Puma Energy has offically opened two new terminals in Mozambique for bitumen and fuel, which make Puma’s existing Matola facility the company’s second biggest in Africa with total storage capacity of 275,500m³.
The two new tank terminals were inaugurated today by His Excellency Dr Pedro Conceição Couto, Mozambique’s minister of energy and natural resources.
The new fuel terminal at Matola consists of 11 new storage tanks with combined storage capacity of 115,000m³, which Puma said took 12 months and more than 25,000 tonnes of steel to construct. Some 77 qualified Mozambican workers will be employed at the new fuel terminal.
Matola’s bitumen terminal was completed in June 2014. Puma Energy also operates a storage terminal in Beira, which was finished in May 2012.
“The bitumen terminal means that Mozambique is no longer dependent on imports from neighbouring countries and the fuel Terminal creates a channel for the cost-effective and secure supply of fuel to the southern African Development Community (SADC) sub-region,” Sophonie Babo, general manager for Puma Energy Mozambique states, said in a statement.
“Puma Energy links local demand with international supply, through investment in infrastructure investment,” Christophe Zyde, Puma Energy Africa’s COO, said in a statement. “Mozambique is a very promising market in Africa today. We have confidence in the country’s long-term commercial opportunities as well as the country’s strategic location to answer the supply requirements of southern Africa.
“We take a long-term view to our entry into any market and anticipate the future growth of these emerging markets. In Mozambique, we have invested in state-of-the-art fuel and bitumen infrastructure and storage facilities. This improves security of supply and acts as a catalyst for economic growth,” Zyde said.
