Brahms Oil Refineries, a Switzerland-based energy company focused on developing downstream projects in sub-Saharan Africa, plans to build a modular crude oil refinery at Kamsar, approximately 300km north-west of Konakry in the Republic of Guinea.
Kamsar refinery will be Guinea’s first crude oil refinery and will have the capacity to process 10,000 barrels of West African crude oil per day (bpd).
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Brahms Oil Refineries will build, own and operate the modular refinery through its local subsidiary Guinean Refining Company, which was registered in Guinea in December 2011.
Construction of the refinery is expected to begin in 2019 and is estimated to cost $250m.
The project is expected to create more than 2,000 direct jobs during the construction phase and more than 200 direct jobs during the operation phase.
Kamsar refinery project development history
The technical feasibility study for the project was completed in May 2014. The investment and framework agreement for the project was signed between the Government of Guinea, the Guinean Refining Company and the Brahms Oil Refineries, in June 2015.
Brahms secured the environment certificate from the Ministry of Environment in December 2015 through its local company, Guinean Refining Company, for the development of the Brahms oil refinery.
The geotechnical investigation for the project was completed in April 2017.
The front-end engineering design (FEED) as well as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the refinery were awarded in July 2017.
Brahms Kamsar oil refinery details
Planned to be built on a 100ha site in the Kamsar sub-prefecture of Guinea, the Kamsar oil refinery will adopt modular construction approach.
The 10,000 barrel per day (bpd) modular crude oil refinery plant will process West African crude oil to produce diesel, gasoil, kerosene, gasoline and fuel oil, to be sold in the local Guinean market.
Initial groundwork on the refinery site was performed in January 2017, with the installation of geotechnical equipment for drilling seven boreholes to determine the ground conditions of the site.
Small modular oil refineries, like the one being developed at Kamsar, are considered to hold promising prospects for Africa, as the continent, by and large, has become increasingly dependent on imported refined oil products to meet its growing energy demands, while the African crude oil production is gradually being displaced from US refineries due to increased domestic production.
Contractors involved with Brahms Kamsar oil refinery project
SNC-Lavalin was awarded the front-end engineering design (FEED) conversion to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for Brahms Kamsar modular oil refinery, in July 2017.
The contractual scope includes project management, co-ordination and management of the process licensor, and geotechnical and topographic survey contractors, as well as the preliminary engineering and procurement for the project.
SNC-Lavalin is also responsible for estimating services and EPC execution plan for the overall modular refinery including the tank farms, and marine works needed for the crude oil import by ship.
Kentz (now SNC-Lavalin) was contracted for a pre-FEED study on the project in August 2016. The study was finalised in November 2017.
Axens, a technology provider to refining, petrochemical, gas and alternative fuels industries, was selected as the licensor of the Brahms Kamsar modular oil refinery, in January 2017.
WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoff was contracted to conduct the geotechnical investigation study for the project in January 2017.
SGS, a consulting company based in Switzerland, was contracted to conduct the social and environmental impact assessment study for the project in July 2015.
Foster Wheeler France completed the technical feasibility study for the project in May 2014.
