Nigeria’s Dangote refinery has been in talks with Libya to secure crude for the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) plant and will also seek Angolan oil, a senior executive said as reported by Reuters on Saturday.
“We are talking to Libya about importing crude,” Dangote refinery senior executive Devakumar Edwin told Reuters late on Saturday, adding that they will talk to Angola as well and some other countries in Africa.”
The $20 billion refinery seeks to overcome problems with domestic supplies. It’s built by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote on the outskirts of Lagos is Africa’s largest, and is designed to end Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuels because of insufficient refining capacity.
Edwin declined to give detail about the talks, but said international traders and oil companies were among the biggest buyers of Dangote’s gasoil, much of which was being exported.
“The biggest offtakers are the two big traders Trafigura and Vitol and BP and, to some extent, even TotalEnergies. But all of them are saying they are taking it to offshore,” Edwin said.
Traders and shipping data have shown that Dangote is increasing gas-oil exports to West Africa, taking market share from European refiners.
