Africa’s largest refinery ready to supply Europe with fuel – media

EU countries have been hunting for alternative supplies because of the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, De Telegraaf has reported

Nigeria’s Dangote refinery is ready to expand fuel exports to Europe, including the Netherlands, amid the disruption in global oil markets linked to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported on Monday.

The paper cited Anthony Chiejina, a spokesperson for the Dangote Group, as saying the refinery is in a position to supply countries beyond Africa after already exporting 450,000 tons of fuel to 12 African states facing shortages.

“We are ready for increased demand from Europe,” Chiejina said, adding that the refinery produces and supplies both gasoline and diesel in equal measure.

European Union (EU) countries have been hunting for fuel supplies less exposed to disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, with demand across the bloc topping 10 million barrels a day, De Telegraaf reported. Road traffic accounts for more than five million barrels a day, the paper said, while aviation and shipping consume nearly two million combined and industry and petrochemicals another 3.5 million. In the Netherlands alone, daily demand is close to half a million barrels, led by road traffic and industry, it added.

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The Dangote refinery, located in Lagos, has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, making it Africa’s largest refinery. In 2024, it reportedly shipped jet fuel to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as EU buyers sought alternatives to Russian refined fuel supplies.

Sjaak Poppe, a spokesperson for the Port of Rotterdam Authority, described the scale of the plant as “impressive” but noted that it would not be enough to meet overall European demand.

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“It is one and a half times the size of Shell Pernis. Their contribution provides relief, but is unfortunately small compared to the total demand from the Netherlands and Europe. Everyone is looking for fuels,” Poppe told the De Telegraaf.

Last week, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Algeria would increase gas and energy supplies to Spain, with markets unsettled by the war in Iran. Algeria is Spain’s main gas supplier through the Medgaz pipeline, which runs across the Mediterranean. Bloomberg data shows the pipeline has a nominal capacity of 32 million cubic meters a day, with flows averaging about 28 million in January and February.