Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reached its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day following the restoration and optimisation of its Crude Distillation Unit and Motor Spirit production block, representing the first feat for a single-train refinery of its scale globally.
The company, in a statement issued on Wednesday, indicated the feat signalled a critical phase in the ramp-up of the oil refining facility, with the refinery commencing a 72-hour intensive performance test run in collaboration with its licensor, UOP, to validate operational stability, efficiency, and compliance with global standards.
The refinery’s management stated that the milestone followed a scheduled maintenance exercise on the Crude Distillation Unit and MS Block, after which both units were fully stabilised and optimised for steady-state operations.
Commenting on the milestone, the company’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, David Bird, said the seamless integration of the units underscored the plant’s engineering depth and operational resilience.
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He enthused: “Our teams have demonstrated exceptional precision and expertise in stabilising both the CDU and MS Block, and we are pleased to see them functioning at optimal efficiency.
“This performance testing phase enables us to validate the entire plant under real operating conditions. We are confident that the refinery remains firmly on track to deliver consistent, world-class output.
“This milestone underscores the strength, reliability, and engineering quality that define our operations. We remain committed to producing high-quality refined products that will transform Nigeria’s energy landscape, eliminate import dependence, and position the nation as a net exporter of petroleum products”, Bird stressed.
The industrialist explained that the CDU served as the primary processing unit in a refinery, separating crude oil into various fractions, while the MS Block, comprising the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit, and reformer unit, upgrades intermediate streams into high-octane petrol blend components.
According to him, the three components of the MS Block are now operating steadily at the full 650,000 bpd capacity, effectively stabilising petrol production output.
Bird said that test runs under Phase 2 for the remaining processing units in the refinery to assess their performance status would commence next week, signalling the final stages of technical validation across the integrated complex.
In addition to the engineering feat, the refinery’s management also stated that during the recent festive period, it supplied between 45 million and 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit daily to the nation’s downstream market, ensuring availability of fuel nationwide.
With the CDU and MS Block now fully restored and optimised, the company stated that the refinery had now been positioned to deliver up to 75 million litres of PMS daily, a volume that could significantly reshape domestic supply dynamics and reduce pressure on imports.
The Dangote Refinery’s management company thanked its customers and other Nigerians, reiterating its commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s energy security and supporting industrial development, job creation, and sustainable growth of the nation’s economy.
