…Nigeria restates commitment to North Core Regional Interconnection Project- Minister***
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says the Dangote petroleum refinery is at 97 per cent completion.
NMDPRA’s Chief Executive, Mr Farouk Ahmed, made the disclosure in a statement signed by Mr Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communication Officer, Dangote Industry Ltd., on Thursday in Lagos.
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Ahmed said this when the representatives of the Dangote refinery paid a visit to the regulatory agency in Abuja to present the work plan of the facility for 2022/2023.
Ahmed said the Dangote refinery with 650,000 barrels per day installed capacity was expected to double the total output of Nigeria’s existing ailing refining infrastructure.
The facility, he said, which was also billed to meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s requirement of all refined products would pump out fuel any moment soon.
He noted that the successful completion of Africa’s biggest petroleum refinery and the world’s largest single-train facility was expected to have a significant impact on Nigeria’s foreign exchange through import substitution and substantial savings in earnings.
According to him, once the refinery commences production, the pressure on the nation’s currency will reduce and a significant inflow of foreign exchange is expected to come in through sales from the refinery.
“Upon completion of the refinery, it is estimated that Nigeria will import zero petroleum oil products – down from approximately $50 billion in current oil product imports per year.
“Today, representatives of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals presented their 2022/2023 work plan to the authority which showed that the refinery project is estimated to be at 97 per cent completion.
“The refinery is a 650,000 barrels per day integrated refinery project under construction in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos.
“It is expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility,” he said.
Ahmed reiterated the importance of the refinery to the country and assured that the authority would give the necessary support to ensure its timely completion to kick-start operations.
The Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development and Capital Projects, Dangote Industries Ltd., Mr Devakumar Edwin, said the refinery would stimulate economic development in Nigeria.
Edwin added that the project could meet 100 per cent of the country’s requirement of all liquid products (gasoline, diesel, kerosene and aviation jet), and also have a surplus of each of these products for export.
He stated that the high volume of petroleum output from the refinery would transform Nigeria from a petrol import-dependent country to an exporter of refined petroleum products.
Edwin said that over 30,000 people were currently working at the project site, adding that it would generate over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs for Nigerian youths.
He added that the refinery had its own dedicated steam and power generation system with adequate standby units of reliable/uninterrupted utility supply to its operating plants.
“It also has a self-sufficient marine facility with the ability for freight optimisation; the largest single order of 5 SPMs anywhere in the world; Crude SPM for unloading ships up to ULCCs; 3 product SPM for product exports up to Suez Max vessels and 2 X 48” subsea crude pipelines with interconnection.
“Dangote industries have developed a port and constructed quays with loading bearing capacity of 25 tonnes/sq meters to bring over dimensional cargoes close to the site directly to handle liquid cargoes.
“The jetty is situated at a distance of 12.3 km from the refinery thereby effectively reducing the travel time.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery maintains high standards for all its business practices, valuing health, safety, environment and rights for its employees, compliances with all applicable local and international laws, and being a committed partner to communities, governments and the environment,” Edwin added.
In another development, the Minister of Power, Mr Abubakar Aliyu on Thursday in Abuja affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the North Core Regional Interconnection Project.
Mr Odutayo Oluseyi, the Assistant Director, Information/Press, Ministry of Power said this in a statement in Abuja.
Oluseyi quoted the minister as saying this when Shubham Chaudhuri, the Country Director, of Nigeria’s Western and Central Africa Region, and his team who were on a joint midterm review mission of the project visited him.
The minister assured the funding partners of the North Core/Dorsale Nord Regional Interconnector Project comprising Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso of Nigeria’s commitment to the actualisation of the project.
Responding to the issues of Social Safeguard payments, and compensation of communities that the project would affect, he said that there was an adequate budgetary provision to cater for them, particularly in the 2022 budget
He said that as soon as all required processes were put in place, the compensation would commence as contractors could move to the site as long as there were no encumbrances.
According to him, there is a need for all funding partners to be aligned to avoid delays in the execution of the project.
He also assured them that adequate security measures were being put in place by all West Africa Power Pool Countries (WAPP).
He said that the Minister of Defence, Nigeria and all other defence ministers were present at the February 2022 ground-breaking ceremony at Niamey, Niger to put in place measures as regards to security.
Speaking earlier, Chaudhuri said part of the objective of the joint mid-term review mission on the project by the World Bank, Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) was to discuss the results achieved.
Chaudhiri, represented by Emmanuel Py, Senior Energy Specialist and Project Manager, project said that the joint mid-term review would also discuss the constraint to the implementation of the remaining project activities.
”And the Northern Corridor project; Social Safeguard payments steps in terms of resettlement action plan (RAP) implementation in Nigeria;
”Actions and implementation plan in order to ensure Nigeria electricity is expected by November 2024, ” he said.
He also requested for adequate security along the corridors in view of its importance to the early completion of the project.
