US: Dangote Refinery drives sevenfold surge in Nigeria’s fuel exports
Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports have risen sevenfold since 2023, driven largely by increased output from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) has said.
The EIA said Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product shipments averaged 561,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter of 2026, compared with an annual average of 79,000 bpd in 2023.
It attributed the sharp increase largely to the commencement of operations at the Dangote Refinery in January 2024, saying the development had significantly altered Nigeria’s refined petroleum products market.
Data from energy intelligence firm Vortexa cited by the EIA showed that about 350,000 bpd of the 561,000 bpd shipped in the second quarter of 2026 were exported.
This compared with an average of 46,000 bpd exported annually in 2023.
“With increased supply of petroleum products from the country’s largest refinery, imports fell, exports increased, and Nigeria became more self-sufficient in refined petroleum products,” the EIA said.
Before the Dangote Refinery began operations, Nigeria’s state-owned refineries collectively shipped less than 100,000 bpd of petroleum products for both domestic and international markets.
The EIA said shipments increased substantially after the Dangote refinery came on stream and received another boost following maintenance and expansion work completed in February 2026.
The refinery’s crude distillation capacity subsequently increased from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd, allowing it to produce and supply more refined petroleum products.
The EIA said disruptions to petroleum supplies through the Strait of Hormuz also contributed to increased demand for Nigerian refined products during the period.
Domestic distribution equally expanded, with intra-Nigerian petroleum product shipments rising to 211,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, from 81,000 bpd in 2025 and 33,000 bpd in 2023.
The increase has helped reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
According to the EIA, Nigeria imported nearly 400,000 bpd of petroleum products in 2023, but seaborne imports fell to less than 130,000 bpd by the second quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, demand for Nigerian refined products in international markets has continued to grow.
Vortexa data showed that exports to Europe averaged 130,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 40,000 bpd in 2025 and only 15,000 bpd in 2023.
The EIA said the developments highlighted the growing importance of the Dangote Refinery to Nigeria’s energy security, domestic fuel supply and emergence as an exporter of refined petroleum products.
The refinery has also announced plans to add another 700,000 bpd of fully complex refining capacity by the end of 2028.
If completed, the expansion would take its total refining capacity to about 1.4 million bpd.
The refinery’s Chief Executive Officer, David Bird, said long-lead equipment had already been procured, while construction contracts were being awarded for the expansion.
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