In a significant move for Nigeria’s burgeoning oil sector, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is set to receive a substantial shipment of 12 million barrels of crude oil from the United States, with delivery expected to arrive by February.
The refinery, which is ramping up production, will take in the crude as part of its ongoing efforts to bolster its supply chain.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the crude has already left the U.S. and is en route to Nigeria, with the shipment expected to arrive next month.
This latest development marks a critical step for the refinery as it continues to enhance its operations amid local supply challenges.
The Dangote Refinery, which boasts a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, has previously turned to local feedstock, receiving around 24 million barrels from Nigeria in October and November.
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During this period, the refinery was set to take 13 to 14 shipments from Nigeria’s monthly crude oil programme, which typically includes 50 cargoes.
Despite these efforts to rely more on domestic oil, the arrival of U.S. crude could signal a shift back to international suppliers as gaps in local supply persist.
This follows concerns raised by Dangote Industries Vice President Edwin Devakumar in November, who highlighted the difficulties the refinery faced in securing consistent supply from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). Devakumar noted that NNPC had fallen short of its supply commitment of 385,000 barrels per day to the refinery.
The shipment also comes at a time when Nigeria officially began selling crude oil and refined petroleum products in naira in October 2024.
The move was part of a broader strategy to address supply issues, boost local refining capacity, and reduce Nigeria’s dependency on imported petroleum products.
As Dangote Refinery continues to scale up, the arrival of U.S. crude underscores both the challenges and opportunities facing the refinery in its quest to become a cornerstone of Nigeria’s oil and refining industry.
