Dangote Refinery Commences Equipment Installation

The Dangote Oil Refining Company (DORC) Limited recently took delivery of one of the major components of its refinery equipment; the regenerator for the Residual Fluid Catalytic cracker.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is one of the most important conversion processes used in petroleum refineries. It is widely used to convert the high-boiling, high-molecular weight hydrocarbon fractions of petroleum crude oils into more valuable gasoline, olefinic gases, and other products.

Sources said the company has commenced the installation of equipment for the 650,000 barrels-per-day crude oil refinery being built in the Lekki area of Lagos. The refinery has continued to receive heavy equipment, through the Dangote jetty, located close to the refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

It would be recalled that the jetty, constructed by Dangote Oil Refinery received its first ship of 132 metres long, 9,755 tonnes general cargo ship, last year to deliver essential equipment for the ongoing construction.

The refinery is being designed to accommodate multiple grades of domestic and foreign crude and process these into high-quality gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuels that meet Euro V emissions specifications, plus polypropylene. It will include a crude distillation unit, single-train residual fluid catalytic cracking unit, diesel hydro-treating unit, continuous catalyst regeneration unit, alkylation unit, and a polypropylene unit. The refinery will also be able to adjust its production of different products to match market demands.

The Dangote refinery, when completed, will become the largest single train refinery in the world. The refinery, sited on 2,600 hectares of land will produce gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel/household kerosene, slurry as raw material for carbon black, as well as 750,000 mtpa of polypropylene and fertilizer. This project fully completed would end the country’s dependence on imports, while reviving and transforming the Nigerian economy by making it an exporter of oil.

The head of Quality Assurance/Quality Compliance and Construction, DORC, Mr. Rama Putta, said the sand filling of the site has been completed, adding that 60 per cent of the land was swampy.

“The refinery equipment are coming in semi-finished shape and we will finish them off here at the sight. The remaining are being manufactured in various countries, including China, India, America, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia,” he said.

Executive director, Dangote Group, Mr. Devakumar Edwin said the 650,000 barrel per day refinery would stimulate economic development in Nigeria. He said the refinery was designed to process a variety of light and medium grades of crude and produce extremely clean fuels that meet Euro V specification.

The Dangote boss said usually, the sulphur in petroleum fuels results in vehicle exhaust emissions that have negative impact on health and environment, adding that the Dangote plant has invested in most advanced technology to produce Euro V fuel due to help Nigeria meet the European Standard of gasoline.

He said the project would provide thousands of direct and indirect jobs and add value to the Nigeria’s economic development, noting that the refinery will lead to significant skills transfer and technology acquisition opportunities in the country.

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote disclosed that upon completion, the Dangote Refinery will meet 100 per cent daily Nigerian consumption of all refined products and would also have the surplus for export.

Dangote said that the Refinery and petrochemical projects include: world second largest Urea plant with capacity to produce three million tons per annum; the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in any country in the world, 1100 km, to handle three billion scuf of gas per day; world scale gas treatment stations; world-class petrochemical complex; 480MW power plant and 500 KPTA polyethylene plant.

The largest single train refinery in the world, upon completion, according to Dangote, will create no fewer than 100,000 indirect jobs, 26,716 filling stations and 129 depots in Nigeria. Though, while the project construction is ongoing, 1,500 direct labour, 100,000 contractors on site and 10,000 service providers are employed.

On completion, the project which is expected to commence operations in April 2020, will also create ease of product availability and 26,000 trucks for transport, which will also create more jobs.

“The projects will make Nigeria become the largest exporter of petrochemicals and biggest exporters of refined petroleum products in Africa. Our gas pipeline project will transport three billion standard cubic feet (scuf) per day of gas. I hope and pray that other Nigerians will join us in developing the country,” Dangote was quoted.

Also, the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, recently, after touring the ongoing Dangote Refinery, Petrochemicals, Fertilizer projects and Dangote deep-water jetty commended Aliko Dangote for the volume of work done on the Dangote projects since his last visit over two years ago, also enthused that the refinery and fertilizer projects would help Nigeria to create thousands of Jobs and check importation of fuel by the federal government; thereby saving government huge amounts of forex currently being spent on fuel import.

He added that about 55 to 60 per cent of Nigeria’s spending on foreign exchange for the importation of petroleum products and food items would be saved when the Dangote Refinery come on stream, saying that one third of Nigeria’s spending on forex will also be retained when the Dangote Refinery is completed.

Emefiele described the Dangote Refinery as transformational project for Nigeria, which totally keys into the objectives of President Muhammadu Buhari on self-sufficiency in petroleum products, conservation of forex and diversification of the economy. “I am sure by that time, the CBN will be begging Dangote to sell its dollars to the bank,” he said.

He noted that the completion of the refinery would make Nigeria self-sufficient in the production of refined products and also make the country to be among the league of exporters of petroleum products.

Emefiele declared the CBN’s support to any company or individuals who are ready to invest in the transformation of the Nigeria economy. “We are ready to support in Naira and also ready to provide foreign exchange for any investor who is ready to support Nigeria’s transformational agenda.

“I use this opportunity to repeat that we are ready to support any individual like Aliko Dangote who is willing to invest in this country. We will continue to support companies that display the determination to support the CBN. I feel so delighted and I am happy this is happening in my own life-time and I am sure you are all so happy.”

SOURCE: leadership