The 650,000 b/d plant, expected to save Nigeria from importing petroleum products and put an end to the country’s fuel shortages, was commissioned by the outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari earlier this month.

The refinery, in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, is expected to produce 53mn l/d when operational, which would meet 100% of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products, with a surplus of each of these products to export.

Dangote took nearly seven years to build and is thought to be the world's largest single-train refinery. The complex also features a 435 MW power station, a deep seaport and fertiliser unit.

Despite being Africa’s biggest oil producer, most of Nigeria’s oil is sent abroad while it imports the refined fuel for use in vehicles and elsewhere. The country is estimated to have spent $23.3bn last year on petroleum product imports and consumes around 33mn l/d of petrol. It is hoped the refinery, owned by Dangote, will put an end to fuel shortages in the country. ‘This is a game-changer for the Nigerian people,’ President Buhari said.

New hydropower plant
Elsewhere in Nigeria, President Buhari has inaugurated a 40 MW hydropower station at the Kashimbila Dam site in the country’s southern Taraba State.

The plant will cover the electricity needs of about 80% of the state, whilst the dam will also be used to provide drinking water and feed irrigation systems in the region.

Phase one of the project includes a 132 KV switchyard, four substations at Takum, Wukari, Rafin Kada and Donga, and the rehabilitation of the existing Yandev substation.

President Buhari underscored the importance of the project, highlighting its role in his administration’s commitment to achieving the target of 30 GW of electricity in the country by 2030.