Senegal's SAR is Building a Refinery That Could Redefine West African Downstream
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Senegal's national refiner, the Société Africaine de Raffinage (SAR), is pressing ahead with one of West Africa's most ambitious downstream projects: a second refinery that would bring an additional 4 million tons of annual capacity online and push total national throughput beyond 5.5 million tons per year. Construction on the SAR 2.0 project, estimated at $2-5 billion, is expected to begin around 2026, with commissioning targeted for 2029 and feedstock drawn primarily from the Sangomar offshore field.
The strategic value behind the expansion became clear in February 2025, when SAR ran 650,000 barrels of domestic Sangomar crude through its refinery for the first time, producing around 90,000 tons of combined diesel, kerosene and gasoline output. That milestone demonstrated that Senegal's emerging upstream production and its refining infrastructure can be integrated, a prerequisite for the country's goal of full petroleum product self-sufficiency by 2029. SAR is in active financing talks with potential partners from China, Turkey and South Korea, as well as the African Export-Import Bank, with a public-private partnership model among the structures being evaluated.
Digital Infrastructure Is Being Built in Parallel
At MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025 in Dakar last December, SAR unveiled its 2025-2027 digital transformation roadmap as a foundation for the SAR 2.0 expansion. Idrissa Cissé, SAR's Director of Information Systems, Digital Transformation and Innovation, outlined plans to deploy internet connected sensors across critical assets, build out cybersecurity architecture and develop digital twins for simulation and scenario planning. AI-assisted optimization and predictive maintenance are also embedded in the program.
The roadmap is structured to run concurrently with SAR 2.0 pre-construction work, with the aim of bringing mature digital systems to the new refinery at commissioning rather than integrating them after the fact. “SAR’s digital transformation is deeply engrained with national strategic priorities, positioning us as a key contributor to Senegal’s technological future,” Cissé stated.
MSGBC 2026 Will Advance the Investment Conversation
With SAR 2.0 moving toward a financing decision and construction start, the downstream investment case for Senegal is maturing rapidly. MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, taking place December 1-3 in Dakar, will provide investors and industry leaders the platform to assess where capital fits in the region's refining buildout. Downstream project finance, energy security strategy and the role of digital infrastructure in de-risking large-scale assets are all expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
Explore opportunities, foster partnerships and stay at the forefront of the MSGBC region’s oil, gas and power sector. Visit www.msgbcoilgasandpower.com to secure your participation at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 conference. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.