The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced plans to expand its capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million bpd, a move that will make it the largest refinery in the world upon completion.

The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, disclosed this during a press briefing in Lagos on Sunday.

Dangote confirmed that the expansion work would commence immediately and would position the refinery ahead of India’s Jamnagar Refinery, which is currently the world’s largest.

He stated: “We are expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. Upon completion, this will make it the largest refinery in the world, surpassing the Jamnagar Refinery in India,” Dangote said.

Dangote explained that the expansion project is expected to create about 65,000 jobs, with 85 per cent of those opportunities reserved for Nigerians.

He added that the refinery would upgrade its production to meet the highest global environmental benchmarks.

He stated: “With this expansion, the refinery transitions from producing Euro V to Euro VI fuel standards, meeting the highest global environmental benchmarks.”

Dangote further revealed that power generation at the facility would be doubled, increasing from 500 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts as part of the project.

He also announced plans to list the refinery on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2026, offering Nigerians an opportunity to become shareholders.

Dangote expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his continuous support of the refinery project, noting that the expansion was expected to be completed within three years.

He affirmed the timeline, saying: “The expansion is expected to be completed in three years.”