Dangote Oil Refinery Begins Production of Diesel and Aviation Fuel

The Dangote oil refinery in Nigeria has finally started producing diesel and aviation fuel, marking an important milestone for the facility. After years of construction delays, this 650,000 barrel per day (bpd) plant, built by the continent’s richest man Aliko Dangote, has begun operations. Nigeria, being Africa’s top energy producer, has previously relied on fuel imports, but this refinery is expected to change that by making the country self-sufficient and also allowing it to export fuel to neighboring West African countries.

The refinery, located on a peninsula on the outskirts of Lagos, has received its sixth crude oil cargo on January 8th, and officials say that production could begin as early as this week. 1 million barrels of Nigeria’s Agbami crude were delivered to the facility, bringing the total supply received since December to 6 million barrels. Nigeria’s state-owned NNPC Ltd. is expected to supply four more crude cargoes to the refinery from its February program.

However, it may take several months to move from test runs to the production of high-quality fuels at full capacity, according to experts. Dangote has announced that the refinery will initially refine 350,000 bpd and gradually ramp up to full production later this year.