Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery — the world’s largest single-train refinery — has reached its full nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), a landmark achievement that could fundamentally reshape Africa’s downstream energy sector and end Nigeria’s decades-long reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
The company confirmed Wednesday that its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) production block — comprising a naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit and reformer — are now running at optimal performance. To validate this milestone, the refinery has launched an intensive 72-hour series of performance test runs in collaboration with technology licensor UOP, designed to confirm that all critical operational parameters meet global standards.
Chief Executive David Bird declared the achievement a triumph of engineering and operational precision. “Our teams have demonstrated exceptional expertise in stabilising both the CDU and MS Block, and we are pleased to see them functioning at optimal efficiency,” he said. “This milestone underscores the strength, reliability and engineering quality that define our operations.”
Bird confirmed that all remaining processing units are scheduled to begin Phase 2 performance test runs in the coming week, signalling the near-complete technical validation of the entire $20 billion facility. During the recent festive season, the refinery supplied between 45 and 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily. With the CDU and MS Block now fully restored, it is positioned to deliver up to 75 million litres of PMS to the domestic market daily.
The refinery’s ambitions do not stop at 650,000 bpd. In July last year, the facility announced a strategic upgrade aimed at increasing capacity to 700,000 bpd by the end of 2025. More strikingly, Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote has signalled in an interview with S&P Global that the group is considering a longer-term expansion that could potentially double capacity to 1.4 million bpd — a move that would make it the largest refinery in the world. Operating at full capacity, the Dangote refinery is poised to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on fuel imports, strengthen domestic supply security, and potentially reposition the country as a net exporter of petroleum products to the African continent.
SOURCE: premiumtimesng.com | angolanminingoilandgas.com