The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has officially reached its full designed capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd), marking a historic achievement and making it the first refinery in the world to achieve full nameplate capacity in a single train of this scale, according to a statement released on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
The milestone follows the optimisation of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) production block, which has strengthened steady-state operations at Africa’s largest oil refining facility. The refinery has now commenced an intensive 72-hour performance testing phase in collaboration with its technology licensor, UOP, to validate operational efficiency and ensure all critical parameters meet global standards.
Dangote Refinery CEO, David Bird, said the seamless integration and high performance of the CDU and MS Block reflect the plant’s advanced engineering and operational resilience.
“Our teams have demonstrated exceptional precision and expertise in stabilising both the CDU and MS Block. We are pleased to see them functioning at optimal efficiency,” Bird said. “This performance testing phase allows us to validate the entire plant under real operating conditions. The milestone underscores the strength, reliability, and engineering quality that define our operations. We remain committed to producing world-class refined products that will transform Nigeria’s energy sector, eliminate import dependence, and position the nation as a net exporter of petroleum products.”
Bird explained that the CDU and MS Block which include the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit, and reformer unit are now operating steadily at the full 650,000 bpd capacity, while remaining processing units will begin performance tests in Phase 2, scheduled to start next week.
The refinery revealed that it supplied between 45 million and 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily during the recent festive period. With the CDU and MS Block fully restored, the facility can now deliver up to 75 million litres of PMS daily to the domestic market.
Industry analysts have described the Dangote Refinery as a transformative project for Nigeria’s energy sector, estimating that full operation could save the country up to $10 billion annually in foreign exchange, create thousands of jobs, strengthen the naira, and enhance regional energy security. By reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported refined products, the refinery is expected to stabilise fuel supply, reduce price volatility, eliminate recurring fuel shortages, and boost downstream industries, including petrochemicals and fertiliser production.
Located on a 6,180-acre site at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, the refinery is supplied by a 1,100-kilometre subsea pipeline network. In October 2025, billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote announced plans to expand the facility’s capacity from 650,000 bpd to 1.4 million bpd, which would surpass India’s Jamnagar refinery (1.36 million bpd) as the world’s largest. The expansion will also support additional petrochemical investments, including linear alkylbenzene and base oils production, and increase annual polypropylene output from one million to 1.5 million metric tonnes.
Elijah Adeyemi
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