By John Ikani
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has disclosed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, upon which the hope of the nation rests for fuel sufficiency, is now 97% completed.
The NMDPRA revealed this via its Twitter handle as representatives of the Dangote Refinery visited the regulator in Abuja to present their 2022/2023 work plan.
While reiterating the importance of the refinery to the country, Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed assured that the regulator would give all necessary support to ensure timely completion and kickstart operations.
It is worthwhile to note that Dangote Oil Refinery is a 650,000-bpd integrated refinery project under construction in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos. It is expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility.
In addition, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has a 20 percent stake on behalf of the government.
The NNPC says it would supply half of the crude required by the plant, and if this is sold at market price, it would be impractical to continue paying subsidies.
In January this year, the African Petroleum Producers Organisation said that the Dangote refinery would reduce petroleum product imports across Africa by 36 percent upon commencement of operations.
