New Gas Project Helps Close Ethiopia's Gap in gasoline, Diesel & LPG: GCL Chairman

Addis Ababa, October 3, 2025 (ENA) -- Ethiopia’s New Gas Project will help close the country's gap in gasoline, diesel, and LPG, reduce reliance on fuel imports, and accelerate the country's industrial transformation, Zhu Gongshan, Chairman of   Golden Concord Group Limited (GCL Group), said.

Ethiopia is stepping towards energy self-sufficiency as China's Golden Concord Group Limited (GCL) launched the first phase of its gas project and broke ground on the transformative Gode Refinery.

The ceremony in the Somali Region drew Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and African industrialist Aliko Dangote, underscoring the project's continental significance and marking a major milestone in China-Ethiopia strategic cooperation.

Scheduled for completion by end-2027, the facility is engineered to address Ethiopia's critical fuel import dependency while accelerating industrial transformation.

In his inaugural speech,   the GCL Chairman Zhu Gongshan said the project ''will help close Ethiopia's gap in gasoline, diesel, and LPG, reduce reliance on fuel imports, and accelerate the country's industrial transformation. Most importantly, it will help realize Prime Minister Abiy's great vision of energy independence, industrial prosperity, and better livelihoods.’’

 

According to him, GCL will live up to the trust and expectations of the Ethiopian government.

‘‘We will draw on our full industrial chain advantages, our strong technology, talent, and resources to manage this project to the highest standards, with the best quality, the fastest pace, and the most efficient cost.’’

The centerpiece Gode Refinery, designed with a 3.5 million ton annual capacity, represents what the Chairman described as "one of the largest energy projects in Africa under the Belt and Road Initiative."

The Chairman framed the refinery as establishing a new continental standard, promising to "build this refinery into a new highlight, a new model, and a new benchmark of China-Ethiopia energy cooperation."

The project aims to help realize what he termed "Prime Minister Abiy's great vision of energy independence, industrial prosperity, and better livelihoods."

The investment, which GCL positioned as a meaningful gift marking 55 years of China-Ethiopia diplomatic relations, signals Ethiopia's bold push to convert its vast Ogaden Basin hydrocarbon reserves into long-term national wealth and energy security.