Nigeria's Dangote Refinery to operate at full capacity in 30 days, executive says
LAGOS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Nigeria's Dangote Oil refinery, Africa's largest, could begin operating at full capacity in 30 days, the head of the refinery said on Monday.
The 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos began processing crude into products, including diesel, naphtha and jet fuel, in January last year and started processing petrol in September.
It aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity but had been struggling to secure sufficient crude locally.
Edwin Devakumar, head of the Dangote oil refinery said it was currently operating at 85% capacity and "we can go 100 percent in 30 days."
Last year, the refinery turned to importing crude after it was unable to secure sufficient volumes despite an agreement with the Nigerian government to buy crude in the local naira currency.
It has asked for 550,000 bpd of crude for January-June this year from oil producers in Nigeria, according to the oil regulator, which has also said it would block export permits for oil cargoes from producers who fail to meet their stipulated supply quota to local refineries.
The Dangote Oil Refinery is exploring new markets for its refined products. Founder Aliko Dangote told a group of Nigerian professionals who visited last week that it was sending two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco as part of its plans to expand.
"We are looking at all the markets right now," said Devakumar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
China's imports of major commodities hiccup in May
LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 9 (Reuters) - China's imports of major commodities lost momentum in May, with crude oil, coal, iron ore and copper all recording declines amid concerns about growth in the world's second-biggest economy. Only imports of natural gas showed any improvement, with May's 10.11 million metric tons slightly ahead of the 9.67 million in April, although they were still down 11% from a year earlier, according to customs data released on Tuesday. Crude oil arrivals dropped to 10.97 million barrels per day (bpd) in May, down 6.2% from April's 11.69 million bpd and also below the 12.1 million bpd recorded for March, which was the strongest month since August 2023. Iron ore imports slipped to 98.13 million tons in May from 103.14 million tons in April, and were also weaker than the 102.03 million from May last year. Imports of all grades of coal were 36.04 million tons in May, down 4.7% from April's 37.83 million tons and 17.8% weaker than the 42.82 million tons in May 2024. Unwrought copper imports were 427,000 tons in May, down 2.5% from the 438,000 tons in April and also below the 514,000 tons from the same month a year earlier. On the surface the decline in imports of major commodities looks ominous for China as the world's biggest buyer of natural resources faces an ongoing trade war with the United States and still sluggish growth at home, especially in the key residential construction sector. But there is always a risk of reading too much into monthly numbers, which can be quite volatile and are also often driven by price moves during the period when cargoes were arranged. Crude oil is a good example of this. China's imports were weak in January and February, with cargoes delivered in these two months having been bought against a backdrop of rising prices, with benchmark Brent futures rallying from early December to a peak of $82.63 a barrel on Jan. 15. But oil prices started sliding thereafter, with Brent dropping to a low of $58.40 a barrel by April 9. Therefore, the rebound in China's crude imports in March and April came amid a declining price trend when the cargoes would have been bought. However, May cargoes would have been arranged when prices were once again trending higher. It's also worth noting that China's imports of Russian and Iranian crude have also been volatile in recent months, dropping as new U.S. sanctions on vessels were imposed and then recovering as traders worked out ways around the measures. This pattern seems likely to have continued, with commodity analysts Kpler estimating China's imports of Iranian oil at 743,500 bpd in May, but also forecasting a sharp rise to 1.48 million bpd in June. Iron ore imports may also have been impacted by price moves, with the price rising modestly over April, the time when most May-arriving cargoes would have been booked. The Singapore Exchange contract reached a recent high of $101.80 a ton on May 14, and has since moderated to end at $96.26 on June 6. While the price moves are modest, the small decline may encourage some buying by China's steel mills, especially given the prevailing view that Beijing will launch new stimulus efforts in coming weeks to boost the economy. Copper imports are also likely reflecting dynamics on global markets rather than the domestic situation in China. China's imports have trended weaker and are now down 6.7% for the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year. But physical copper has been shifting to the United States as market players expect President Donald Trump to impose a tariff on imports of the industrial metal. U.S. demand has bolstered the premium of copper for delivery to the United States, and drawn metal away from China. While the London price has been volatile and driven by news reports on what Trump may or may not do, the trend has been to higher prices, with an increase from an April 9 low of $8,105 a ton to $9,701 in early Asian trade on Monday. Coal is the major commodity where China's domestic prices and supply have driven weakness in imports, with strong production and soft local prices cutting the need for imports. Seaborne thermal coal prices have dropped to four-year lows in response, and there are some early signs that demand is picking up, but it will likely take further declines to spark any meaningful interest in boosting imports. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, opens new tab and X, opens new tab. (The views expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
China's consumer prices extend decline for fourth month in May
BEIJING, June 9 (Reuters) - China's consumer prices fell for a fourth straight month in May while producer deflation deepened, as the economy faces headwinds from trade tensions and a prolonged housing downturn. The consumer price index dipped 0.1% last month from a year earlier, versus a 0.1% drop in April, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday, slightly better than a Reuters poll forecast of a 0.2% decline. CPI slid 0.2% on a monthly basis, compared with a 0.1% increase in April, and matched economists' predictions of a 0.2% decline. The producer price index was down 3.3% in May from a year earlier, worse than a 2.7% decline in April and the deepest contraction in 22 months. That compared with an estimated 3.2% fall in a Reuters poll.
Scottish Sun
20 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Elon Musk has PTSD & made a MISTAKE by helping Trump, his dad claims as he reveals verdict on what caused explosive feud
ELON Musk has "White House PTSD" and thinks he made a mistake by helping Trump get reelected, his dad has claimed. Errol Musk, 79, made the explosive remarks in Moscow, where he's set to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum organised by Putin's inner circle. Advertisement 9 Errol Musk claims his son Elon has 'PTSD from the White House' Credit: East2West 9 Musk Snr also believes the Tesla boss regrets helping Trump get reelected Credit: Reuters 9 Errol is currently in Moscow to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum Credit: East2West 9 Elon reportedly donated $288 million to Trump's 2024 campaign Credit: AFP It comes just days after his billionaire son's high-profile alliance with the US President imploded in a fierce online feud. The world's richest man — who reportedly donated $288 million to Trump's 2024 campaign and briefly served as a White House aide — has now turned on the president over his sweeping tax and spending bill. Elon even claimed on X that Trump was tied to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, though the post was later deleted and the White House dismissed the allegation outright. Their bromance is now beyond repair. Advertisement On Sunday, Trump confirmed to NBC that he has no interest in making amends: 'I would assume so, yeah,' he said when asked if their relationship was over. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' Now, the Tesla and SpaceX boss is said to be grappling with regret and fatigue from his turbulent stint in Washington. Musk Snr told Putin-controlled media: 'So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he's made a mistake.' 'Trump will prevail. He's the president, he was elected as the president. Advertisement 'Elon made a mistake, I think, but he's tired, he's stressed. He added: 'Five months of continuous stress, continuous, continuous stress, stress, stress. Trump crushes 'peace talk' hopes with Musk as he insists Elon has 'lost his mind' and 'vows to get rid of his Tesla' 'And then in the end, it's just him and Trump left… They still don't know what to do, so they fight with each other until they can come to normal conditions.' The South African businessman likened the split to a "marriage going wrong" and suggested his son was out of depth in the brutal political arena. Advertisement He told Russian outlet Izvestia: 'It happens in marriages, it happens in partnerships, it happens a lot . 'And people have to understand that at the moment, Elon is having second thoughts... 'He's not a great politician, he is still learning, he's a great tech innovator and so forth. 'But his politics is, as I've said before, is a swimming pool with no bottom, it's a swimming pool with no sides. Advertisement 'When you're in a swimming pool of politics, you've got to really know where to go. 'And he [Elon] doesn't realise that.' 9 Errol made the explosive claims on Putin-controlled media in Russia Credit: East2West 9 He said his son had a very stressful five months Credit: East2West Advertisement Errol added that Elon had been trying to "get everything right" with a recent bill, but clashed with Trump over what he saw as excessive Democratic spending concessions. 'But unfortunately, he doesn't realise that in order to get their votes in the Senate and the Congress, Trump has to do that,' he said. 'They are the only two people left in the arena… and they took to each other, which is understandable.' Errol's comments were made to Tsargrad TV — owned by Konstantin Malofeev, a businessman with alleged links to Russian military intelligence. Advertisement He praised Moscow, saying: 'Whoever designed this city is a true genius. These majestic buildings remind me of Ancient Rome.' He also dismissed Western portrayals of the Russian capital as 'nonsense.' 9 Trump and Musk's bromance fell through in a spectacular public feud online Credit: AFP 9 The feud erupted over Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which proposed stripping billions in government subsidies from Tesla Credit: AP Advertisement Errol will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and 'philosopher' Alexander Dugin. Meanwhile, Russia appears eager to capitalize on Musk's estrangement from the US political elite. Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev cheekily offered to mediate peace talks between 'D and E' — Trump and Elon— 'for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment.' Another Kremlin loyalist, ex-space chief Dmitry Rogozin, publicly offered Musk asylum. Advertisement 'You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us,' Rogozin wrote. Russia would offer him 'reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity'.
