Mozambique, Zimbabwe Break Ground on Major Fuel Pipeline Expansion

BEIRA, Mozambique — Mozambique and Zimbabwe have broken ground on a major expansion of the Beira-Feruka fuel pipeline, a project expected to increase fuel transportation capacity by 67 percent and strengthen energy security across Southern Africa.

Mozambican President Daniel Chapo and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa presided over the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, marking another major infrastructure project linking the two neighbouring countries.

The expansion of the Companhia do Pipeline Moçambique-Zimbabwe (CPMZ) pipeline is expected to increase annual transportation capacity from three million to five million cubic metres by the end of 2027.

The additional capacity will allow an estimated two billion more litres of fuel to be transported annually from the Port of Beira into Zimbabwe and other landlocked markets in the region.

The corridor supplies refined petroleum products, including diesel, petrol and jet fuel, and is strategically important to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Chapo said the project would strengthen Mozambique's position as a gateway to the Southern African hinterland while deepening economic cooperation with Zimbabwe.

“The expansion of the CPMZ pipeline is an important investment in Mozambique’s infrastructure and in the energy security of our region,” Chapo said.

President Mnangagwa said the expanded corridor would strengthen Zimbabwe's energy security while increasing the country's capacity to serve markets beyond its borders.

“The stronger Beira-Harare corridor will support Zimbabwe’s energy security while creating greater capacity to serve markets beyond our borders. It shows what Mozambique and Zimbabwe can achieve through cooperation around infrastructure of shared regional importance.”

A partnership rooted in history

The latest infrastructure project builds on a relationship between Mozambique and Zimbabwe that stretches beyond modern economic cooperation.

The two countries share deep historical ties forged during the liberation struggles against Portuguese colonial rule in Mozambique and British colonial rule in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.

During the liberation wars of the 1960s and 1970s, Mozambique became an important rear base for Zimbabwean nationalists fighting against white minority rule in Rhodesia.

After Mozambique gained independence in 1975, the country continued to support Zimbabwe's liberation struggle until independence in 1980.

The relationship was further strengthened after independence, with the two countries developing economic, transport and energy links that remain critical to Zimbabwe as a landlocked country.

The Beira Corridor is one of the most important manifestations of those ties, providing Zimbabwe with a direct connection to the Indian Ocean through Mozambique's Port of Beira.

The CPMZ pipeline, which has operated since 1982, forms a key component of this corridor by transporting petroleum products from Beira to Feruka in Zimbabwe.

Expansion to support rising demand

Two new pumping stations will be constructed at Nhamatanda in Sofala Province and Messica in Manica Province as part of the current expansion.

The project is being coordinated with the planned expansion of the Petrozim Line between Feruka and Harare, creating a higher-capacity fuel route from the Mozambican coast into Zimbabwe's interior.

CPMZ completed its previous expansion in 2024, raising annual capacity from two million to three million cubic metres.

The company said construction and commissioning of the latest project would be carried out without interrupting existing pipeline operations or fuel supplies.

CPMZ chairman António Laice said the expansion would add capacity to one of the region's most important fuel routes while supporting trade and industrial activity.

“This project adds substantial capacity to one of the region’s most important fuel routes without disrupting the supplies on which countries and businesses rely every day,” Laice said.

Bigger regional ambitions

The two new pumping stations form part of a longer-term strategy to prepare the corridor for growing regional fuel demand.

Preliminary studies are already examining the possibility of replacing the existing pipeline with a larger-diameter line capable of transporting approximately 12 million cubic metres of fuel annually.

Additional reporting from Club of Mozambique.