Petroleum Refinery Construction Permit Fees

Before ground is broken on a petroleum refinery in Kenya, the project proponent must secure a construction permit from EPRA. This permit confirms that the proposed refinery's design, siting, and safety provisions meet the standards required under the Energy Act, 2019, and related downstream petroleum regulations, and it is a precondition for any subsequent refinery operating licence.

Fee Summary Table

Item	Fee / Charge
Refinery construction permit application fee	None — EPRA charges no fee for petroleum construction permits
Application review timeline	Within 45 calendar days of a complete application
Permit validity to commence works	24 months from date of issuance
Application channel	EPRA Online Services Portal

Source: EPRA's published petroleum licences and permits application guides.

What You Need

Detailed refinery process design and layout drawings
Site ownership or lease documentation
A NEMA EIA licence, given the scale of environmental impact a refinery presents
Fire safety and KEBS-compliant equipment specifications
Company registration documents and tax compliance certificate

Practical Notes

Refinery projects are capital-intensive and technically complex, so while the EPRA permit fee is zero, expect significant spend on the supporting environmental, engineering, and county-level approvals that run in parallel. EPRA evaluates the permit on technical merit and documentation completeness rather than on payment, so a well-prepared application moves faster than an incomplete one regardless of the fee-free status.

A refinery construction permit costs nothing to apply for, but it sits at the end of a long documentation trail. Treat the 45-day EPRA review window as your fastest milestone and plan your environmental and engineering approvals as the real critical path for project cost and timing.

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