KEY POINTS
- Dangote has chosen Honeywell to supply new refining technologies to help double output at the Lekki refinery to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028.
- The deal includes catalysts, processing tools and the licensing of Oleflex technology to boost petrochemical output, especially polypropylene.
- The expansion positions the Dangote plant to become the world’s largest refinery and a major driver of energy security across Africa.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is preparing for a significant scale-up of operations after selecting Honeywell to supply a suite of advanced technologies, catalysts and processing equipment aimed at widening the grade of crude it can handle and sharply boosting its output.
The partnership, announced this week, is expected to help grow the refinery’s capacity in Lekki, Lagos, from its current 650,000 barrels a day to around 1.4 million barrels a day before the end of 2028.
The planned expansion would make the facility the largest petroleum refinery in the world, a shift that analysts say could transform fuel supply across West Africa, reduce Nigeria’s long reliance on imports, and strengthen security of supply in a region often vulnerable to global market disruptions.
Aliko Dangote, president of the refinery company, described the new phase of work with Honeywell as an important step for the Nigerian downstream industry. He said the forthcoming upgrades would place the company on a stronger footing, allowing it to set fresh benchmarks in processing efficiency while contributing meaningfully to the push for energy independence.
Honeywell’s long-standing role at the Lekki site deepens
Honeywell has provided process technology to the refinery for close to ten years, and the new collaboration formalises a broader effort to extract more value from the existing infrastructure. According to the US company, the combination of new catalysts, tailored refining systems and upgraded petrochemical processing tools will help Dangote reduce production costs, raise throughput and shorten the time between project phases.
Rajesh Gattupalli, president of Honeywell UOP, said the company remains committed to developing technologies that enhance efficiency and support regional energy ambitions. He noted that the project demonstrates how joint innovation can play a decisive role in meeting Africa’s growing need for secure and reliable fuel production.
As part of the deal, Dangote will also license Honeywell’s Oleflex technology, a catalytic dehydrogenation process that converts propane into propylene. The system will allow the refinery to produce around 750,000 metric tonnes of propylene annually, increasing its combined polypropylene output to roughly 2.4 million tonnes per year. Polypropylene is widely used across consumer and industrial supply chains, from packaging materials to automotive components.
The Dangote complex, which already operates the world’s largest single-train refinery, produces Euro-V compliant gasoline, diesel and jet fuel alongside petrochemical feedstocks. With the planned enhancements, the site is expected to become a central pillar of Africa’s refining capacity in the coming decade.
