The Mozambican oil pipeline operator CPMZ has officially launched a project to expand the capacity of its 294 km (around 183-mile) CPMZ pipeline connecting Mozambique with landlocked Zimbabwe by approximately two-thirds, in response to rising regional demand for diesel, petrol and jet fuel (CPMZ press release, 02/09/2026). The project is set to raise the CPMZ pipeline’s annual transport capacity from 3 mcm/year to 5 mcm/year by the end of 2027, helping meet increasing fuel demand in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and broader regional markets.
“The new pumping stations will be constructed at Nhamatanda in Sofala Province and Messica in Manica Province. The project is being synchronised with the planned expansion of the Petrozim Line between Feruka and Harare in Zimbabwe, creating an aligned, higher-capacity route from the Mozambican coast into the Southern African hinterland” said the company’s press release.
The two new pumping stations are part of a longer-term strategy aimed at preparing the corridor for continued growth in regional fuel consumption. Preliminary studies are underway to examine the replacement of the existing pipeline with a larger-diameter line, potentially lifting annual capacity to approximately 12 mcm/year and meeting projected demand through 2050. At the same time, a potential extension of the Harare-Lusaka route into Zambia’s Copperbelt is also under consideration.
According to the company, these longer-term developments would contribute to the integration of regional fuel infrastructure and facilitate the transport of essential energy products between coastal and landlocked Southern African markets. The latest expansion follows CPMZ’s previous capacity upgrade, completed in 2024, which increased the pipeline’s annual capacity from 2 mcm/year to 3 mcm/year.