Nigeria’s refining capacity soars with 47 new licenses

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has issued 47 Licenses to Establish (LTE) and 30 Licenses to Construct (LTC) refineries in one year, significantly advancing Nigeria’s refining capacity.

Announced by NMDPRA CEO Farouk Ahmed during the sixth Meet-the-Press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, these licenses represent a combined refining capacity of nearly 3 million barrels per day (bpd).

“We have issued 47 Licenses to Establish covering 1.75 million bpd and 30 Licenses to Construct for 1.23 million bpd. Currently, only four plants hold Licenses to Operate with a steady output of 27,000 bpd,” Ahmed said.

Among the LTC projects, five are at commissioning or construction stages, including Dangote Refinery (650,000 bpd), AIPCC Energy (30,000 bpd), and Waltersmith’s second train (5,000 bpd).

Ahmed noted, “Six licensed private refineries and four public ones are producing a total of 1.12 million bpd.”

Private facilities contribute 679,500 bpd, with Dangote leading at 650,000 bpd, followed by Aradel (11,000 bpd), OPAC (10,000 bpd), Waltersmith (5,000 bpd), Duport Midstream Limited (2,500 bpd), and Edo Refining and Petrochemicals Company Limited (1,000 bpd).

Public refineries, managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, add 445,000 bpd from Port Harcourt (150,000 bpd and 60,000 bpd), Warri (125,000 bpd), and Kaduna (110,000 bpd).

“These developments underline our commitment to reducing dependency on imported refined products,” Ahmed stated, highlighting plans to further expand capacity for economic growth, job creation, and energy security.

Recent approvals for modular refineries in Edo, Delta, and Abia will add 140,000 bpd upon completion.