An Oil And Gas Expert, Olabode Sowunmi has alleged that the crude oil Dangote Refinery currently imports from the United States has a higher sulfur content compared to Nigerian crude, making it cheaper but necessitating a de-sulphurization unit to manage the pollutants.
He emphasized that the de-sulphurization unit is not an off-the-shelf purchase but a specialized installation that takes about a month or two to complete. He noted that until this unit is operational, the sulfur content in the crude distillates remains high, which likely explains the NMPDRA’s concerns about the poor quality of distillates produced by the Dangote Refinery. He stated that this high sulfur content results in pollutants that degrade the quality of the refinery’s output, leading to regulatory and environmental challenges.
He said in an interview with Arise TV, ”In the case of Dangote, there are about seven steps for him to get the license to operate. And for each step they will have to get a licence. When they were producing AGO, they got a certain license. There is a certain license they are to get when they do the de-sulphurisation of their distillates. At the moment, the type of crude that Dangote Is buying from the US is not as rich as the one that we have in Nigeria. It probably could be cheaper but it has high sulphur content. There is a need for a de-sulphurisation unit.
And that de-sulphurisation unit is not something that you buy off the shelf. It’s something that needs to be fixed in there. And in my understanding, it’s something that should be finished in a month or two. And what that means is that until it is finished, the sulphur content which is the pollutant of the crude distillates is likely to be high. That is possibly what the NMPDRA are referring to when they say that the Dangote Refinery is producing distillates that are poor in quality.
But because there is a lot of back and forth, we are not having intelligent discussions on the matter and everything is wrapped up in sentiment. But the fact is that the final license to operate cannot be given to them because they are even yet to start producing PMS, which is the ultimate goal.”….Seē _ Morē