By Hadiza Suleman
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, says the standard of petroleum products refined by the Dangote Refinery is inferior to imported ones.
NIMDPRA further downplayed petroleum products refined by Watersmith, Aradel, and other modular refineries.
The chief executive of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, said this in a recent interview with journalists, a video of which was published by TVC.
Mr Ahmed debunked reports that some elements within the oil and gas sector were trying to scuttle the Dangote Refinery. He said the 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery had not been issued an operational licence by NMDPRA.
According to him, Dangote Refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage and about 45 per cent completed, adding that the country cannot risk dependence on Dangote Refinery by suspending petroleum products, especially Automotive Gas Oil and Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK.
Quoting him, “Dangote Refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet. We haven’t licensed them yet. I think they are about 45 per cent to completion.
“We cannot rely on one refinery to feed the nation, because Dangote is requesting that we suspend or stop imports, especially of AGO and DPK, and direct all marketers to his refinery. That is not good for the nation in terms of energy security, and it is not good for the market because of the monopoly.”
Ahmed said that in terms of quality, Dangote’s current AGO (diesel) suffers from the lowest quality in terms of sulphur content, falling short of West Africa’s requirement of 50 parts per million (PPM).
“Dangote Refinery, as well as some modular refineries like Watersmith Refinery and Aradel Refinery, are producing between 650 and 1,200 PPM. Therefore, in terms of quality, their products are inferior to imported ones,” he stated.
This development comes days after the chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said Dangote Refinery is set to commence fuel supply in August 2024.
Earlier, Devakumar Edwin, the vice president of Dangote Industries Limited, had alleged that most fuel products imported into Nigeria are substandard.
He also accused international oil companies of frustrating the kickoff of the Dangote Refinery by selling oil crude at a higher price in Nigeria.However, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission dismissed Edwin’s claim of substandard petroleum products in Nigeria.
