The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced its imminent entry into production of refined petroleum products as it welcomed the sixth batch of one million barrels of crude oil, a critical milestone for its initial operations.

In a statement released on Monday, the company confirmed its readiness, saying, “Dangote refinery appears set to commence production of refined petroleum products with the receipt of the sixth batch of barrels of crude supplied by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited.”

The final delivery, comprising one million Agbami barrels of crude via MT ALMI SUN, marks the completion of the scheduled six million barrels required for the commencement of operations at the world’s largest single-train refinery.

Just a month ago, Dangote refinery received its first one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited, a major player in Nigeria’s oil trading industry. Since then, the refinery has received crude oil in consecutive batches.

The latest batch of one million barrels of Agbami crude was successfully discharged on Monday at the Single Point Mooring at the Dangote Offshore Oil Terminal.

Akin Omole, Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, stated that the refinery is now primed to begin operations, saying, “Once the six million barrels are fully delivered, it will facilitate the initial run of the refinery as well as kick-start the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas before subsequently progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit.”

This development comes as a ray of hope in addressing the persistent fuel supply challenges faced not only by Nigeria but also by neighboring West African countries.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, designed to handle 100% Nigerian crude while offering flexibility to process other types of crude, boasts a daily capacity of 650,000 barrels. It can efficiently process various African crude grades, Middle Eastern Arab Light, US Light tight oil, and crudes from other nations.

According to the company, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery can satisfy the entirety of Nigeria’s demand for refined products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet fuel, with a surplus available for export.