Dangote Refinery is also expected to commence diesel and aviation fuel production by Mid-January 2024
By Kehinde Okeowo
In what appears to be a big boost towards achieving Nigeria’s energy refining capacity and security, $20 billion Dangote Refinery, yesterday, took delivery of one million barrels of crude oil, thus increasing total deliveries to about three million barrels.
The latest supply being discharged into the company’s facility, came from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO)
Earlier this month, the refinery received its first crude of 950,000-barrel cargo from Nigeria’s Agbami crude berthed at Dangote’s offshore crude receiving terminal in Lekki at about 7pm on December 7, marking the initiation of crude supplies for the refinery’s operations.
Meanwhile, Dangote Refinery has concluded plans to start the refining of diesel and aviation fuel by Mid- January 2024, while the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will follow later.
According to the company, its refinery has the capacity to meet 100 percent of Nigeria’s domestic demand for gasoline, diesel, kerosene, aviation jet as well as export to the global market.
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The coming of the indigenous refinery on stream is also expected to create many multiplier effects, especially jobs, suppliers, capacity building, empowerment and technology transfer to Nigerians.
The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, in an interview in November, 2023 said that the refinery would start with refining Nigerian crude, insisting that the refinery’s first priority is to supply petrol to Nigeria before exporting elsewhere, including the West African region.
“We don’t want to start our refinery with foreign goods, we want to start with the Nigerian crude.
“We’re more than ready and you will see our gasoline products soon.” he said.
TheNiche, however, learnt that the fourth shipment of crude to the company is on the way