Dangote Refinery Confirms Receipt Of Crude, Reveals When Operation Will Commence

The Dangote Refinery management has officially acknowledged the receipt of the inaugural one million barrels of crude cargo.

It, however, revealed that operation will commence after the National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) supply the subsequent four shipments within the next two to three weeks, while ExxonMobil will provide the final shipment out of the six expected shipments.

This supply, it said, will enable the refinery to commence operations and begin the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and LPG before eventually moving on to the production of Premium Motor Spirit.

Naija News reported earlier that the first batch of crude feedstock for Dangote‘s 650,000 b/d refinery arrived in Nigeria on Thursday.

After years of delays, the development signifies that fuel production at the new $19 billion facility is finally ready to commence.

It was gathered that on December 6, the OTIS tanker loaded a cargo of 950,000 barrels of Agbami crude, which was then discharged at the Dangote refinery terminal on Thursday (yesterday).

In a statement made available to journalists after several speculations, Dangote expressed that this achievement marks a crucial advancement in enhancing Nigeria’s domestic refining capabilities and achieving energy self-sufficiency.

The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, referred to this progress as a momentous milestone.

He said, “This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. Our focus over the coming months is to ramp up the refinery to its full capacity. I look forward to the next significant milestone when we deliver the first batch of products to the Nigerian market.”

According to the statement, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals plant “Purchased one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited, one of the largest trading companies in Nigeria as well as globally, trading over eight million barrels of crude oil per day.

“The STASCO cargo contained one million barrels from Agbami and sailed to Dangote Refinery’s Single Point Mooring where it was discharged into the refinery’s crude oil tanks.”

The initial shipment of one million barrels, which marked the commencement of the six million barrels of crude oil to be delivered to Dangote Petroleum Refinery by various suppliers, is expected to support the initial processing capacity of 350,000 barrels per day at the facility, the statement noted.

“This latest development will play a pivotal role in alleviating the fuel supply challenges faced by Nigeria as well as the West African countries,” The PUNCH quoted the company to have noted.