, Global Process Systems (GPS), and Norinco International. Cstar is the contracting authority under the supervision of the SNH.

On the financing side, Cstar has signed an agreement with the Cameroonian subsidiary of BGFI Bank. The bank is tasked with mobilizing CFA120 billion to fund the project under the financing framework established for the Kribi refinery and terminal.

This financing mandate will support the completion of technical studies and the transition to the construction phase, scheduled to begin in January 2026.