In a major push to boost domestic refining, the Federal Government has granted 77 refinery-related licenses within the past year.
This includes 47 Licenses to Establish (LTE) and 30 Licenses to Construct (LTC), according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The agency made the announcement during its sixth “Meet-the-Press” session held on Tuesday in Abuja. NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ahmed, noted that the 47 LTEs alone could deliver nearly three million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity.
Breaking down the figures, Ahmed explained that the LTEs represent 1.75 million bpd while the LTCs account for an additional 1.23 million bpd. However, only four of the licensed plants with LTC are currently operational, producing 27,000 bpd collectively.
He highlighted some major ongoing projects, such as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 bpd. Other developments include AIPCC Energy’s 30,000 bpd plant and Waltersmith’s upcoming 5,000 bpd second train.
As for Nigeria’s current refining output, Ahmed said six private refineries and four public ones now contribute a combined 1.12 million bpd. Of this, private refineries provide 679,500 bpd—led by Dangote’s massive facility—while public refineries contribute 445,000 bpd.
The list of active modular refineries includes Aradel (11,000 bpd), OPAC (10,000 bpd), Waltersmith (5,000 bpd), Duport Midstream Limited (2,500 bpd), and Edo Refining and Petrochemicals Company Limited (1,000 bpd).
Publicly owned plants managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) also play a role. These include the Port Harcourt refinery (150,000 bpd), Warri refinery (125,000 bpd), Kaduna refinery (110,000 bpd), and the older Port Harcourt facility (60,000 bpd).
Ahmed emphasized that these efforts demonstrate the government’s commitment to cutting down dependence on imported petroleum products. He added that increasing refining capacity would boost job creation, improve energy security, and drive national economic development.
He also revealed that licenses have been issued for modular refineries in Edo, Delta, and Abia states. Once completed, these projects are expected to add another 140,000 bpd to the country’s refining capacity.
