Wing Wah (oil company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Oil and gas industry |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Xiao Liangping |
| Headquarters | Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo |
Key people | Xiao Liangping |
| Products | Petroleum products (crude oil; liquefied natural gas; liquefied petroleum gas; natural gas condensate) |
Number of employees | 3000+ (2025) |
| Parent | Southernpec |
Wing Wah (Chinese: 永华; pinyin: yǒng huá), formally Wing Wah Exploration & Production Pétrolière SAU, founded in 2015, is a Chinese company operating in the Republic of the Congo, active in the upstream oil sector as well as in associated gas processing and commercialization. It is the Congolese subsidiary of the Chinese group Southernpec. It holds three production licenses—Banga Kayo, Cayo and Holmoni—in which it owns 85% stakes, with the remaining 15% held by the congolese national oil company, Société nationale des pétroles du Congo.
Overview
Establishment
Founded in 2015,[1][2] Wing Wah is a Chinese company established in the Republic of the Congo, specializing in upstream oil activities, including exploration, production and marketing of crude oil, as well as the valorization of associated gas.[2][3] It is the Congolese subsidiary of the Chinese group Southernpec,[4] which is active in maritime transport of petroleum products and in the management of oil assets internationally.[5][6]
Organization
Wing Wah is led by Xiao Liangping, its founder and chairman.[2][3] The company operates as a local subsidiary integrated into the Southernpec group and works closely with the SNPC for project management and gas valorization. It employs more than 3,000 local workers and develops training programs and infrastructure in operating areas.[7]
Operations and licenses
Since its establishment, Wing Wah has entered into agreements with the Government of the Republic of the Congo and the SNPC for the operation of several strategic production licenses.[3]
Wing Wah holds three production licenses—Banga Kayo, Cayo and Holmoni—in which it owns 85% stakes, with SNPC holding the remaining 15%. These licenses cover strategic onshore oil production areas and include several oil fields and associated infrastructure.[8][3][9]
The Banga Kayo license constitutes Wing Wah's main project in the Republic of the Congo, including several producing wells and facilities for the collection and processing of oil and associated gas.[4] The Kayo and Holmoni licenses are under development.[10]
Production
As of November 2025, Wing Wah produces approximately 58,000 barrels per day,[4] making it the fourth-largest operator in the Republic of the Congo, behind TotalEnergies EP Congo (115,000 in 2024),[11] Eni Congio and Perenco Congo (80,000 in 2025).[12]
Associated gas processing plant
Wing Wah built an associated gas processing plant, inaugurated in November 2025 in the presence of the President of the Republic.[4] This facility enables the transformation of gas into marketable products (natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, etc.) and contributes to the national strategy to reduce flaring while supporting local energy and industrial development.[13][7] According to Vice President Li Jinqiang, the plant can process up to 5 million cubic meters of associated gas per day, producing approximately 219,000 tonnes of propane, 151,000 tonnes of butane, 88,000 tonnes of condensates and 250,000 tonnes of LNG annually, as well as a significant volume of dry gas.[4][14] This butane production capacity far exceeds current national consumption, estimated at 50,000 tonnes per year, and could cover the country's entire needs.[15]
Outlook
With national production estimated at 300,000 barrels per day in 2023, the Republic of the Congo aims to reach 500,000 barrels per day by 2030.[16][4][17] In this context, in August 2025, Wing Wah signed a $23 billion oil and gas agreement with the Congolese state covering the development of the Banga Kayo, Holmoni and Cayo licenses. The objective for these three licenses is to reach a combined production of 200,000 barrels per day by 2030 and 1.3 million barrels per day by 2050, representing a major contribution to the national target.[7][18][19] The project is expected to generate 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.[4]
Also in August 2025, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Airtel Congo to deploy a private telecom network at the Banga Kayo oil site. This five-year agreement represents a major step forward for industrial telecommunications in Central Africa.[20]
References
- ^ "VISITE DE LA BASE VIE DE LA SOCIETE WING WAH". La Nouvelle République (in French). 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ a b c "Coopération : la compagnie Wing Wah veut appuyer le Congo dans plusieurs domaines". www.adiac-congo.com (in French). 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ a b c d "Wing Wah". oilgascongo.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Hydrocarbures : le chef de l'Etat inaugure l'usine de valorisation du gaz associé". www.adiac-congo.com (in French). 2025-11-18. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Southernpec Corp - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Southernpec buys 2nd VLCC to lift fuel oil business". Reuters. 15 January 2010.
- ^ a b c Nhede, Nicolas (2025-09-03). "Congo, Wing Wah Sign $23B Hydrocarbon Deal to boost Congo's Oil Output and Increase Local Content - African Energy Chamber". energychamber.org. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ "Le Chinois Wing Wah opérateur à 85% du champ pétrolier de Banga Kayo". Vox Congo (in French). 2016-07-29. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "CONGO • China's Wing Wah finally gets the go-ahead - 04/10/2016 - Africa Energy Intelligence". Africa Intelligence. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ^ "Congo signs $23 billion hydrocarbon deal with China's Wing Wah". worldoil.com. 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Hydrocarbures : TotalEnergies prévoit d'augmenter sa production pétrolière au Congo". www.adiac-congo.com. 2024-09-02. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Congo : Eni et Perenco soutiennent l'objectif de production de 500 000 bep/j en 2030". Agence Ecofin (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Inauguration de l'usine de valorisation du gaz associé - WING WAH". Groupe SNPC (in French). November 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Congo: Le chinois Wing Wah et la SNPC inaugurent un méga-complexe dédié au traitement du gaz". sikafinance.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Congo-Brazzaville : avec le début de la production de gaz, les Congolais espèrent que leurs factures vont baisser". RFI (in French). 2025-12-15. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Congo-Brazzaville : amendement au contrat de partage de production concernant le site pétrolier onshore banga kayo". Agence Ecofin (in French). 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ K.Sow, Idriss (2025-12-04). "Le Congo-Brazzaville accélère sa transformation en hub gazier régional avec des investissements records". Afrik (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Congo accelerates upstream expansion as LNG Phase 2 comes online". www.worldoil.com. 2025-12-04. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "L'expansion en amont du Congo annonce une nouvelle ère pour l'avenir énergétique de l'Afrique centrale". Alwihda Info - Actualités TCHAD, Afrique, International (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ "Airtel Congo et Wing Wah s'allient pour déployer le premier réseau télécom privé au Congo-Brazzaville". Agence Ecofin (in French). 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2025-12-05.