The Dangote refinery is currently in the pre-commissioning phase and is not licenced, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The chief executive officer (CEO) of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, stated to reporters in Port Harcourt on Thursday that there are many worries about the country’s supply of petroleum products.
He said: “Well, just like you rightly asked, there are lots of concerns about the supply of petroleum products nationwide and the claims by some media houses that we were trying to scuttle Dangote refinery; that is not so.
“Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet. We have not licensed them yet.
“I think they are at about 45 percent completion. So we can not rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we should suspend or stop all importation of petroleum products, especially automotive gas oil (AGO) or jet kero, and direct all marketers to the refinery,” he added.
Continuing, he said this is bad for markets because of monopolies and bad for the country’s energy security.
Ahmed said: “So, in terms of quality, currently, the AGO quality in terms of sulphur is the lowest as far as West Africa’s requirement of 50 ppm.”
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“Dangote refinery as well as some major refineries like Waltersmith refinery, produce between 650 to 1200 ppm. So, in terms of quality, their quality is much more inferior to the imported quality.”
The richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, stated on June 4 that certain international oil corporations (IOCs) were having difficulty supplying crude to his refinery.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) chief executive officer, Gbenga Komolafe, called the assertion “erroneous” during an appearance on Arise TV on July 15. The PIA has regulations that govern willing buyer-willing seller agreements.
The management of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) claimed on July 17 that IOCs are preventing DIL from purchasing crude feedstock for the refinery.
