Dangote Refinery Reaches Full Capacity, Sets Global Benchmark With 75m Litres of Petrol Daily
Story: Written by Myra February 11,2026
The Dangote Refinery has hit a major milestone after ramping up operations to its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, a breakthrough that places the facility among the highest-output single-train refineries in the world.
Valued at about $20 billion, the refinery is one of the largest private industrial investments ever undertaken in Africa. Industry experts say its current production level represents a global record for a single-train plant, underscoring the scale and ambition of the project.
The achievement followed the successful optimisation and performance testing of key processing units, including the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and the Motor Spirit (petrol) production block. With these systems now fully stabilised, the refinery is capable of supplying up to 75 million litres of petrol daily to Nigeria’s domestic market, a significant jump from the 45–50 million litres produced during the recent festive season.
David Bird, Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Refinery, said the milestone reflects the technical expertise and precision of the operations team. According to him, the refinery has demonstrated strong reliability and engineering excellence across its core systems.
To validate the upgrade, the facility completed a 72-hour performance test in collaboration with UOP, a Honeywell company and the refinery’s technology licensor. The tests covered critical units such as the naphtha hydrotreater, isomerisation unit and reformer, all central to gasoline production and quality assurance.
Energy analysts believe the development could significantly alter Nigeria’s fuel supply dynamics by cutting reliance on imported refined products and strengthening energy security. They also view the milestone as a major validation of Aliko Dangote’s long-standing vision to reposition Nigeria from a crude oil exporter to a leading refining hub.
