Dangote Refinery aims for world’s largest, ramps up capacity to 1.4m bpd

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited, has announced an ambitious plan to more than double the capacity of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, aiming to make it the largest in the world within three years.

The $20 billion facility, currently the world’s largest single-train refinery at 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), will be expanded to 1.4 million bpd.

Dangote stated this move is driven by growing African demand for cleaner fuels, emerging regional opportunities, and supportive Nigerian government policies.

Dangote said the expansion is a vote of confidence in Nigeria and Africa, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for the country to become a major global supplier of petroleum products.

The project is expected to be financed through cash flow, a public listing, and strategic investors.

Key highlights of the expansion include:

· Global Leadership: Upon completion, it will surpass India’s Jamnagar Refinery to become the world’s largest.

· Enhanced Output: Beyond fuel, it will significantly increase production of polypropylene and linear alkylbenzene, key petrochemical products.

· Higher Standards: The refinery will transition to producing only Euro VI standard fuels, meeting the highest global environmental benchmarks.

· Energy Independence: On-site power generation will be boosted to 1,000 megawatts for complete self-sufficiency.

Dangote reaffirmed plans to list a significant portion of the refinery on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) within the next year, calling it an effort to “democratise ownership” and allow Nigerians to share in the value creation.

He described the planned listing as a priority over international listings, aiming to make Dangote Refinery the “golden stock” of the NGX.

He credited government policies for enabling such transformative investments and expressed gratitude for the administration’s intervention in recent operational disruptions.

Providing immediate relief to the public, Dangote assured that there will be no fuel scarcity or price hikes during the upcoming festive season, despite a recent 8% spike in global oil prices.

He emphasized that the refinery is committed to an uninterrupted supply, ensuring a “Christmas and New Year free of fuel anxiety.”

He also noted that the refinery has already made a difference by stabilizing local fuel supply, strengthening the Naira, and providing higher-quality, cleaner fuel at some of the most affordable prices in the region.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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