The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has disclosed that it has not licensed the Dangote refinery even as marketers are gearing up towards getting petrol products from it next month as the country fuel is battling with fuel scarcity.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed spoke with journalists on Thursday, July 18, that the refinery was still at the pre-commissioning stage.
This development comes days after the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, announced that Dangote Refinery is set to commence fuel supply in August 2024.
“Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet. We have not licensed them yet,” Ahmed was quoted to have said.
He continued: “I think they are at about 45 percent completion. So, we cannot 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.
Ahmed stressed that the request would promote monopoly in the market and was not good for the nation in terms of energy security.
“So, in terms of quality, currently, the AGO quality in terms of sulfur in the lowest as far as a West African requirement of 50 ppm.
“Dangote Refinery, as well as some major refineries, like Walter Smith’s refinery, other refineries, they produce 650 to 1,200 ppm. So, in terms of quality, their quality is much, much inferior to the imported commodities,” he added.
According to him, the demand for the Dangote refinery cannot be met by the authorities at this time hence it could lead to energy insecurity and market monopoly.
