(Business in Cameroon) - The British consulting firm Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC), which specializes in petroleum and petrochemical projects, has just signed a "Project Management Coordinator" service contract with All Bitumen Cameroon PLC. The latter is piloting the construction of a bitumen plant (250,000 tons) in Kribi.

The project’s deal was concluded on May 12 in Dubai, UAE, on the sidelines of the 12th edition of the ME-TECH 2022 conference (Middle East Technology Forum for Refining & Petrochemicals).

"This contract is a major step in the project to build a bitumen refinery in Kribi, Cameroon," said Ahmadou Oumarou, the CEO of All Bitumen Cameroon Plc. Under the partnership, Euro Petroleum Consultants is responsible for preparing the implementation plan, assisting All Bitumen in the selection of the contractor to carry out the basic engineering studies for the plant, and supervising the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for the plant. The UK firm will also lead the process of pre-qualifying potential EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) contractors and select the EPC contractor to carry out the project.

As a reminder, the topographical work and public consultations on the environmental and social impact study for the project were also launched this month. With a mini oil refinery (10,000 barrels per day), which will provide the raw material, the bitumen plant will put an end to Cameroon's bitumen imports (officially estimated at 50,000 tons a year, ed). It will help reduce the country's trade deficit by about CFA300 billion, according to the CEO of All Bitumen Cameroon PLC. Construction experts believe that the cost of road infrastructure in the country will be reduced by 30% thanks to the project. Also, the plant will make it possible to conquer markets such as Nigeria, Chad, Gabon, and the DRC, which are the targets of the market study carried out by the Argus firm.

Between the refining of crude oil, the production of bitumen, and by-products such as diesel or kerosene, which are all to be sold on the local and regional markets, the project of All Bitumen Cameroon Plc should generate 300 to 400 direct jobs, and about 1,500 indirect jobs, we learn.  The plant will cover a site of 60 hectares and requires an investment of about CFA100 billion.

Brice R. Mbodiam