Dangote Industries Limited has acquired an additional 4,000 construction machines as it moves to expand its Lekki refinery from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day.
The new equipment brings the company’s construction fleet to about 6,500 machines, including 330 cranes.
Group Vice President, Oil and Gas and Fertiliser, Devakumar Edwin, disclosed this during a briefing with editors at the refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
He said Dangote initially purchased 2,563 machines after contractors indicated they lacked the capacity to handle some of the refinery’s major construction works.
Edwin said the company chose to build its own construction capacity rather than rely heavily on foreign contractors, which he said would have increased project costs.
The refinery, originally designed for 650,000 barrels per day, is currently operating at about 700,000 barrels per day, according to Edwin.
He added that existing infrastructure, including a private port, quarry, concrete plants and other facilities, will support the expansion and reduce construction time and costs.
Dangote also plans to expand its refining operations beyond Nigeria, with a 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery planned for Kenya, which the company says could bring its total refining capacity to 2.1 million barrels per day.
