Owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, the $20bn refinery obtained its first crude cargo in December 2022. Final week it acquired a sixth cargo, permitting preliminary manufacturing of diesel and aviation gas to start.
Akin Omole, managing director of Dangote Ports Operations, stated the receipt of six million barrels of crude will facilitate the preliminary run of the refinery and start the manufacturing of diesel, aviation gas, and liquefied petroleum gasoline.
In accordance with Omole, the manufacturing of premium motor spirit will begin later.
“We thank President Bola Tinubu for his help and for making our dream come true. This manufacturing, as witnessed right now, wouldn’t have been attainable with out his visionary management and immediate consideration to particulars,” the Dangote Group stated in an announcement.
Assembly all of Nigeria’s home gas wants, the refinery may export surpluses. Its premium gasoline manufacturing begins later, reaching full capability by 2025.
Repeated development delays pushed again its completion date from 2019 to late 2022. The Covid-19 pandemic and complex plant infrastructure like a 435 megawatt energy station brought about holdups.
After beginning mechanical operations, the refinery will scale as much as its full capability. Loading 2,900 gas vans day by day, it’s projected to supply 10.4 million metric tons of gasoline and 4.6 million tons of diesel yearly.
“This can be a massive day for Nigeria. We’re delighted to have reached this important milestone. This is a crucial achievement for our nation because it demonstrates our capacity to develop and ship massive capital initiatives. This can be a sport changer for our nation.”
Listed below are 10 issues to know in regards to the venture, the largest oil refinery in Africa.
1. Assembly Nigeria’s wants
The refinery is predicted to fulfill 100% of all refined merchandise required in Nigeria, and have a surplus for export. The refinery will initially produce diesel and aviation gas and later progress to premium motor spirit.
Although designed to course of Nigerian crude, the refinery may course of most different African crude grades in addition to Center Japanese Arab Gentle and even US Gentle Tight crudes.
Of the 650,000 barrels crude refined per day when absolutely operational, 450,000 bpd might be devoted to assembly Nigeria’s home requirement.
2. Scaling up manufacturing
Though it’s a 650,000 bpd facility, the refinery will begin producing at 370,000 bpd, in accordance with Devakumar Edwin, an government on the Dangote Group. The corporate says the refinery can load as much as 2,900 vans a day at its truck-loading gantries.
The refinery is predicted to supply 10.4 million tonnes (Mt) of gasoline, 4.6Mt of diesel, and 4Mt of aviation gas yearly.
It’s going to additionally produce 0.69Mt of polypropylene, 0.24Mt of propane, 32,000t of sulphur, and 0.5Mt of carbon black per yr. The merchandise from the refinery will conform to Euro V specs.
The refinery design complies with the World Financial institution, US EPA, European emission norms, and DPR emission/effluent norms. Analysts say the refinery will attain full working capability by 2025.
3. Repeated delays
The refinery venture was first introduced in 2013 at an estimated price of $9bn. By the point main structural development started in 2017, the associated fee had ballooned to about $15bn.
That however, the Dangote Group estimated the refinery to be “mechanically accomplished” in late 2019 and commissioned early 2020.The completion date was additional moved to late 2020 as a result of Covid-19 pandemic, and the commissioning by the tip of the primary half of 2021.
In June 2021, Devakumar Edwin, the Dangote Group government director, introduced that the refinery can be accomplished by the tip of December that yr. “The venture has incurred some delays as a result of Covid-19 pandemic,” Edwin stated at a petroleum summit.
We’ve locked down the flexibility to promote crude for 33,000 barrels minimal by proper for the subsequent 20 years
“As at date, the venture development has progressed to 79% and an total venture completion of 89.5%, contemplating engineering, procurement and development,” he stated.“On the present price of progress, the mechanical completion is now anticipated to be achieved by the fourth quarter. Commissioning is predicted to start instantly.”
Throughout a web site tour in April 2022, Data Minister Lai Mohammed was instructed that the refinery can be accomplished within the fourth quarter of the yr. By the point former President Muhammadu Buhari lastly commissioned the refinery one yr later, the venture had gulped practically $20bn.
4. Funding the refinery
The refinery was constructed with the contribution of fifty% fairness funding by Dangote and 50% debt finance by banks.
Nigeria’s home banks largely financed the business mortgage element of the venture whereas the steadiness was sourced from international banks. The Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) supplied N125bn ($130m) to cowl home foreign money necessities.
The US Commerce and Improvement Company additionally supplied a N250bn coaching grant for human useful resource growth for the refinery operation.
As of the time of the refinery’s commissioning in Could 2023, the entire excellent debt from the venture stood at $2.7bn.
5. International alternate earner
Nigeria’s expenditure on the importation of petroleum merchandise tripled over a five-year interval, from $8.4bn in 2017 to $23.3bn in 2022, in accordance with the CBN.
The Financial institution projected that the nation might spend as much as $30bn yearly by 2027 if it continues to depend on petroleum imports.
“Except for the practically $30bn international alternate financial savings from the discount in petroleum imports, the financial system is projected to profit an additional $10bn of international alternate influx by means of the export of refined petroleum merchandise, which is able to additional increase our international alternate reserves and improve alternate price stability,” former CBN governor Godwin Emefiele stated on the commissioning of the refinery in Could 2023.
6. Crude provide
The refinery obtained its first crude provide of 1 million barrels from Shell Worldwide Buying and selling and Transport Firm Restricted (STASCO) in December final yr. The cargo from Agbami sailed to Dangote Refinery’s Single Level Mooring the place it was discharged into the refinery’s crude oil tanks.
It obtained 5 further one million-barrel cargoes — yet another from STASCO and the remaining from the Nigeria Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPCL).
The sixth a million barrels of crude was delivered by NNPCL on 8 January, finishing the initially scheduled six million barrels consignment to be delivered to the refinery.
“This newest growth will play a pivotal function in assuaging the gas provide challenges confronted by Nigeria in addition to the West African international locations,” the corporate stated in an announcement.
7. Nigerian authorities’s fairness
The Nigerian authorities by means of the NNPCL owns a 20% fairness within the refinery valued at $2.7bn. The refinery will obtain an preliminary 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the federal government.
Along with holding the 20% fairness within the refinery, the NNPCL has the fitting of first refusal to produce crude to the plant, Mele Kyari, the company’s chief government officer, stated in August 2022.
By proper, we [also] have entry to twenty% of the manufacturing from that plant
“However we noticed this power transition problem coming, we knew that point will come when you’ll search for individuals who will purchase your crude oil, you’ll not discover,” stated Kyari. “And which means we’ve locked down the flexibility to promote crude for 33,000 barrels minimal by proper for the subsequent 20 years. By proper, we [also] have entry to twenty% of the manufacturing from that plant.”
An settlement between the 2 entities stipulated that the federal government would pay $1bn in money, provide crude oil value $1bn, whereas the $700m steadiness can be paid by way of earned dividends from the refinery’s operations, in accordance with Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper.
8. Constructed from scratch
The refinery which sits on 2,635 hectares of swampland – about six instances the dimensions of Victoria Island – was from the bottom up with barely present infrastructure.
About 65 million cubic metres of sand was dredged utilizing the world’s largest dredgers and costing roughly €300m ($326m).
For the civil works, a complete of 250,000 piles have been drilled. The power has a complete of 177 tanks of 4.742 billion litres capability.
The refinery, powered by a 435 megawatts energy plant, additionally has the most important subsea pipeline infrastructure on this planet, with a capability to deal with three billion cubic metres of oil yearly.
9. International-trained engineers
Not less than 900 younger engineers have been educated in refinery operations overseas — mechanical engineers educated in GE College in Italy and course of engineers educated by Honeywell UOP for six months.
Others educated at Bharat Petroleum Company, Mumbai in India.
10. Contractors on the venture
Not less than 10 contractors have been concerned in varied features of the refinery’s development from inception to when it began operations.
Engineers India Restricted dealt with the engineering, procurement, and development whereas Honeywell UOP, a US firm, provided catalyst regeneration and dryer management techniques, high-performance column trays, warmth exchanger tubes, modular CCR unit, catalyst coolers amongst others.
C&I Leasing, a Nigerian firm, supplied transportation and set up providers for mooring techniques and subsea pipelines, whereas the Chinese language Hangxiao Metal Construction Firm supplied metal construction for the refinery.
Belgian Jan De Nul Group carried out land reclamation on the two,400 hectares.
Mammoet, a Dutch firm, supplied heavy lifting and transport options and South Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries constructed 15 liquefied petroleum gasoline tanks for the refinery.
Swiss-based Sulzer Chemtech provided column internals, packing, and trays whereas MAN Diesel & Turbo, primarily based in Germany, provided two compressor trains.
Air Liquide Engineering & Development, a French firm, provided the SMR items.
Fabtech (India), Schneider Electrical (France), SOFEC (US), and WABAG (India) are the opposite suppliers concerned within the refinery venture.
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