US hails Dangote Refinery as Nigeria’s petroleum exports hit 561,000bpd

Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product exports have increased seven-fold since 2023, driven largely by the rising output of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, according to the United States Energy Information Administration, EIA.

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.

The surge, according to the agency, has strengthened Nigeria’s position in the international petroleum products market, as supply disruptions in other regions have increased demand for alternative sources of refined products.

The EIA attributed the growth largely to the commencement of operations at the Dangote refinery in January 2024.

Citing data from energy intelligence firm Vortexa, the agency said about 350,000 bpd of the 561,000 bpd shipped in the second quarter of 2026 were exports, compared with an annual average of 46,000 bpd 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.

The agency said the increased production from the refinery had reshaped Nigeria’s petroleum products market by reducing the country’s dependence on imported fuels while increasing domestic supply.

Before the Dangote refinery commenced operations, Nigeria’s state-owned refineries collectively shipped less than 100,000 bpd of petroleum products for domestic and international markets.

However, the EIA said shipments increased significantly after the Dangote refinery began operations and rose further following the completion of maintenance and expansion works in February 2026.

The refinery’s crude distillation capacity subsequently increased from 650,000 bpd to 700,000 bpd, enabling it to produce and distribute larger volumes of refined petroleum products.

The EIA also linked the increase in Nigeria’s petroleum product shipments to supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, which created additional demand for refined products from alternative sources.

Within Nigeria, intra-country petroleum product shipments rose sharply during the period under review.

According to the agency, such shipments averaged 211,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 81,000 bpd in 2025 and 33,000 bpd in 2023.

The figures, it said, reflected the growing role of the Dangote refinery in supplying refined products to different parts of the country.

The refinery’s increasing output has also coincided with a sharp decline in Nigeria’s seaborne petroleum product imports.

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, according to the EIA.

Meanwhile, demand for Nigerian refined products in international markets has continued to rise.

Vortexa data cited by the EIA showed that Nigeria’s petroleum product exports to Europe averaged 130,000 bpd in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 40,000 bpd in 2025 and just 15,000 bpd in 2023.

The development signals a significant shift in Nigeria’s position in the refined petroleum products market, from a major importer towards an increasingly important supplier to both domestic and international markets.

The Dangote refinery, located in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, has increasingly become central to Nigeria’s efforts to reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products and strengthen domestic refining capacity.

The refinery has also announced plans to add another 700,000 bpd of fully complex refining capacity by the end of 2028.

The planned expansion would be in addition to its current capacity of about 700,000 bpd, potentially increasing 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 programme.