By John Ikani
The Nigerian Government’s efforts to promote self-sufficiency in crude oil refining have received a significant boost as the Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery, prepares to be inaugurated on May 22 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dangote Industries Limited had previously indicated that, the refinery would be commissioned before President Buhari’s tenure ends on May 29, 2023.
The Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries, Anthony Chiejina, had dismissed reports that the refinery would be inaugurated during Buhari’s visit to Lagos in January, stating that the company would inform the public and invite them to the ceremony.
A confirmed letter of invitation circulating on social media indicates that the commissioning would happen on May 22, 2023.
Construction of the 650,000 barrels per day refinery has been completed, and pre-inauguration tests are currently underway.
Located in the Lekki Free Zone area of Lagos, the refinery has a land area of 2,635 hectares, which is larger than Victoria Island.
It is capable of meeting 100% of Nigeria’s demand for refined products and will have a surplus of products for export.
The Dangote Refinery is a multi-billion dollar project that will create a market for $21 billion of Nigerian crude oil annually.
The refinery’s pipeline infrastructure is the world’s largest, with 1,100 kilometres capable of handling three billion Standard Cubic Feet per day of gas.
In addition, the refinery has a 435MW-capacity power plant that can meet the total power requirement of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
A single-train refinery is used to refine crude oil into various petroleum products, as opposed to using multiple distillation units like most big refineries.
The refinery project will help to save scarce foreign exchange used in importing petroleum products, thus promoting Nigeria’s economic growth and development.
