The Dangote Oil Refinery, recognized as the world’s largest single-train facility, is now running at its maximum capacity of 650,000 barrels daily.
The Dangote Oil Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery, has achieved a landmark by operating at its full design capacity of 650,000 barrels per day a feat unmatched by any other refinery of its kind globally. This milestone follows the successful restoration and optimization of its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) production block.
To ensure operational stability, efficiency, and compliance with international standards, the refinery will commence a 72-hour intensive performance test in partnership with its licensor, UOP, according to a company statement. This follows a scheduled maintenance exercise on both the CDU and MS Block, reported by Punch.
David Bird, Managing Director of the refinery, praised the teams for their skill in stabilizing the units. “Our teams have shown exceptional precision and expertise in bringing the CDU and MS Block to optimal performance,” he said. “This achievement reflects the strength, reliability, and engineering excellence of our operations. We remain committed to delivering high-quality refined products that will transform Nigeria’s energy sector, eliminate reliance on imports, and position the country as a net exporter of petroleum products.”
Bird further explained that the CDU, the refinery’s primary processing unit, separates crude oil into various fractions, while the MS Block which includes the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerization unit, and reformer upgrades intermediate streams into components for high-octane gasoline blends. Both units are now consistently running at their maximum capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.
He added that the refinery’s remaining processing units will begin their Phase 2 performance tests next week, marking the completion of technical validation across the integrated complex.
Plans to increase production
Since its inauguration, Dangote Refinery has focused on operating at full capacity, with plans to expand production further. In July last year, the $20 billion refinery announced a strategic upgrade aimed at raising its output from 650,000 barrels per day to 700,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025 potentially making it the world’s sixth-largest refinery, behind South Korea’s Onsan Refinery, which has a capacity of 669,000 barrels per day.
By August, the global energy agency Argus reported that the refinery’s output had reached around 610,000 barrels per day. Two months later, Aliko Dangote, CEO of the Dangote Group, revealed ambitions to more than double the refinery’s capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day in an interview with S&P Global.
Dangote emphasized the importance of the current location, noting that rebuilding elsewhere would be prohibitively expensive. “We’d have to construct a lot of infrastructure if we moved, but here we already have everything in place,” he said.