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Sub-Saharan Africa Refinery Project

The reduction of sulphur in motor fuels is likely to be achieved by refineries in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2020, reveals a recently concluded study by the Sub-Saharan Africa Refinery Project.

 

The ESMAP-funded study conducted is two pronged.  The Health Study aimed to estimate the change in air emissions associated with improved transportation fuel specifications.  It also sought to analyze the impact of the change on human health, and to estimate the health benefits in economic terms. 
 

Meanwhile, the Refinery Sector Study outlined the upgrades necessary in the African refining sector to respond to global market and clean fuels trends.  The study clarified the associated costs in terms of both refining investments and impacts on delivered cost of gasoline and diesel products in SSA.

 

The Africa Refinery project was commissioned in 2008 to examine the current and future situation of the SSA refining sector.  “This project was prompted by the rapid economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade, which has caused greater urbanization and vehicle use along with increased air pollution and its associated health impacts, particularly among the urban poor,” ESMAP’s Program Manager, Amarquaye Armar said.

 

The World Bank’s Principal Petroleum Economist Eleodoro Mayorga Alba, is optimistic that sulphur content will be reduced in motor fuels in SSA.  This optimism stems from a similar Clean Air Initiative led by African refineries that saw the removal of lead from the gasoline produced by African oil refineries about a decade ago. 

 

“While the elimination of lead allows the use of catalytic converters in vehicle exhaust systems to reduce emissions, the reduction of sulphur in the fuels will reduce sulphur dioxide (SOx) and particulate emissions,” said Alba.  It will also assist the modernization of the vehicles fleet and the optimal functioning of catalytic converters.” Mayorga Alba is also the Task Team Leader of the Sub-Saharan Africa Refinery Project.