The refining activity is carried out by the Ivorian Refining Company (SIR), which also holds the monopoly on the importation of crude oil. The country has an atypical oil profile, as it is a net importer of crude oil and a net exporter of refined products. Côte d'Ivoire exports part of its production of refined petroleum products to the hinterland (Mali, Burkina Faso) and by sea (Export Mer), mainly to Nigeria.

 

• Production and Consumption

In 2022, crude oil purchases amounted to 2,713,753 tons for a processing of 4,272,728 tons, compared to 3,917,313 tons in 2021, representing an increase of 9%. Sales of petroleum products by the Ivorian Refining Company (SIR) reached 4,347,197 tons, an increase of 10.38% compared to 2021 (3,938,462 tons). This increase was due to the significant rise in the prices of white products since the onset of the Russia/Ukraine war.

During the period from 2016 to 2022, sales of petroleum products showed an average annual growth of 6%.

In 2022, the domestic market accounted for 64% of SIR's sales, followed by exports to Mali (21%), Export Mer markets (9%), and sales to Burkina Faso (6%).

National consumption of liquid petroleum products increased from 1,589,194 m³ at 15°C in 2015 to 3,055,074 m³ at 15°C in 2022, representing an average annual growth of 9.8%.

 

Source: Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Annual Report of the General Directorate of Hydrocarbons (DGH)

 

The national consumption of butane gas has experienced an average annual growth of 13.4%, increasing from 241,887 metric tons (TM) in 2015 to 573,774 TM in 2022.

 

National consumption of butane gas in metric tons (TM) from 2015 to 2022

Indicators	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Total butane gas	241,887	268,884	319,473	372,095	393,220	443,991	514,444	573,774
Butane gas in B6	136,990	169,349	209,968	264,152	289,547	339,184	397,313	459,055
Butane gas in B12	60,636	59,956	61,595	63,114	60,203	59,465	56,980	55,670

Source: Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, DGH Annual Report

 

• Storage

The storage and transportation activities are the responsibility of the Petroleum Stock Management Company in Côte d'Ivoire (GESTOCI), which is a mixed-economy company owned by the state and private companies that distribute petroleum products. The storage capacity for petroleum products in 2022 was 453,097 m³, of which nearly 84.57% was held by GESTOCI.

The total storage capacity for butane gas in Côte d'Ivoire was 26,957 metric tons in 2022, which is approximately seventeen (17) days of national consumption.

 

• Transport

The transportation of petroleum products is primarily ensured by a fleet of about 3,540 tanker trucks and by a 385 km pipeline from Abidjan to Bouaké for supplying delivery depots, with the Abidjan-Yamoussoukro section, which is 258 km long, in operation since July 2013.

In 2022, a volume of 1,815,748,019 liters of products at ambient temperature was transported via the pipeline, compared to 616,433,829 liters in 2017, representing an average annual growth of 24.12%. The export of petroleum products transported by pipeline accounts for 40.4% of the volume transported by pipeline.

 

• Distribution

Distribution activities within the national territory are subject to free competition. More than forty players operate in this segment, with the main ones being Vivo Energy, TOTAL Energies, Ola Energy, Star Oil, Petro-Ivoire, and Corlay, representing 57% of the national network of 1,285 existing service stations in 2021.

 

• Prices

The prices of petroleum products at the national level are mostly regulated through the automatic price adjustment mechanism for petroleum products established by the Government. According to this mechanism, the prices of petroleum products in the domestic market reflect fluctuations in global crude oil prices.

Furthermore, to ensure price uniformity for petroleum products across the entire territory, a transport equalization system has been established. The resources related to this equalization are collected and managed by GESTOCI.