Nigeria’s Dangote oil refinery, Africa’s largest, is poised to reach full operational capacity within the next 30 days, according to the refinery’s head, Edwin Devakumar.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day facility, built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos, began processing crude into diesel, naphtha, and jet fuel in January last year and commenced petrol production in September. Despite its ambition to rival European refiners, the refinery has faced hurdles in securing sufficient local crude.
Devakumar stated that the refinery is currently running at 85% capacity and is set to reach 100% within a month.
Last year, the refinery resorted to importing crude due to challenges in securing adequate volumes locally, despite an agreement with the Nigerian government to purchase crude in naira. For the first half of this year, it has requested 550,000 barrels per day from Nigerian oil producers. The oil regulator has warned that export permits for oil cargoes will be blocked if producers fail to meet their local supply obligations.
Meanwhile, the Dangote Oil Refinery is actively seeking new markets for its refined products. Aliko Dangote recently revealed that the refinery had exported two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco as part of its expansion strategy. “We are looking at all the markets right now,” Devakumar confirmed.
Source: Swifteradio.com
