Dangote Refinery Hits 105% Capacity, Cuts Petrol Imports 26%
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has achieved a major operational milestone, operating at an average 105.21 percent capacity utilisation in August 2026, as stronger crude supply enabled the 700,000 barrels-per-day facility to significantly raise production and deepen its impact on Nigeria’s petroleum market.
Data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that the refinery processed an average 736,470 barrels of crude oil per day in August, representing a sharp increase from the 497,000 barrels processed daily in July, when utilisation stood at 71 percent.
The August performance means the refinery processed crude above its nameplate capacity, underscoring the scale of its recent operational ramp-up and growing importance to Nigeria’s drive to reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products.
The improved performance was supported by a rebound in domestic crude supply to the refinery. Crude deliveries increased by 16.75 percent to 683,000 barrels per day during the month, providing additional feedstock for the facility to raise throughput.
The higher crude processing translated into average daily production of 84.43 million litres of refined white products, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO/diesel) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK).
The development comes as Nigeria continues to seek greater domestic refining capacity, lower petroleum import dependence and stronger utilisation of locally produced crude.
According to Dangote Group, the August performance reinforces the refinery’s growing contribution to Nigeria’s energy security, foreign exchange conservation and industrialisation objectives.
The impact was particularly visible in the petrol market.
Domestic PMS deliveries from the refinery climbed 39 percent month-on-month to 35.87 million litres per day in August, accounting for approximately 71 percent of total domestic petrol supply.
The surge in local petrol supply coincided with a significant contraction in imports. National PMS imports fell by 26 percent to 14.60 million litres per day, highlighting the refinery’s increasing role in meeting domestic demand and reducing reliance on foreign refined products.
The refinery also strengthened Nigeria’s emerging export profile, shipping substantial volumes of refined petroleum products to international markets during the month.
Available data showed that the facility exported an average 9.73 million litres of PMS daily in August, alongside 8.75 million litres of diesel and 21.30 million litres of aviation fuel.
The export volumes could further strengthen Nigeria’s position in the regional refined petroleum products market while generating additional foreign exchange earnings.
The refinery’s impact was even more pronounced in the diesel market, where domestic AGO deliveries averaged 12.37 million litres per day in August.
Consequently, national diesel imports plunged from 7.90 million litres per day in July to just 1.30 million litres per day in August.
The dramatic decline in diesel imports underscores the potential of increased domestic refining to reshape the supply structure of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry, particularly for sectors heavily dependent on diesel-powered operations.
Transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications and electricity generation are among the major economic activities that rely heavily on diesel for logistics, machinery and distributed power.
Industry observers have continued to watch the refinery’s ramp-up closely as its growing output alters the balance between locally refined products and imports.
The August performance also comes at a significant period for the Dangote Group, with the refinery’s public offering attracting substantial attention from investors and the wider capital market.
Operating above its 700,000-barrel-per-day nameplate capacity represents another major milestone in the facility’s evolution from a newly commissioned mega-refinery into a significant player in Nigeria’s domestic and regional petroleum markets.
The sustained increase in throughput, coupled with stronger domestic product deliveries and growing exports, could further strengthen the refinery’s role in Nigeria’s broader energy transition from an import-dependent downstream market to one with greater domestic refining and export
Dangote Group said it remained committed to maximising local value addition, supporting economic diversification and ensuring the sustainable supply of high-quality refined petroleum products to Nigeria, Africa and global markets.
The August figures therefore point to a potentially significant shift in Nigeria’s petroleum landscape, with rising refinery utilisation increasingly translating into lower import requirements, higher domestic product availability and greater participation in the regional export market.
