The $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery has ramped up exports of petrol, aviation fuel, and diesel as refineries across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East undergo maintenance shutdowns. Industry sources confirmed that the Lekki-based plant exported large volumes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), and Jet A1 fuel in August, helping to fill the supply gap created by refinery closures in the Gulf region.
According to Argus Media, the Middle East is entering a heavy refinery turnaround season, with Saudi Aramco taking multiple facilities offline. These include the 460,000 barrels-per-day Satorp refinery in Jubail, set for a 60-day shutdown later this year, and the Riyadh refinery, which is also scheduled for maintenance. Other plants, including the 400,000 bpd Yasref refinery in Yanbu and the Jizan refinery, are already running at reduced capacity or under partial shutdown.
The supply crunch has led to surging fuel imports into the region. Data from ship-tracking firm Vortexa revealed that gasoline imports into the Middle East Gulf reached 1.03 million tonnes in July, a 35 per cent jump from June and the highest level since January. Saudi Arabia’s gasoline imports rose sharply to 478,000 tonnes in July, while the UAE imported 864,000 tonnes in August, underscoring the growing demand for external supply sources.
With this backdrop, Dangote Refinery has emerged as a key alternative supplier. In recent months, it exported two long-range cargoes of fuel to the Middle East, while also scaling up production to meet international demand. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, confirmed that the refinery had successfully exported multiple cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco earlier in the year and more recently began exporting petrol to international markets. He disclosed that Nigeria exported nearly one million tonnes of PMS between June and July alone, effectively positioning the country as a net exporter of refined petroleum products.
Despite industry reports of technical issues at its facility, Dangote officials dismissed concerns, affirming that production is on track to hit 700,000 barrels per day by December 2025. With Gulf refineries still grappling with outages and India facing stronger domestic demand, analysts believe that the Dangote Refinery is set to strengthen its position as a major fuel exporter, turning Nigeria into a critical player in the global downstream oil market.
Source: Punch