The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has recorded a historic milestone, becoming the first refinery in the world to attain and sustain full 650,000 barrels per day capacity on its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) Block.
The refinery announced that both units are now operating at optimal performance following a scheduled maintenance exercise, marking what it described as a landmark achievement in global refining operations.
As part of the post-maintenance process, the refinery commenced an intensive 72-hour performance test run in collaboration with its licensor, UOP, to validate operational efficiency and confirm that all critical parameters meet international standards.
Chief Executive Officer, David Bird, said the milestone demonstrates the strength of the refinery’s engineering design and operational capacity.
“Our teams have demonstrated exceptional precision and expertise in stabilising both the CDU and MS Block. This milestone underscores the strength, reliability and engineering quality that define our operations. We remain committed to producing high-quality refined products that will transform Nigeria’s energy landscape,” he said.
Bird confirmed that the CDU and MS Block — which include the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit and reformer unit — are now running steadily at their full nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.
He added that other processing units will begin their respective performance test runs in Phase 2, scheduled to commence next week.
During the recent festive period, the refinery supplied between 45 and 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily. With the CDU and MS Block now fully restored and optimised, the facility is positioned to comfortably deliver up to 75 million litres of PMS to the domestic market as required.
Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian billionaire businessman and industrialist, consistently ranked as Africa’s richest person with an estimated net worth of $13.9–$24.9 billion in 2025–2026.
He is the founder and Chairman of the Dangote Group, a major conglomerate specializing in cement, sugar, salt, fertilizer, and petroleum refining across Africa.
Started as a trading firm in 1977 with a loan from his uncle. It shifted from importing to manufacturing in the late 1990s.
Through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, he focuses on health, education, and social empowerment, notably partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to eradicate polio.
