Dangote Refinery to Start Diesel and Aviation Fuel Production in 2024

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, a $20 billion project that aims to be the largest in Africa, has announced that it will begin producing diesel and aviation fuel in January 2024. The refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, was inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023.

However, the refinery will delay the production of petrol until it secures enough crude oil supply. The facility needs at least six million barrels of crude oil to start full operations, but it only received one million barrels last week. The remaining five million barrels are expected to arrive in the next few weeks from Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited and ExxonMobil.

The refinery, which is owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has faced several setbacks and missed deadlines in the past. It was initially scheduled to start operations in October this year, but it was postponed due to technical and logistical challenges.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the agency that oversees the oil and gas sector, has expressed worries over the difficulty of getting crude oil supply for the Dangote Refinery and other domestic refineries. The NUPRC’s chief executive, Gbenga Komolafe, said the country’s huge crude oil reserves should be enough to meet the local demand for refined products.

The Dangote Refinery is expected to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products, create jobs, and boost the economy.