Business

MBABANE – The ongoing construction of the Phuzumoya Strategic Oil Reserve Facility (SORF) is opening another major wave of lucrative opportunities for local and international businesses.

This follows the release of a fresh consultancy tender by the Eswatini National Petroleum Company (ENPC). The latest development marks another important milestone in one of Eswatini’s largest and most strategic infrastructure investments, a project expected to transform the country’s fuel security, stimulate economic activity and strengthen national resilience against global fuel supply disruptions.

ENPC recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the provision of technical consultancy services for the construction of the Strategic Oil Reserve Facility located at Phuzumoya in the Lubombo Region.

The consultancy procurement process comes as construction activities are already underway on the multi-billion-Emalangeni project, which officially commenced in January 2026 and is expected to continue until the end of 2028.

According to details contained in the tender documents, the Strategic Oil Reserve Facility will have a total fuel storage capacity of 80 million litres. The facility will comprise four 10-million-litre diesel tanks and four 10-million-litre unleaded petrol tanks.

The SORF will also include sophisticated fuel-handling infrastructure to support both rail and road transportation of petroleum products.

Fuel will be delivered to the facility through rail and road transport systems, prompting the construction of loading and off-loading gantries together with a dedicated rail siding.

The integrated transport and storage infrastructure is expected to improve fuel handling efficiency, while reducing supply bottlenecks and logistical vulnerabilities.

The facility is designed to provide strategic fuel reserves capable of sustaining Eswatini for up to 60 days based on the country’s average monthly demand of approximately 30 million litres.

The storage tanks will also accommodate commercial stocks for fuel wholesalers operating in Eswatini together with ullage for ENPC’s own trading stocks.

The massive infrastructure project is being financed and constructed through bilateral cooperation between Eswatini and Taiwan.

Estimated at approximately E7 billion, or about US$380 million, the project has been described as the largest bilateral cooperation initiative between the two countries.

The scale of the investment highlights the growing strategic economic relationship between Eswatini and Taiwan, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development, industrial cooperation and economic modernisation.

The facility is expected to secure fuel reserves lasting between 60 days and three months, significantly improving the country’s preparedness against external fuel supply shocks.

The newly issued consultancy tender is expected to attract considerable interest from local and international engineering and project management firms.

According to the tender documents, the objective of the assignment is to support ENPC in providing oversight and quality assurance during the execution of the construction of the Strategic Oil Reserve Facility.

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King Mswati III recently unveiled a 3D model of Eswatini’s upcoming Strategic Oil Reserve Facility. The latest developments to the project is that ENPC recently issued request for proposals for the provision of technical consultancy services. (File pics)