Abiodun JIMOH
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is set to receive 12 million barrels of crude oil from the United States as it seeks alternative sources due to insufficient local supply.
The $20 billion facility, which aims to reach its 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) refining capacity by June 2025, has been facing supply constraints from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). While the NNPC was expected to provide 450,000bpd for domestic refining, it has reportedly struggled to deliver 350,000bpd to the Dangote refinery.
To bridge the gap, Dangote has turned to imports, with the U.S. shipment expected to arrive in February, according to The Africa Report. Refinery officials confirmed production has already ramped up to 500,000bpd, but sustaining operations requires sourcing crude beyond Nigeria’s borders.
The refinery is also expanding storage capacity by 41.67%, adding eight new crude oil tanks to accommodate growing import volumes.
Earlier, the facility issued a 12-month tender for 24 million barrels of U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland crude, reinforcing its dependence on external supplies.
With Nigeria’s crude production forecast indicating a monthly requirement of 17.05 million barrels for the Dangote refinery, securing consistent feedstock remains a pressing challenge for the country’s largest refining facility.
