The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has officially reached its full production capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), a major milestone for Africa’s largest refining facility.
The company announced on Wednesday that the achievement followed the successful restoration and optimisation of its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) production block.
According to the refinery, this marks a rare global accomplishment for a single-train refinery of its size.
As part of the process, the refinery has begun a 72-hour intensive performance test run in partnership with its technology licensor, UOP. The test is designed to confirm the plant’s operational stability, efficiency and compliance with international standards under real operating conditions.
The milestone came after a scheduled maintenance exercise on the CDU and MS Block, both of which have now been fully stabilised for steady, large-scale production.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird, described the development as proof of the refinery’s strong engineering capacity and operational resilience.
“Our teams have demonstrated remarkable precision and technical expertise in stabilising both the CDU and MS Block. We are pleased to see them operating at optimal efficiency,” Bird said. “This performance testing phase allows us to validate the entire plant under real-life conditions, and we are confident that the refinery is firmly on course to deliver consistent, world-class output.”
He explained that the Crude Distillation Unit serves as the refinery’s primary processing hub, separating crude oil into different components. The MS Block which includes the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit and reformer unit upgrades intermediate products into high-octane petrol blend components.
Bird confirmed that all three units within the MS Block are now running steadily at the full 650,000 bpd capacity, effectively stabilising petrol production.
He further revealed that other processing units within the refinery will begin their own performance test runs under Phase Two next week, marking the final stages of technical validation across the integrated facility.
Beyond the technical breakthrough, the refinery also highlighted its growing impact on Nigeria’s domestic fuel supply. During the recent festive season, it reportedly supplied between 45 million and 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily to the local market.
With the CDU and MS Block now fully operational, the refinery says it is capable of supplying up to 75 million litres of petrol daily if required, a volume that could significantly ease supply pressures and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on fuel imports.
The announcement comes at a time when energy security, foreign exchange conservation and the push to end Nigeria’s long-standing dependence on imported refined petroleum products remain national priorities, despite the country’s status as a major crude oil producer.
The company expressed appreciation to its customers and Nigerians, reiterating its commitment to strengthening the country’s energy security, driving industrial growth, creating jobs and supporting economic diversification.
Looking ahead, the Dangote refinery has also indicated plans to double its production capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day within the next three years.
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