Dangote Petroleum Refinery has begun importing gasoline to support its operations after a prolonged shutdown of its Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), a critical unit that converts heavy fuel into petrol.

According to global commodities intelligence firm Kpler, the $20 billion refinery’s production capacity has been constrained due to the RFCC outage, prompting the facility to rely on gasoline imports in January 2026.

The 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery has also adjusted its crude intake since the last quarter of 2025, switching to lighter crude grades with gravity levels between 37 and 39. This strategy helps keep other units of the refinery running while the 200,000-barrel-per-day RFCC remains offline.

Kpler’s report, Dangote H1 2026 Outlook: RFCC challenges keep runs capped and ramp-up uneven, noted that imports of gasoline blending components have increased to about 45,000 barrels per day in recent weeks. This move has helped maintain domestic fuel supply despite internal processing limitations.

“Gasoline imports rose sharply in January, supporting market supply at a time when conversion capacity within the refinery remains restricted,” Kpler said.

As of the report’s filing, Dangote Refinery has not released an official statement regarding the RFCC downtime.

However, during a recent briefing in Lagos, CEO David Bird reaffirmed the refinery’s commitment to stabilizing fuel supply and pricing in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector. Earlier in December, Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, directed that petrol produced by the refinery be sold at N739 per litre across MRS filling stations nationwide.

The development highlights Dangote Refinery’s crucial role in sustaining fuel availability in Nigeria, even as technical challenges continue to affect its full operational capacity.