SCDP launches three new facilities to boost petroleum storage, supply security.

The inauguration ceremony was presided by the Minister of Water and Energy Resources, Gaston Eloundou Essomba.

According to Minister Eloundou Essomba, the investments are part of a broader strategy to modernise Cameroon’s petroleum logistics infrastructure, improve the reliability of supplies and build greater resilience into the national energy system.

He said the objective is to move the country away from simply managing petroleum flows towards a system based on anticipation, resilience and energy sovereignty.

Theinvestments come against the backdrop of the shutdown of production activities at the National Refining Company, SONARA, in 2019, which has left the country largely dependent on imports of finished petroleum products.

According to the minister, the situation has increased pressure on the country’s port and storage infrastructure, making greater reception and storage capacity increasingly important.

“Industrialisation cannot be sustained without available energy, reliable supply chains and infrastructure capable of accompanying the growing needs of the economy and households,” the minister said.

Against this backdrop, the government, through SCDP, has embarked on a programme aimed at increasing storage capacity and improving the efficiency of the petroleum logistics chain.

Bonabéri LPG capacity rises by 40 percent

One of the most significant facilities inaugurated is the new LPG storage sphere at the SCDP Bonabéri depot. With an exploitable capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes, the new sphere has raised SCDP’s LPG storage capacity at the site from 2,500 to 3,500 metric tonnes, representing a 40 percent increase.

The additional capacity is expected to provide greater flexibility in managing LPG supplies, reduce the risk of shortages and limit the need for emergency imports. 

Another 1,000-tonne sphere is nearing completion, while work on a third facility of the same capacity is expected to begin before the end of 2026. Once completed, the depot’s total LPG storage capacity will reach 5,500 tonnes.

The minister said the expansion is particularly important given rising national consumption of domestic gas. 

The Director General of SCDP, Véronique Manzoua Epse Moampea Mbio, in her speech, said the sphere was received in November 2024 and commissioned in February 2025 following the required regulatory tests.

New pipeline to handle some 23 vessels monthly

The second major infrastructure is a roughly four-kilometre, 10-inch pipeline connecting the port facilities of the Port Authority of Douala to the SCDP depot at Bessengué.

The new line is expected to significantly improve the reception and transfer of imported petroleum products. With the additional pipeline, monthly reception capacity is projected to rise from about 210,000 cubic metres to nearly 345,000 cubic metres, equivalent to an increase from approximately 14 vessels to 23 vessels per month.

According to the minister, the facility will also cut some transfer times by more than eight hours and substantially reduce demurrage costs associated with vessel unloading. 

SCDP management said the pipeline will provide greater flexibility in reception operations, allow increased volumes to be handled and facilitate simultaneous operations. It is also expected to reduce vessel waiting time and lower demurrage on petroleum imports.

New headquarters to modernise SCDP operations

Moving to the Headquarters at Agip Roundabout, where the third facility inaugurated is SCDP’s new headquarters. Built on an approximately 740-square-metre footprint, the four-level building provides about 1,600 square metres of floor space.

The facility includes meeting rooms, a boardroom, a crisis-management room, a server room, a multipurpose hall with a capacity of about 200 people and external green spaces.

Commenting on the architectural jewelry, the SCDP boss stated that, construction began in March 2023 and was completed in December 2025.

The new headquarters, she said, provides improved working conditions for employees, better reception facilities for users and additional space to accommodate the company’s growing workforce.

At Bélabo, a new 5,000-cubic-metre diesel tank entered service in August 2026, increasing storage capacity at the depot by nearly 92 percent. Storage capacity is also being expanded in Ngaoundéré to improve the security of supplies to the northern regions and support regional integration.

At Bonabéri, the government plans to transform the depot into a sub-regional hub, with additional LPG facilities expected to increase daily truck-loading capacity. 

The SCDP DG also outlined ongoing projects, including additional storage infrastructure for super petrol, gasoil and LPG at several depots. At the heart of the government’s strategy is the ambition to increase the country’s petroleum security stocks.

Kribi terminal emerges as strategic priority

The government’s long-term answer to the storage challenge extends beyond Douala and other existing depots. Particular attention is being given to the planned hydrocarbons terminal at Kribi, which is expected to provide a new strategic reception and storage hub in the country’s deep-water port area.

According to the SCDP DG, the project is designed to provide capacity for about 140,000 cubic metres of white petroleum products in the industrial-port area of Kribi.

Douala City Council backs strategic investment

Speaking on behalf of the Douala City Mayor, Second Deputy City Mayor, Dr Roger Njitchoua, said the investments were important not only for SCDP but also for the economic life of Cameroon’s economic capital.

The modernisation of SCDP facilities, he noted, will contribute to creating better conditions for companies to produce, invest and create jobs.

SCDP warns against fraudulent activities

While celebrating the new investments, SCDP management also used the occasion to draw attention to challenges that could undermine the company’s operations.

Moampea Mbio warned of what she described as fraudulent activities involving the handling of petroleum products around depots and in the immediate vicinity of SCDP installations.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3889 of Tuesday August 25, 2026