Dangote refinery's diesel quality proves divisive

Nigerian conglomerate Dangote Group has defended the quality of diesel output from its 650,000 b/d refinery near Lagos after the country's downstream regulator said it contained much higher levels of sulphur than imported product.

Dangote said the sulphur content of its diesel is now as low as 88ppm, citing laboratory tests on a sample from the refinery's mild hydrocracking unit. The company issued the statement in response to claims from the head of the downstream regulator NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, that diesel from Dangote and some of Nigeria's small modular refineries lies between 650ppm and 1,200ppm.

Dangote said it aims to achieve 10ppm diesel production this week, in line with Euro V specifications and lower than the 50ppm cap on west African imports, adding that the NMDPRA allows domestic refiners to produce up to 650ppm diesel until January next year.

Since receiving its first crude feedstock cargo late last year, the refinery has exported low-sulphur straight run fuel oil, naphtha, gasoil and jet fuel via its offshore single point moorings, according to vessel trackers Vortexa and Kpler. The refinery also hosts its own truck-out gantries to load product for overland delivery.

Farouk said the NMDPRA has not complied with a request from Dangote to suspend imports of middle distillates due to concerns around security of supply and market monopoly. Dangote has pushed back against the monopoly concerns, saying there are multiple players in the industry, including state-owned NNPC.

Nigerian imports of diesel, jet fuel/kerosine, naphtha and fuel oil have declined since the Dangote refinery came online, falling to 8,600 t/d so far this year from 10,900 t/d across the whole of 2023, according to Vortexa data. Nigeria's gasoline imports have declined too, but at a slower pace — to 27,500 t/d from 30,200 t/d over the same period — reflecting the fact Dangote's gasoline production units have yet to start up.

By George Maher-Bonnett and Adebiyi Olusolape