Nigeria’s refining landscape changed more between 2023 and 2026 than in the previous three decades combined. This guide covers every major plant — the four state-owned NNPC refineries (Port Harcourt I & II, Warri, Kaduna), the 650,000-bpd Dangote Refinery, and the growing list of private modular refineries — with their actual operating status as of 2026.
Quick status (2026):
- Dangote Refinery — fully operational at ~650,000 bpd; $2.5 billion raised in July 2026 to fund expansion to 1.4 million bpd by 2028.
- Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna (NNPC) — operating “well below international standards” per NNPC GCEO Bayo Ojulari (November 2025). On 30 April 2026 NNPC signed a non-binding MoU with two Chinese firms — Sanjiang Chemical and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) — for a Technical Equity Partnership to complete and operate Port Harcourt and Warri; binding agreements still await commercial negotiations and regulatory approval.
- Modular refineries — NDPR, Indorama, Edo, Waltersmith, OPAC and others continue to grow output, mostly diesel and naphtha.
Overview of Nigeria’s Oil & Refining Sector
Nigeria is Africa’s largest crude oil producer and holds the continent’s biggest natural gas reserves (close to 200 trillion cubic feet). Crude exports remain the cornerstone of federal revenue.
For decades the country exported crude and imported refined fuel because the state-owned refineries — combined nameplate capacity of 445,000 bpd — were largely inactive despite the N11.35 trillion spent on turnaround maintenance over the last decade. The arrival of the Dangote Refinery in 2023 has flipped that equation: Nigeria is now a net exporter of petrol and diesel for the first time since the 1970s.
List of Major Refineries in Nigeria
- Dangote Refinery (Lagos)
- Port Harcourt Refinery (Old + New, Eleme, Rivers)
- Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Plant (Delta)
- Kaduna Refinery (Kaduna)
- Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Refinery (Ogbele, Rivers)
- Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals (Eleme, Rivers)
- Edo Refinery (Ikpoba-Okha, Edo)
- Waltersmith Refinery (Imo)
- OPAC Refinery (Umuseti, Delta)
Dangote Oil Refinery
The Dangote Refinery sits on a 2,635-hectare site in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos. Mechanical completion was achieved in 2022, the plant was commissioned in 2023, began processing crude in early 2024, and reached full nameplate capacity of approximately 650,000 barrels per day in February 2026. It is the world’s largest single-train refinery and the largest in Africa.
The complex includes a 435 MW captive power plant (enough to power Ibadan DisCo’s entire load), a 1,100 km in-house pipeline network, and the world’s largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure for crude intake.
In October 2025 Aliko Dangote announced an expansion programme to more than double capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028. The money is now lining up: in July 2026 the refinery closed a $2.5 billion private placement led by the Africa Finance Corporation (3.7 times oversubscribed), and a share sale (IPO) targeting about $5 billion is expected to conclude in October 2026. The refinery already supplies the Nigerian market with PMS, AGO and Jet A-1 and exports petrol cargoes to West Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Port Harcourt Refinery
The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) operates two adjoining facilities in Alesa-Eleme, Rivers State:
- Old Port Harcourt Refinery — built 1965, installed capacity 60,000 bpd.
- New Port Harcourt Refinery — built 1989 and commissioned in 1991, installed capacity 150,000 bpd.
After years of dormancy, NNPC announced a partial restart of the Old Refinery in November 2024. Output has remained intermittent and well below installed capacity. In November 2025, NNPC GCEO Bayo Ojulari publicly acknowledged that PHRC, alongside Warri and Kaduna, was operating below international standards and that fuel produced cannot compete with Dangote on quality. On 30 April 2026, in Jiaxing City, China, NNPC signed a non-binding MoU with Chinese firms Sanjiang Chemical and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. for a Technical Equity Partnership to complete and operate Port Harcourt (and Warri). NNPC is reportedly open to the Chinese partners taking a controlling 51% stake.
Warri Refinery
Approved in 1978 as Nigeria’s first wholly state-owned refinery, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) site has an installed capacity of 125,000 bpd (originally 100,000 bpd). NNPC announced a restart of the plant in December 2024, but production has been irregular and well below installed capacity. Warri was named alongside Port Harcourt in NNPC’s April 2026 MoU with Chinese firms Sanjiang Chemical and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) for a Technical Equity Partnership.
Kaduna Refinery
Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) was launched in 1983 with a nameplate capacity of 110,000 bpd (later upgraded to ~125,000 bpd). It is the only NNPC refinery built away from the coast — crude is fed via the Escravos–Warri–Kaduna pipeline.
KRPC has been effectively shut for most of the last decade. Rehabilitation work is ongoing, and like its sister plants it falls under NNPC’s drive to bring in private technical partners (Kaduna was not part of the April 2026 China MoU covering Port Harcourt and Warri). Designed product slate (when fully operational):
| No. | Product | Production Rate |
| 1 | PMS | 3,857 MT/day |
| 2 | Kerosene | 1,686 MT/day |
| 3 | AGO (Diesel) | 3,000 MT/day |
| 4 | Asphalt | 1,796 MT/day |
| 5 | LAB | 91 MT/day |
| 6 | Base Oils | 657 MT/day |
| 7 | LPG | 620 MT/day |
| 8 | Fuel Oil | 2,100 MT/day |
Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR) Refinery
Commissioned in 2010 as Nigeria’s first private refinery, NDPR is a 1,000 bpd topping plant in the Ogbele field, Rivers State. It produces diesel and other distillates from local crude.
Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals
Located in Eleme, Rivers State, Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (IEPL) was acquired from NNPC under a 2006 privatisation. Output: 22,000 TPA Butene-1, 270,000 TPA polyethylene and 80,000 TPA polypropylene.
Edo Refinery (ERPC)
A modular refinery in Ikpoba-Okha LGA, Edo State, ERPC is operated by AIPCC Energy. Two-stream design with combined 6,000 bpd capacity (1,000 + 5,000 bpd). Operational and producing diesel and naphtha for the local market.
Waltersmith Refinery & Petrochemical Company
Waltersmith Refining & Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC) operates a 5,000 bpd modular refinery near the Ibigwe processing plant in Imo State, with phased expansion plans to 50,000 bpd. Operations have been continuous since 2020.
OPAC Refinery
A modular refinery in Umuseti, Delta State, with a fully enclosed processing system that includes integrated fire-defence. The plant produces diesel, naphtha and fuel oil for regional supply.
Licensed Private Refineries (Operating, Construction or Pre-Construction)
| S/N | Company | Location | License | Capacity (bpsd) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR) | Ogbele, Rivers | License to Operate | 1,000 | Operational |
| 2 | Edo Refinery (AIPCC Energy) | Ikpoba-Okha, Edo | License to Operate | 6,000 | Operational |
| 3 | Waltersmith Refining & Petrochemical | Ibigwe, Imo | License to Operate | 5,000 | Operational; expansion to 50,000 bpd |
| 4 | OPAC Refinery | Umuseti, Delta | License to Operate | 10,000 | Operational |
| 5 | Dangote Industries Limited | Lekki Free Zone, Lagos | License to Operate | 650,000 | Operational; 1.4m bpd expansion announced |
| 6 | Amakpe International Refinery | Eket, Akwa Ibom | Approval to Construct | 12,000 | Process unit fabricated; awaiting installation |
| 7 | Resource Petroleum & Petrochemicals | Ibeno, Akwa Ibom | Approval to Construct | 100,000 | License valid; plant not yet installed |
| 8 | Kainji Resources Limited | Oguta, Imo | License to Establish | 24,000 | License issued July 2013 |
| 9 | Omega Butler Refineries Nigeria | Ikpokiri, Rivers | License to Establish | 20,000 | License issued July 2013 |
Challenges in Nigeria’s Refining Sector
Decades of Poor Governance
Bureaucracy, opaque procurement and entrenched interests have repeatedly stalled NNPC turnaround projects. The November 2025 NNPC admission that the three state refineries cannot match Dangote on product quality is the strongest official acknowledgement of the structural failure to date.
Pipeline Vandalism & Crude Theft
Pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta has historically disrupted both crude intake to NNPC plants and the distribution of refined products. Industry estimates put losses to crude theft at hundreds of thousands of barrels per day during peak periods.
Ageing Infrastructure
The state-owned plants were built between 1965 and 1989 with first-generation refining technology. Without continuous turnaround maintenance, fuel quality cannot meet Euro-V product specifications now standard in West Africa.
The 2026 Refinery Reset
NNPC’s move to hand operational responsibility for Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to outside operators marks the first time the corporation has embraced a private-partner model. Its April 2026 MoU with Sanjiang Chemical and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) — a Technical Equity Partnership covering Port Harcourt and Warri — is the first concrete step, though it remains non-binding. Whether the partnerships are finalised, and Kaduna added, will determine whether the three plants finally meet international standards or remain symbols of stranded public investment.
Related: 17 Major Mineral Resources in Nigeria
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