By Karen James
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has delivered a total of 48.6 million barrels of crude oil to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery over the past 10 months, according to investigations by *Vanguard*. The deliveries, which spanned from December 2023 to October 2024, were detailed in official transaction data seen by *Vanguard*, highlighting the significant partnership between NNPCL and the country’s largest private refinery.
In December 2023, 3.4 million barrels were supplied to the Dangote Refinery, with February 2024 seeing a slight increase to 3.5 million barrels. Deliveries fluctuated in the following months: 3.3 million barrels each in March and April, 3.0 million barrels in May, and larger quantities of 5.1 million barrels in June and July. The months of August and September saw 4.8 million and 5.6 million barrels delivered, respectively, with October already recording 11.7 million barrels.
Despite the seemingly robust deliveries, sources close to the Dangote Refinery revealed that the volume of crude supplied is still far below the refinery’s installed refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The shortfall has raised concerns about whether the refinery can reach its full potential in the near term, given the current supply levels.
As of now, the NNPCL has not disclosed the crude oil requirements for Nigeria’s refineries, including Dangote Refinery, for the final quarter of 2024. However, data from the second quarter (Q2’24) indicated that the government had set the total crude oil demand for all Nigerian refineries at 597,700 barrels per day. This figure represents an increase of 114,700 barrels per day from the 483,000 barrels per day requirement in the first half of the year.
The Dangote Refinery, which is central to Nigeria’s plan to reduce its dependence on imported refined products, is expected to play a major role in transforming the country’s energy landscape. However, questions remain about whether crude oil supplies can match the refinery’s capacity as the nation seeks to meet its growing energy needs.
