Construction of a new $1.55-billion, 550-kilometer multiproduct fuel pipeline linking landlocked Ethiopia and coastal Djibouti is set to commence next year. The two-year project will be supported by New York-based Blackstone Group LP-backed Black Rhino Group and Johannesburg-based Mining, Oil & Gas Services, a Royal Bafokeng Holdings subsidiary.
Both countries approved the project, also known as Horn of Africa pipeline (HOAP), in October. Joint-venture developer BRM HOAP Holdings anticipates a financial close next year and the the pipeline to come online in 2018.