Dangote Refinery gets its third shipment of 1 million barrels of crude and plans to start producing diesel and aviation fuel by mid-January 2024

Nigeria’s Dangote refinery, a significant step towards enhancing the nation’s refining capacity and energy security, has received a one-million-barrel crude oil cargo from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO). This shipment marks the third million-barrel delivery to the refinery’s Single-Point Mooring.

ARISE NEWS has learned that a fourth crude shipment is en route.

Preparing to operate at 350,000 barrels per day (bpd), Dangote Refinery is on track to start producing diesel and aviation fuel by mid-January 2024, with Premium Motor Spirit production to follow.

With the capability to fulfill Nigeria’s entire demand for all refined products including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet, Dangote Petroleum Refinery also plans to export these products.

This month, the $20 billion refinery commenced its operations with the arrival of its first 950,000-barrel cargo of Nigeria’s Agbami crude. The tanker, chartered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), signified the initial crude supply for the refinery’s production.

NNPC, holding a 20% stake in the refinery, agreed to supply 6 million barrels of crude oil to Dangote refinery in December to kickstart its operations.

Aliko Dangote, the owner, stated that the refinery would reach full capacity, refining 650,000 barrels per day, by the end of 2024. He emphasized in a November interview that the refinery would initially process Nigerian crude, prioritizing domestic supply before exporting, particularly to the West African region.

Dangote mentioned, “We aim to start our refinery with Nigerian crude. We’re more than ready and our gasoline products will soon be available.”

The refinery, located near Lagos, faced delays since its announcement in 2013, despite significant progress in 2019. In September 2023, it announced plans to produce diesel and kerosene by October 2023, and gasoline a month later. However, delays due to crude supply issues pushed back the start date.

On November 25, a revised operation commencement date was set for December 2023, with the refinery expecting 6 million barrels of crude in that month.