The Dangote Petroleum Refinery imported approximately 1.46 billion litres of intermediates and gasoline blendstock between January and May to supplement its crude oil processing and maximize finished fuel production.
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) indicates that the 650,000 barrels-per-day facility relies on these imported feedstocks to optimize its premium motor spirit (PMS) output and maintain high operational efficiency.
Gasoline blendstocks such as reformate, alkylate, and naphtha are intermediate petroleum products mixed during refining to enhance fuel volume, improve octane ratings, and ensure compliance with strict environmental regulations.
By incorporating these components, the refinery has been able to expand its output beyond what is yielded strictly from crude oil inputs, helping it sustain a daily petrol production of 44.7 million litres.
The NMDPRA statistical report reveals that the refinery’s blendstock import volumes fluctuated significantly alongside changes in domestic crude supplies.
In January, when initial crude receipts were lower at 9.53 million barrels, the refinery recorded its highest monthly blendstock import of 658.31 million litres.
As local and imported crude oil receipts rose to a peak of 20.92 million barrels in March, intermediate imports dropped sharply to a low of 102.35 million litres.
However, the trend reversed in April and May, with blendstock imports climbing back up to 240.59 million litres in May a 63.3 percent increase over the previous month reflecting an expansion of downstream processing activities.
This strategic deployment of imported intermediates enabled the facility to report an average capacity utilization rate of 101.25 percent in May, effectively operating above its nameplate thermal processing capacity despite receiving 17.92 million barrels of crude, which sits slightly below the theoretical monthly requirement for full-scale operations.
Out of the 44.7 million litres of petrol produced daily during that month, 41.5 million litres were directed to the domestic market.
The refinery also yielded 24.5 million litres of diesel and 21.9 million litres of aviation fuel per day, successfully exporting significant portions of both commodities to international markets.
Energy sector experts note that the blending of imported intermediates is standard international practice for modern refineries seeking to maximize the efficiency of secondary cracking units and produce cleaner, low-sulfur Euro V specification fuels.
This approach provides operational flexibility to adjust product ratios in response to shifting market demands, particularly during periods when domestic crude supplies experience minor fluctuations.
The facility continues to serve as the primary operational refining hub in the region, particularly as state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna remained completely shut down through May.
While the integration of foreign blendstocks has drastically reduced the country’s reliance on fully finished fuel imports, financial analysts point out that the ongoing purchase of international intermediates maintains pressure on foreign exchange reserves and exposes domestic production costs to global market risks.
