The gasoline unit at the Dangote refinery is anticipated to be down for a minimum of two weeks, according to sources
The plant that makes gasoline at Nigeria’s 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote refinery has been shut down because of catalyst leaks and other problems. Two people with knowledge of the situation say that repairs will take at least two weeks.
Today, August 29, IIR Energy, a company that tracks the energy business, said in a note that the refinery’s 204,000 bpd Residue Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCCU) has not been working.
Sources asked to remain anonymous so they could talk about private details.
When asked for reaction, Dangote did not answer right away.
When it opened last year, the huge Dangote plant quickly ramped up its operations, changing the way oil and fuel are traded around the world. Ship tracking service Kpler showed that the refinery’s first gasoline exports to the US should get to New York later this month.
The refinery has had problems with regular power outages, though. After a string of problems earlier this year, Reuters reported in May that the plant’s RFCCU would run at lower rates through October.
According to market sources, the expected length of the current outage is reducing the amount of gasoline available in the Atlantic Basin. This is making U.S. refiners more money on the fuel, even though the official end of the summer drive season in the U.S. was earlier this week.
The crack gap between the price of gasoline and crude oil in the U.S. rose almost 3% on Wednesday, reaching its highest level since August 19. Beyond 8%, it had gone up on Tuesday.
