Nigeria's Dangote refinery cuts gasoline output by 34% amid export slump

Nigeria's Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Africa's largest, reduced capacity at its main gasoline unit (the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit) by about 34 percent starting on 21 May 2026. The outage lowered gasoline exports from roughly 81,000 barrels per day in April to about 10,000 barrels per day in June. Analysts cite an initial shortage of suitable feedstock and a technical fault with a flue‑gas slide‑gate valve as the primary causes; repairs were reported to be near completion with full capacity expected by mid‑June.

The refinery was built to turn Nigeria from a net crude exporter into a net refined‑product exporter, sharply cutting petrol imports since its launch in 2024. Even with the temporary setback, the plant’s design capacity of around 650,000 barrels per day – with recent runs exceeding 700,000 – positions it among the world’s largest complex.

In South Africa, state‑owned PetroSA’s Saldanha Bay refinery continues to produce about 100,000 barrels of petrol daily, operating at roughly 83 percent of its 120,000‑barrel‑per‑day design. The facility relies on ageing 1970s‑era equipment, and its output underpins roughly 30 percent of national fuel supply. A five‑year, R12‑billion upgrade plan aims to raise capacity by 15 percent, but delays and funding gaps threaten progress. Both refineries illustrate the broader energy‑security challenges facing Africa’s fuel sector as it balances ageing infrastructure, technical issues, and regional demand.