Nigeria’s Dangote oil refinery has cancelled planned maintenance at its gasoline-producing unit scheduled for June, industry sources report.
The decision follows an unplanned shutdown from 7 April to 11 May, during which necessary maintenance was completed ahead of schedule.
The 204,000-barrels-per-day gasoline unit was originally set for a 30-day maintenance period in June, according to industry monitor IIR.
During the unexpected outage, the refinery shifted focus to exporting residual products such as straight run fuel oil, shipping data shows.
Meanwhile, exports of finished fuels like jet fuel and gasoil declined, reflecting a change in operational priorities during the shutdown.
Data from trade analytics firm Kpler revealed Nigeria’s gasoline imports surged 24% in April, reaching 157,000 barrels per day.
Commissioned in January 2024, the 650,000 bpd Dangote refinery began producing key fuels including gasoil, naphtha, and jet fuel.
Gasoline production commenced in September, marking a major milestone for Africa’s largest single-train refinery.
Located in Lagos, the plant is a flagship project of Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, aimed at reducing fuel imports.
The refinery has not issued an official comment regarding the cancelled maintenance or the implications for future output.