South Africa’s Central Energy Fund plans to rebuild the Sapref refinery south of Durban, targeting throughput of 400,000 barrels daily. The facility was idled after 2022 floods in Kwa Zulu-Natal province damaged the plant. The initiative aims to triple local processing capacity and reduce dependence on fuel imports.

The Central Energy Fund outlined the revival strategy in a statement Wednesday. Smoke once billowed from Sapref in 2011, marking its operational history before the natural disaster halted production.