Dangote Refinery is set to commence test runs this week, marking a significant step forward as it received its sixth 1 million barrel cargo of crude oil on Monday, as reported by a company official speaking to Reuters.
The spokesperson for Dangote mentioned in a statement that the latest 1 million barrels of oil came from the Agbami field in the Niger Delta, bringing the total amount of crude delivered to the plant to 6 million barrels since the initial cargo arrived in December.
According to a senior company executive, the next crucial step involves initiating the crude distillation unit, an essential component of the refinery. This process will likely commence in the upcoming week.
He stated, “Subsequently, we will be continuously buying crude and start commissioning the other departments. Saleable products will start coming from the first week itself. But, of course, the volume will be limited, and the variety of saleable products will also be limited, and it will start building up as each major department gets commissioned.”
Key Points to Note
- The 650,000-barrel Dangote Refinery aims to eliminate the need for petroleum product imports in Nigeria and meet the energy demands of other countries in the West African sub-region.
- Despite facing delays and missed deadlines since its commissioning in May, the refinery received its first crude shipment in December and has since received around 5 million barrels of oil as part of preparations for the upcoming test run.
- The Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has mandated oil-producing companies to send 350,000 barrels of oil daily to the Dangote Refinery in the first half of 2024, aligning with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) signed in 2021.
