Republic of Congo hydrocarbons minister Stev Simplice Onanga inaugurated the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicle-fuelling station in Pointe-Noire on September 19. The Agence Congolaise d’information (ACI) reported on September 24 that the facility was built by Southerpec Group and its subsidiaries Wing Wah and SCI. The 6,560-square-metre site lies on the route used by heavy vehicles leaving the Autonomous Port of Pointe-Noire. It supplies LNG as well as diesel and petrol. The opening adds infrastructure for LNG to be used as a road-transport fuel as well as an export commodity. ACI reported that the station was inaugurated, but its article did not give daily sales volumes or the number of regular customers.

The reported storage capacity is 120 cubic metres of LNG, about 46 tonnes; 120 cubic metres of diesel, about 96 tonnes; and 40 cubic metres of petrol, about 28 tonnes. ACI said the station has 16 dispensers, can refuel 14 vehicles at once and can complete an LNG filling in less than four minutes. These are facility specifications, not evidence of actual throughput, cost savings or emissions reductions. The minister presented the opening as part of the government’s policy to develop the country’s gas resources, while a company executive described the infrastructure as a contribution to a more diversified energy system. The report gave no LNG price, expected vehicle uptake or timetable for other stations, so one facility does not establish a nationwide transport shift.