By Ayomide Otitoju
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced plans to complete the expansion of its processing capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day within the next three years.
The Managing Director of Dangote Refinery Plc, Mr. David Bird, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing at the refinery complex in Lagos, describing the timeline as an aggressive but achievable execution plan based on what he termed “ruthless replication” of the existing facility.
Bird explained that the expansion would not involve redesigning or re-engineering the plant, enabling the company to move directly into procurement and construction.
“The idea here is ruthless replication. We will not need to tinker or re-engineer, which allows us to go straight into ordering long-lead items and commencing construction,” he said.
He said the company expects to substantially complete procurement of long-lead equipment in the early months of 2026, while early construction activities, including piling and site preparation, are scheduled to begin before the end of the month.
According to Bird, much of the preparatory work that typically delays large-scale industrial projects has already been completed, significantly shortening the construction timeline.
He attributed this advantage to the original design of the refinery project, noting that extensive land reclamation and elevation works had already been carried out.
“The land has already been reclaimed, prepared and raised by about one to one-and-a-half metres. All the pre-investment has been done, so the usual site preparation timelines do not apply here,” he said.
As a result, Bird said foundation works would begin this year, with structural steel expected to rise by the end of the year.
The plan to increase capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day was first announced in October by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and represents a major scale-up of Africa’s largest single-train refinery.
When completed, the expansion is expected to boost Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity, reduce reliance on imported petroleum products, and strengthen the country’s position as a major exporter of refined fuels.
Reaffirming confidence in the schedule, Bird said the company believes the expansion can be delivered within three years, a development that would place the Dangote Refinery among the largest refining complexes globally and significantly enhance Nigeria’s energy security and foreign exchange earnings.
