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The Dangote Refinery has set a new benchmark in global refining, reaching its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. At that level, industry watchers say it stands as the highest output ever achieved by a single train refinery.
The refinery is Africa's largest industrial build, a $20 billion bet that took years of construction, technical adjustments and public skepticism to bring to life.
The CEO, David Bird, confirmed the plant can now supply up to 75 million litres of petrol daily to the Nigerian market. That is a sharp jump from the 45 to 50 million litres delivered during the recent festive period.
The milestone follows a 72-hour performance test on key processing units, carried out alongside technology licensor UOP, a Honeywell company. The tests covered the crude distillation unit and core gasoline producing blocks, including the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit and reformer. The results confirmed stable operations and alignment with international performance standards.
Reaching 650,000 barrels per day is more than a technical number. It represents the largest refining capacity ever built in a single-train configuration and places the Lagos-based facility among the most significant refining assets in the world.
Nigeria has long depended on imported refined products despite being Africa’s largest crude oil producer. State-owned refineries, with a combined installed capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, have operated far below potential for decades, creating a multibillion dollar fuel import burden.
Dangote’s refinery shifts that balance. At full output, it can meet domestic petrol demand while exporting surplus volumes to West African markets. The plant also produces diesel, aviation fuel and polypropylene that feeds into Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.
Construction started in 2016, and the road was anything but smooth. The pandemic slowed progress, foreign exchange shortages tightened funding, and engineers had to make adjustments along the way. There were constant questions about deadlines, access to crude and whether the economics would hold up. At different points, the refinery even brought in imported crude just to keep things moving.
Now that full capacity has been reached, the focus shifts to keeping the plant running steadily and fine-tuning the remaining units. Another round of performance tests begins next week as the team works to lock in consistency.
What once sounded like an outsized ambition is now operating at full throttle on the global stage.
