The Dangote oil refinery entered the test phase in December 2023 after its inauguration in May. In recent weeks, stakeholders have been actively preparing the refinery for actual operation.
In Nigeria, the Dangote oil refinery, a project spearheaded by businessman Aliko Dangote, officially came on stream on Saturday January 13. The oil mega-infrastructure, with a capacity of 650,000 b/d, now produces diesel and aviation fuel.
This is an important milestone for Nigeria, which until now has depended on imports of petroleum products to cover its fuel needs, and is now moving towards energy self-sufficiency through local processing of its oil production.
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With this in mind, the commercial arm of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company (NNPC Ltd) and the Dangote Group have signed an agreement to supply the facility from domestic crude resources.
From an operational point of view, the Dangote oil refinery has the operational versatility to process various grades of black gold, including light Arabian crude from Saudi Arabia.
In addition to the commissioning of this strategic oil facility for Nigeria, which cost some $18.5 billion, the country is currently rehabilitating four other refineries, including the Port-Harcourt refinery.