Yemisi Izuora/Ijeoma Agudosi
UOP LLC, owned by Honeywell company, has disclosed that its process technology, catalysts and proprietary equipment will form the basis for the largest refinery in Africa, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuels and petrochemicals.
Dangote Oil Refining Company has selected UOP technology for a world-scale integrated refinery and petrochemical plant to be built in Lekki, near the capital of Lagos in southwestern Nigeria.
Nigeria has the second-largest amount of proven oil reserves in Africa with an estimated 37.2 billion barrels, according to Oil & Gas Journal.
However, the country currently imports most of its refined product requirements due to lack of domestic refining capacity.
“UOP has been designing state-of-the-art refineries and petrochemical plants for more than a century, so we are well-equipped to help Nigeria develop a massive new installation to meet its domestic needs,” said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of UOP’s Process, Technology and Equipment business.
“This project will enable Dangote to improve Nigeria’s oil refining capabilities, reduce the country’s dependence on imports, and work to revive and transform the Nigerian economy, he explained.”
The Dangote Group is the largest industrial conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest in Africa.
The company has a number of interests, including cement, real estate, oil, natural gas, telecommunications, fertilizer and steel and the group also focuses on local, value-added products and services that meet the needs of the African population.
In addition to processing crude oil to produce high-quality gasoline, diesel and jet fuel that meet Euro V specifications for reduced emissions, the new facility will produce world-scale quantities of polypropylene, a key petrochemical used in plastics and packaging.
In addition to technology licensing and design services, the UOP organization is working with Dangote Oil Refining Company to provide catalysts, adsorbents and proprietary equipment for the project.
UOP LLC is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.
UOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. and is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions, a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.