Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, boasts several refineries that play a critical role in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Despite the challenges the industry has faced, including underutilisation and maintenance issues, these refineries remain pivotal in ensuring the domestic production of petroleum products.

Over the years, efforts have been made to revamp and upgrade these facilities to reduce the heavy reliance on imported refined products.

Here is a comprehensive list of Nigeria’s refineries, detailing their locations, capacities, and recent developments:

Kaduna Refinery: The Kaduna Refining And Petrochemical Company refinery was established in 1980, costing $525 million, to provide petroleum products to Northern Nigeria, starting with a capacity of 50,000 barrels per day (bpd).

In 1983, a second 50,000 bpd crude unit was added specifically for producing lubricating oils, doubling the capacity to 100,000 bpd. By 1986, the capacity of the initial crude unit was further increased to 60,000 bpd. These expansions have raised the refinery’s current maximum capacity to 110,000 bpd.

Old Port-Harcourt refinery: The original Port Harcourt refinery was constructed and commissioned in 1965, with a refining capacity of 60,000 barrels of oil per day. At the time, Shell BP invested around £12 million in its construction. Initially, the refinery operated at over 50 percent of its designed capacity, but throughout the 1990s, its output gradually declined.

In March 2021, the federal government awarded the refinery’s repair contract to Tecnimont SPA, an Italian company that would execute the repairs in phases. In December of last year, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Senator Keineken Lokpobiri, announced the mechanical completion and flare startup of the refinery.

New Port-Harcourt refinery: In 1985, the federal government commissioned the New Port Harcourt refinery, which was constructed at a cost of $850 million.

This facility has a refining capacity of 150,000 barrels of oil per day. With the commissioning of the New Port Harcourt refinery, the total refining capacity of the Port Harcourt plants increased to 210,000 barrels per day.

Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC): This refinery is located at Warri in Nigeria’s Delta State and was commissioned in 1978. Warri is a complex conversion refinery with a nameplate distillation capacity of 125,000 bpd.

The refinery complex includes a petro-chemicals plant commissioned in 1988 with production capacities of 13,000 million tons per annum (MTA) of polypropylene and 18,000 MA of carbon black. The refinery supplies markets in the south and southwest regions of Nigeria.

Waltersmith Refining and Petrochemical Company: Situated in Imo State, the Walter Smith refinery is a 5,000 barrel per day oil refinery. With intentions to increase its capacity to 50,000 bpd in the upcoming years, the refinery began operations in 2020.

Dangote Refinery: Dangote Petroleum Refinery is a 650,000 barrels per day (BPD) integrated refinery project in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, Nigeria.

The refinery cost around $19 billion and was commissioned in May 2023. Oil refining started in late December 2023, and it started dispensing products to local and international markets as of May 2024.

Azikel Refinery: The Azikel refinery is a modular hydro-skimming petroleum refinery under development in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It is the first private hydro-skimming refinery being developed in the country.

The new refinery will have a total production capacity of 12,000 bpd. It will process Bonny Sweet light crude and Gbarain condensate to produce high-quality petroleum products, along with a few secondary products.

Ogbele Refinery: In 2012, the Ogbele refinery facility began operations as a 1,000 BOPD topping plant, generating 85,860 litres of diesel per day from 540 BOPD of oil.

A second 5,000BOPD train was added towards the end of 2019. The three-train, 11,000-BOPD refinery with the ability to produce diesel, marine diesel, DPK, naphtha, and high pour fuel oil was finished in October after the completion of an additional 5,000 BOPD train.

Edo Refinery and Petro Chemical Company: The Edo Refinery is owned by AIPCC Energy. With 1,000 BPSD and 5,000 BPSD capacity, it runs in two phases and is completely operational after commissioning.

Phase 2 construction, which will have a 12,000 BPD capacity, is well under way, and full operation is anticipated to begin in 2024.

Duport Midstream: This is a 2,500 bpd modular refinery, operated by DUPORT Midstream Company Limited, DMCL, and located in Egbokor, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State.

OPAC Refinery, Delta state: In 2021, the federal government finished building this 10,000-bpd modular refinery in Kwale, Delta state, as part of its initiative to enhance regional crude oil refining.

Niger Delta Petroleum Refinery (Aradel): This is a 3-train, 11,000 bod modular refinery which produces Automotive Gas Oil, Dual Purpose Kerosene, Marine Diesel Oil, High-Pour Fuel Oil, and Naphtha.

Alexis Refinery Limited: Alexis refinery limited is currently developing a state-of-the-art modular refinery in Delta state. The project is a 10,000 BPD plant which will be implemented in phases. The first phase currently under development will process 2,500 BPD of locally available crude to produce AGO, Naphtha and Fuel Oil, with Fuel gas output.

Atlantic International Refineries and Petrochemical Limited: In 2021, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board announced the construction of a 2,000bpd modular refinery, in Brass, Bayelsa State.

The modular refinery, according to NCDMB, is being developed by Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, in partnership with the Board.