Dangote Officially World’s Largest Refinery with 650,000 bpd Output

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reached a historic milestone, with its Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and Motor Spirit (MS) production block now operating at full nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.

This marks the first time any refinery worldwide has achieved such output. The breakthrough follows scheduled maintenance and optimization work on the two critical units.

Chief Executive Officer David Bird announced the achievement, describing it as proof of the refinery’s engineering excellence.

“Our teams have shown remarkable precision in bringing the CDU and MS Block to optimal efficiency. This testing phase allows us to validate the entire plant under actual operating conditions, and we’re confident in our ability to deliver consistent, world‑class output,” he said.

The refinery has launched a 72‑hour performance testing phase in partnership with technology licensor UOP to validate operational efficiency and ensure compliance with international standards.

The CDU and MS Block—which include the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerization unit, and reformer unit—are now running steadily at maximum capacity.

Bird confirmed that remaining processing units will enter their performance test runs during Phase 2, set to begin next week.

Boost to Nigeria’s Fuel Supply

With enhanced capacity, the refinery can now supply up to 75 million liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily to Nigeria’s domestic market.

This is a significant increase from the 45–50 million liters delivered during the recent holiday period.

Bird expressed gratitude to customers and the Nigerian public, reaffirming the refinery’s commitment to strengthening energy security.

“We are dedicated to eliminating petroleum product imports and establishing Nigeria as a net exporter while driving industrial growth and economic transformation,” he said.

The milestone positions the Dangote Refinery – and indeed Nigeria – as a global leader in refining capacity and a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic future.