The Dangote Oil Refinery is setting its sights even higher, with fresh plans to double its refining capacity and claim the title of the world’s largest refinery — a position currently held by India’s Jamnagar complex.
Initially designed to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, the Lagos-based refinery has already reached an output of around 610,000 barrels per day as of August 2025, edging close to full capacity. But according to Dangote Group Chairman Aliko Dangote, that’s just the beginning.
In a recent interview with S&P Global, Dangote revealed that his company intends to expand the facility’s capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, far exceeding its current scale. “We have the infrastructure already in place, so it makes more sense to build further here than start from scratch somewhere else,” he said.
Before achieving that ultimate goal, the refinery is undergoing an intermediate upgrade to raise capacity to 700,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025. This first phase will allow the facility to overtake South Korea’s Onsan Refinery, which currently ranks sixth globally with a capacity of 669,000 barrels per day.
The expansion strategy marks a bold step in Dangote’s ambition to make Nigeria a major refining hub, reducing reliance on fuel imports while boosting exports to global markets. Energy analysts note that the refinery has already surpassed industry expectations by maintaining strong production levels throughout 2025.
According to data from Argus Media, the plant’s operations steadily increased this year, moving from about 450,000 barrels per day in mid-2025 to over 600,000 barrels by August.
Dangote has also projected that the refinery will play a key role in driving the Dangote Group’s overall revenue, which he expects to hit $30 billion next year. He estimates the refinery alone could generate up to $5 billion in earnings by 2026, up from a projected $25 billion in 2025.
If the planned 1.4 million-barrel capacity becomes reality, the Dangote Refinery will dethrone Jamnagar’s 1.36 million-barrel record — positioning Nigeria as a new global leader in crude oil refining.
