A month after it received the first batch of 1 million barrels of crude oil, the Dangote Refinery has received its sixth similar consignment, marking the target needed to commence operations by the world’s largest single-train refinery.
- •In early December, the refinery received the first one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO).
- •Since then, Dangote Refinery has been receiving, in batches, one million barrels of crude oil.
- •The sixth batch was supplied the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
“Once the 6 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 LPG before subsequently progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),” Akin Omole, Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, said during the maiden delivery.
Designed for 100% Nigerian crude with the flexibility to process other crudes, the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery can process most African crude grades, Middle Eastern Arab Light,US Light tight oil, and crude from other countries.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of Nigeria’s requirement of all refined products, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet, and also have surplus for export.
- •The refinery was built to take crude through its two SPMs located 25 kilometres from the shore and to discharge petroleum products through three separate SPMs.
- •The refinery can load upto 2,900 trucks a day.
- •It also has a marine facility that can handle the largest vessels in the world today.
Meanwhile, Dangote Group, the parent company of Dangote Refinery, has sought to clarify a Jan 4th raid by anti-corruption watchdog, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to its headquarters.
The EFCC has been investigating a controversial multiple exchange rate regime ran by the country’s former central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele. Among the allegations is that the regime allowed favouritism. Emefiele was only granted bail in December after being detained by various agencies for six months. On Jan 8th, the High Court in Abuja ordered the EFCC to pay him N100 million for his prolonged detention.
“…no accusations of wrongdoing have been made against any company within our Group,” the company said in the Jan 8 statement.
- •The conglomerate said that it had received a letter from the EFCC to supply details of “all the foreign exchange allocated to [] company…from 2014 to the present,” in early December.
- •Similar letters were sent to all other listed companies.
- •The Group said it had requested for additional information and time, which were denied, and that its team was at the EFCC delivering the first batch of documents when the headquarters were raided.
According to the Financial Times, the fact that Dangote Group was the only listed company to be raided by the anti-corruption watchdog might fuel speculation that its founder and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, “has fallen out of favour with Tinubu’s administration.”
