This project origin was the need to aggregate value to the acidic heavy crude and from it produce high quality transportation fuel. As well as to reduce import of oil products like gasoline and diesel. The other two purposes of SonaRef are to control 50% of regional market and to increase exportation to international markets.

As an implementation strategy, the project chronogram involves the lauch of engeneering activities in 2007 beginning construction works in 2008, high geared construction in 2009 and oil refining at SonaRef to start in 2012.

SonaRef will occupy an area of aproximately 150 hectares, located about 8 km north of Lobito, Benguela. Its facilities will be equiped with groundbreaking technology which, in order to ensure reliability and safety complies to the industry's international certification standards. The plant will be self-sufficient with regards to energy and water supply.

The raw material for SonaRef will be the crude explored from onshore or offshore blocks that will be carried by oil tankers to a bridged platform located eastward of Lobito's bay and from there transfered to the refinery by pipelines.

With capacity to process 200,000 bpd of crude, SonaRef will produce unleaded gasoline, diesel, jet fuel (Jet1), illuminant oil, LPG and limited quantities of sulfur and oil coke.The specifications of the products processed will match those of the export target markets which include Europe and the USA.

The refinery will aim to process about 200 thousand barrels per day of heavy oil, using acid Angolan branches (high percentage of TAN) and heavy; this refinery will be of high conversion using testified international hi-tech which products features will match used on national and even international markets, which are: gasoline, diesel oil, plane fuel, petroleum and in limited quantities LPG, sulfur and shell.