Anticipating the arrival of its fifth and sixth crude oil shipments from Nigerian oil producers, the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company, the world’s largest single-train refinery, has disclosed that the deliveries are expected between January 3 and January 6, barring any unexpected setbacks.
On Monday, the company announced receipt of the fourth one million barrels of crude cargo of Bonny Light grade from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
However, with four crude cargoes of a combined four million barrels now successfully supplied, Dangote Group is now some inches away from starting refining operations at its 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Lagos-based refinery.
The now-awaited two consignments of one million barrels of crude each would be the last to be delivered to the Dangote facility out of the six million barrels of crude expected by the Aliko Dangote-owned refinery.
The $20 billion refinery located within the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, had earlier received three million barrels of crude from three different consignments of one million barrels each.
Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Mr. Akin Omole, had told journalists then, at the Dangote Quay, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, that the refinery would receive about four million crude shipments before the end of 2023 and the remaining two by the early of January 2024. He said the crude supply would put the refinery in good stead to commence operation.
Once the six million barrels are fully delivered, it will facilitate the initial run of the refinery as well as kick-start the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) before subsequently progressing to the production of petrol.
According to the company, the latest development would play a pivotal role in alleviating the fuel supply challenges faced by Nigeria as well as the West African countries.
Designed for 100 percent Nigerian crude with the flexibility to process other crudes, the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery can process most African crude grades as well as Middle Eastern Arab Light and even US Light tight oil, as well as crude from other countries.
The refinery promoters said the facility has the capacity to meet 100 percent of Nigeria’s requirement of all refined products—gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jets—and also has a surplus of each of these products for export.
The refinery was built to take crude through its two single-point moorings (SPMs) located 25 kilometres from the shore and to discharge petroleum products through three separate SPMs. In addition, the refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries.
Dangote Refinery has a self-sufficient marine facility with the ability to handle the largest vessel globally available. In addition, all products from the refinery would conform to Euro V specifications.
The refinery was designed to comply with US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission and effluent norms, as well as African Refiners and Distribution Association (ARDA) standards.
While receiving the first consignment, the President of Dangote Group, Mr. Aliko Dangote, stated, “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country, as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. Over the upcoming months, we aim to maximise the refinery’s capacity, focusing on reaching its full potential. I eagerly anticipate achieving the next noteworthy milestone as we supply the initial batch of products to the Nigerian market.”
