The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Mr Farouk Ahmed said Tuesday that the agency has issued 47 Licenses to Establish (LTE) refineries in the country in the last one year.
The NMDPRA said this while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said NMDPRA also issued 30 Licenses to Construct (LTC) refineries within one year, marking a significant step towards enhancing Nigeria’s refining capacity.
He said the licenses covered a combined refining capacity of nearly three million barrels per day (bpd).
He said the NMDPRA’s recent licensing activities also include approvals for modular refineries in Edo, Delta and Abia states, expected to add an additional 140,000 bpd upon completion.
“We have issued 47 Licenses to establish covering 1.75 million bpd and 30 Licenses to Construct for 1.23 million bpd. Currently, only four plants hold Licenses to Operate with a steady output of 27,000 bpd.
“Among the LTC projects, five are at the commissioning or construction stage, including the much-anticipated Dangote Refinery with a capacity of 650,000 bpd. Smaller projects include AIPCC Energy’s 30,000 bpd plant and Waltersmith’s second train with a capacity of 5,000 bpd.
“Six licensed private refineries and four public ones are producing a total of 1.12 million bpd,” he said. Private facilities contribute 679,500 bpd, led by Dangote’s single-train complex refining 650,000 bpd. Other modular refineries include 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 facilities operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited add another 445,000 bpd from refurbished plants in Port Harcourt (150,000 bpd), Warri (125,000 bpd), Kaduna (110,000 bpd), and the old Port Harcourt unit (60,000 bpd).
“These developments underline our commitment to reducing dependency on imported refined products,” he said.
He said that ongoing licensing efforts would expand domestic refining capacity while supporting economic growth through job creation and energy security.