Bengo: The director-general of the Petroleum Derivatives Regulatory Institute (IRDP), Lus Fernandes, announced in Bengo province that the expansion of the fuel distribution network presents a significant investment opportunity for the private sector.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Lus Fernandes, while presenting an overview of the sector's activities in Bengo, highlighted that the province currently has 21 gas stations. Out of these, 13 are operational, while eight remain inoperative due to various reasons. He emphasized that since fuel marketing and distribution are managed by private entities, establishing new service stations in underserved areas could enhance public access to fuel and stimulate local economic growth.
Bengo province, as stated by the official, provides favorable conditions for advancing investments in the petroleum derivatives sub-sector. This includes the potential for setting up service stations, gas filling plants, and lubricant manufacturing facilities. Fernandes pointed out the necessity of increasing gas filling facilities to meet the rising demand and improve the public's access to fuel.
He further advocated for the development of gas distribution networks in residential complexes, hotels, and restaurants to replace the prevalent use of gas cylinders, noting that a supportive legal framework is already established to encourage this transition.
Fernandes also recommended the creation of lubricant manufacturing plants, given the country's continued reliance on imports for a significant portion of these products. The presentation underscored the ongoing process of decentralizing authority to municipal administrations, now responsible for licensing specific sector activities.
These activities include service stations with a capacity of up to 200 cubic meters, the retail sale of lubricants, butane gas, and illuminating kerosene, along with the resale of diesel for industrial use within legal limits. This measure aims to streamline administrative procedures, bring services closer to economic operators, and promote private investment in the local petroleum derivatives sector.
