Refinery prepares for major maintenance as crude intake drops 30% and RFCC heads for two-month shutdown.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has received its second-ever shipment of crude oil from Ghana, a development that aligns with a significant drop in its crude purchases from Europe as the facility adjusts its feedstock mix ahead of major maintenance.
Industry tracking data shows that the latest cargo, carrying Ghana’s Sankofa grade, arrived in November, marking only the second time the refinery has sourced crude from the country. The move strengthens expectations that the plant will increasingly rely on domestic and West African grades as it stabilises output and prepares for planned unit shutdowns.
According to data from Kpler, crude deliveries to the refinery averaged around 380,000 barrels per day between September and November—about 30 per cent lower than volumes recorded during the July–August peak.
Kpler reported:
“In November, Dangote’s crude receipts consisted almost entirely of Nigerian grades, mainly Bonny Light, followed by Amenam, Forcados, Utapate, and Qua Iboe. Notably, the second-ever cargo from Ghana arrived as well, carrying Sankofa. Looking ahead, we expect the crude slate to remain primarily domestic, supplemented by smaller volumes from other West African producers or the United States.”
The reduced intake is tied to repeated outages and extensive maintenance work at the refinery. Notably, the Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit began a two-month shutdown on December 4, while a one-week outage on the Crude Distillation Unit is scheduled for late January.
As intake from Europe declines particularly from North Sea and Mediterranean suppliers, the refinery has shifted toward shorter-haul Nigerian and regional West African grades that offer more flexibility during maintenance.
Kpler noted that imports into the facility “have fallen sharply from their highs over July and August,” with arrivals dropping about 180,000 barrels per day from summer levels. It added that the RFCC, which had struggled throughout Q3 with regenerator issues and intermittent cycling, is expected to restart around February 1, 2026.
November’s receipts were dominated by Bonny Light, followed by Amenam, Forcados, Utapate and Qua Iboe, with Sankofa as the only non-Nigerian crude in the lineup. The trend reflects both operational adjustments and the refinery’s preference for nearby suppliers, which offer shorter voyage times and greater scheduling flexibility during periods of reduced throughput.
The shift in the refinery’s crude slate is already affecting Nigeria’s downstream sector. With the RFCC offline until February, petrol production is expected to fall to around 80,000 barrels per day, down from the 100,000–130,000 barrels per day achieved in recent months. This shortfall is raising Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrol.
Kpler’s latest data shows that Nigeria’s petrol imports nearly doubled in November to about 300,000 barrels per day, the highest in 14 months driven largely by increased demand for supplies from Europe, especially the Netherlands and Belgium.
The report stated that reduced refinery operations will likely push national throughput down to 320,000–350,000 barrels per day between December and February, compared with roughly 450,000 barrels per day in October. It expects a rebound after maintenance, with runs potentially exceeding 500,000 barrels per day by April 2026.
Despite the temporary slowdown, the Dangote refinery has assured the public that fuel supply will remain stable through the festive period. Chairman and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, said the plant will supply 1.5 billion litres of petrol to the domestic market in December 2025 and another 1.5 billion litres in January 2026.
“In line with our commitment to national well-being, and consistent with our track record of ensuring a holiday season free of fuel scarcity, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will supply 1.5 billion litres of PMS to the Nigerian market this month,” Dangote said. “This represents 50 million litres per day.”
He added that the refinery plans to increase supply to 1.7 billion litres about 60 million litres per day in February once more units return online.
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