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Released June 16, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--When construction began on Dangote Industries' Lekki Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, in 2018, it had a purpose. Aliko Dangote, considered to be Africa's richest man, announced his goal was to produce enough fuel to make Nigeria self-sufficient and to supply gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to other African nations.
Originally expected to open in 2020, the refinery (whose site is equal in size to 4,000 football fields) faced a number of delays involving both mechanical and crude supply issues. Finally, it began producing significant amounts of refined product early this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Petroleum Refinery Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
And while it has yet to operate for long at its stated capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (BBL/d), it has already changed much of the landscape envisioned by Dangote himself. After seeing record gasoline imports in 2024, the first-quarter 2025 numbers are radically different, according to figures released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The agency reported that imports of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known in that region as petrol or in the U.S. as gasoline, dropped from 44.6 million liters per day (lpd), or 11.8 gallons per day (gal/d), in August of 2024 to 14.7 million lpd (3.8 million gal/d) by mid-April, 2025, a decline of nearly 30 million lpd (7.9 million gal/d).
In a televised press meeting in April NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ahmed also announced that local supply had increased by 670% in the same time frame. Nigerian refineries, which produced only 3.4 million lpd (898,000 gal/d) of fuel in September of 2024, the first month in which output was measurable, delivered 26.2 million lpd (6.9 million gal/d) in early April of 2025.
In addition to the Lekki startup, another facility, Port Harcourt Refinery Company's 210,000-BBL/d refinery began a phased startup in late November 2024. According to Industrial Info data, the 60,000-BBL/d Old PHRC at the refinery closed for planned maintenance on May 21 and recently delayed the restart from late June to early July. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
Another Nigerian refinery was also undergoing repairs. Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC) (Abuja, Nigeria) 125,000-BBL/d Warri refinery has been undergoing major maintenance and repairs since March 1, 2023. The lone crude distillation unit was briefly restarted on December 15, 2024, but was shut down January 2 due to multiple leaks. The next restart of the unit has been delayed from July to August. Warri's reformer unit and HF alkylation units, down since March 2023, are not expected to restart until December. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
Dangote's Lekki refinery has also had its ups and downs. A January 2025 trial run was cut short by lack of crude supply before it began full operations in February. Since then, there have been a number of partial shutdowns due to mechanical issues.
Currently, its 204,000-BBL/d RFCCU is at 70% capacity due to operational issues. The unit was shut from April 7 to May 11 due to damage in the regen riser. Then, it shut again from May 15 to May 25 due to a mechanical issue. Full rates are not expected to be reached until after a 40-day major shutdown of the RFCCU in October for catalyst replacement and reactor repairs. The crude unit is also de-rated to 80% capacity likely until the RFCCU issues are resolved.
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the operational capacity and offline events for the Lekki, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Should all these refineries return to something close to full service, Nigeria's refined products imports could be further reduced.
As Africa's largest oil producer (1.486 million BBL/d in 2024 compared with around 1 million BBL/d for Algeria), the nation for decades had sent its crude overseas for others to refine, then bought gasoline and other refined products at a significant markup. Bringing that value-added procedure home was another of Aliko Dangote's goals.
The entire region, including the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on April 1 called for the group to stop importing refined projects from outside the region--putting Dangote in position to expand its market beyond Nigeria. The statement called the refinery a "beacon of hope" to the region's economic future.
Exports are also going to markets in Europe, the Americas and Asia, according to an April statement by Ayirioritse Okerentie, the deputy regional director of Dangote Cement. Specific products include, he said, aviation fuel, naphtha, PMS and automotive gas oil.
Subscribers can click here for all of the plant profiles mentioned in this article.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Originally expected to open in 2020, the refinery (whose site is equal in size to 4,000 football fields) faced a number of delays involving both mechanical and crude supply issues. Finally, it began producing significant amounts of refined product early this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Petroleum Refinery Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
And while it has yet to operate for long at its stated capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (BBL/d), it has already changed much of the landscape envisioned by Dangote himself. After seeing record gasoline imports in 2024, the first-quarter 2025 numbers are radically different, according to figures released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The agency reported that imports of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known in that region as petrol or in the U.S. as gasoline, dropped from 44.6 million liters per day (lpd), or 11.8 gallons per day (gal/d), in August of 2024 to 14.7 million lpd (3.8 million gal/d) by mid-April, 2025, a decline of nearly 30 million lpd (7.9 million gal/d).
In a televised press meeting in April NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ahmed also announced that local supply had increased by 670% in the same time frame. Nigerian refineries, which produced only 3.4 million lpd (898,000 gal/d) of fuel in September of 2024, the first month in which output was measurable, delivered 26.2 million lpd (6.9 million gal/d) in early April of 2025.
In addition to the Lekki startup, another facility, Port Harcourt Refinery Company's 210,000-BBL/d refinery began a phased startup in late November 2024. According to Industrial Info data, the 60,000-BBL/d Old PHRC at the refinery closed for planned maintenance on May 21 and recently delayed the restart from late June to early July. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
Another Nigerian refinery was also undergoing repairs. Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC) (Abuja, Nigeria) 125,000-BBL/d Warri refinery has been undergoing major maintenance and repairs since March 1, 2023. The lone crude distillation unit was briefly restarted on December 15, 2024, but was shut down January 2 due to multiple leaks. The next restart of the unit has been delayed from July to August. Warri's reformer unit and HF alkylation units, down since March 2023, are not expected to restart until December. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
Dangote's Lekki refinery has also had its ups and downs. A January 2025 trial run was cut short by lack of crude supply before it began full operations in February. Since then, there have been a number of partial shutdowns due to mechanical issues.
Currently, its 204,000-BBL/d RFCCU is at 70% capacity due to operational issues. The unit was shut from April 7 to May 11 due to damage in the regen riser. Then, it shut again from May 15 to May 25 due to a mechanical issue. Full rates are not expected to be reached until after a 40-day major shutdown of the RFCCU in October for catalyst replacement and reactor repairs. The crude unit is also de-rated to 80% capacity likely until the RFCCU issues are resolved.
Should all these refineries return to something close to full service, Nigeria's refined products imports could be further reduced.
As Africa's largest oil producer (1.486 million BBL/d in 2024 compared with around 1 million BBL/d for Algeria), the nation for decades had sent its crude overseas for others to refine, then bought gasoline and other refined products at a significant markup. Bringing that value-added procedure home was another of Aliko Dangote's goals.
The entire region, including the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on April 1 called for the group to stop importing refined projects from outside the region--putting Dangote in position to expand its market beyond Nigeria. The statement called the refinery a "beacon of hope" to the region's economic future.
Exports are also going to markets in Europe, the Americas and Asia, according to an April statement by Ayirioritse Okerentie, the deputy regional director of Dangote Cement. Specific products include, he said, aviation fuel, naphtha, PMS and automotive gas oil.
Subscribers can click here for all of the plant profiles mentioned in this article.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
