The first private oil refining concern, Dangote Refinery, has assured Nigerians that refined products, specifically diesel and aviation fuel, will be in the market this month.
The $20 billion refinery made the promise while announcing that production had started, with a vow to meet domestic demands.
The announcement is coming on the heels of the successful delivery of about six million barrels of crude oil to the 650,000 barrels-per-day plant in the past few weeks.
Speaking on the readiness of the refinery, the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support, encouragement, and thoughtful advice.
He said: “We thank President Bola Tinubu for his support and for making our dream come true.
“This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to details. His intervention at various stages cleared all impediments, thereby accelerating the actualisation of the project.
“We also thank the NNPC, NUPRC, and NMDPRA for their support. These organisations have been our dependable partners in this historic journey.
“We also thank Nigerians for their belief and support in this project. We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month, once we receive regulatory approval.”
“This is a big day for Nigeria. We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects.
“This is a game changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project.
“I must extend our sincere appreciation to our bankers and financiers, both local and offshore.
“They demonstrated a great deal of patience, in seeing us through many difficult times.
“In the same vein, we thank the government of Lagos State, under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“He has been incredibly proactive in ensuring that the many challenges we encountered in the course of executing this project were quickly resolved.
“I also sincerely thank our host communities and their traditional leaders for their sustained patience, forbearance, and admirable willingness to work with us to find amicable and win-win resolutions to the many issues we have had to deal with as the construction of this huge facility progressed.
“Our staff have also contributed so immensely to the success of this project. I thank them profusely”, Dangote said.
Recall that the first crude delivery was done on December 12, 2023, and the 6th cargo was delivered on January 8, 2024.
Dangote Refinery is designed for 100% Nigerian crude with the flexibility to process other crudes with the capacity to process most African crude grades as well as Middle-Eastern Arab light.
Even US light tight oil as well as crude from other countries can also be refined.
The refinery also has the capacity to meet 100 percent of Nigeria’s requirements for all refined products — gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuel.
The refinery also has a surplus of each of these products for export.
The refinery was built to take crude through its two SPMs located 25 kilometres from the shore and discharge petroleum products through three separate SPMs.
SPM is Single Point Mooring System, a floating facility used for storage offshore.
In addition, the refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries.
Dangote Refinery has a self-sufficient marine facility with the ability to handle the largest vessel globally available.
Furthermore, all products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications.
The refinery is designed to comply with US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms.
It also meets African Refiners and Distribution Association (ARDA) standards.
