$20trn Dangote refinery gets fourth crude shipment from NNPCL

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, on Monday, welcomed the fourth delivery of one million barrels of bonny light crude oil supplied by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

The company announced this in a statement, adding that the fifth crude oil delivery will arrive soon.

The progress comes as the 650,000 barrels per day capacity plant had previously received three deliveries of crude oil, as officials of the company informed our correspondent that the refinery would start producing refined automotive gas oil, also known as diesel, and aviation fuel, or JetA1, in January 2024.

According to the company, as soon as it receives the full six million barrels of crude, production of petroleum products will begin.

In the statement released on Monday, the company said, “The new one million barrels of crude was the fourth batch to be delivered to the Dangote facility out of the six million barrels of crude being awaited by the world’s largest single-train refinery.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his New Year broadcast, emphasised that Dangote will be operational in 2024.

The Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Akin Omole, had earlier told journalists at the Dangote Quay, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, that the refinery would receive about four million crude oil deliveries before the end of 2023.

He said the refinery would receive the remaining two by early January 2024, which would enable the refinery to start production.

The 650,000 barrels per day capacity Dangote refinery can satisfy 100 percent of Nigeria’s demand for all refined petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel, and also has an excess of each of these products for export.

Dangote Refinery has a self-reliant marine facility that can accommodate the largest global vessel, from where it has been getting crude oil deliveries.

After getting the first batch of crude, the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said, “We are pleased to have achieved this remarkable milestone. This is a significant accomplishment for our country, showing our ability to create and deliver large capital projects.

“Our goal over the next few months is to increase the refinery to its full capacity. I anticipate the next remarkable milestone when we deliver the first set of products to the Nigerian market.