Dangote Refinery Ready For Petrol Rollout

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is set to roll out the sale of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, The PUNCH reports.

This is coming a few days after the 650,000-capacity refinery engaged in a test-run of the product.

Industry sources confirmed to our correspondent that the product would hit the market soon.

The sources, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that the government and the Dangote Group were working out modalities for the circulation of the product.

A government source hinted that the sale and distribution of the PMS is being sorted out with the Federal Government.

The source added that only the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited would be authorised to sell the Dangote fuel at the moment.

Recall that petrol from the Dangote refinery was supposed to have been out since June, but the refinery battled crude shortage and entered into a brawl with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, which accused the refinery of producing substandard diesel.

The intervention of the Federal Government that crude oil should be supplied to the refinery in the local currency seems to be yielding the desired result.

The PUNCH also recalls that Dangote and other local refineries have repeatedly accused international oil companies of not selling crude to the local refiners.

Recently, the Federal Government announced that the crude oil supply deal would commence in October

The management of Dangote Group also alleged that the IOCs insisted on selling crude oil to its refinery through their foreign agents, saying the local price of crude would continue to increase because the trading arms offered cargoes at $2 to $4 per barrel, above NUPRC official price.

The group also alleged that the foreign oil producers seem to be prioritising Asian countries in selling the crude they produce in Nigeria.

The PUNCH also reported last month that the Dangote refinery engaged in an exchange of words with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission over the alleged supply of 29 million barrels of crude oil to the refinery.

The Dangote Group had accused the NUPRC of failing to effectively enforce the Domestic Crude Supply Obligations regulations, saying the refinery had yet to get enough crude locally.