10 Largest Refineries in the World as Dangote Moves to 6th

The Dangote Refinery in Nigeria is on track to become the sixth-largest refinery in the world, a leap that shows the growing power of African industry on the global energy map.

This news comes as the company pushes through final stages of an upgrade that will expand its daily refining capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 700,000.

The refinery, located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone of Lagos, is already the biggest single-train refinery in the world. Once the ongoing modifications are completed, it will move up one spot on the global list, overtaking South Korea’s Onsan Refinery.

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and the owner of the refinery, confirmed that work is nearly done on a major component called the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC), which is vital for turning heavy crude into products like petrol and diesel. 

He explained that while some parts of the refinery are already running at more than full capacity, the ongoing upgrade is holding back full operations until the end of 2025.

Despite this progress, Dangote also spoke about the struggles his team has faced in bringing the refinery to life. He admitted that if he had known how difficult the process would be, especially with the resistance from foreign interests who profit from exporting refined fuel to Africa, he might never have started the project. 

Yet today, the refinery is already helping Nigeria cut down on imported fuel and promises to do even more once it hits full capacity.

The World’s 10 Largest Refineries (By Daily Capacity)

Here’s how the biggest refineries currently stand:

1. Jamnagar Refinery, India – 1.24 million barrels (Reliance Industries)
   
2. Paraguana Refinery Complex, Venezuela – 940,000 barrels (PDVSA)
   
3. SK Energy Ulsan Complex, South Korea – 900,000 barrels (SK Energy)
   
4. Yeosu Refinery, South Korea – 840,000 barrels (GS Caltex)
   
5. Ruwais Refinery, UAE – 827,000 barrels (ADNOC)
   
6. Onsan Refinery, South Korea – 669,000 barrels (S-Oil Corporation)
   
7. Dangote Refinery, Nigeria – 650,000 barrels, set to increase to 700,000 (Dangote Industries)
   
8. Galveston Bay Refinery, USA – 631,000 barrels (Marathon Petroleum)
   
9. Beaumont Refinery, USA – 630,000 barrels (ExxonMobil)
   
10. Port Arthur Refinery, USA – 600,000 barrels (Motiva Enterprises)
    

Once the upgrade is complete, Dangote Refinery will officially take the sixth spot, pushing Onsan Refinery down to seventh.

What’s next?

According to Dangote Group officials, by the end of 2025, the refinery will stop importing crude oil from other countries and begin refining only Nigerian crude. 

This is expected to boost local oil production, reduce import costs, and support the country’s economy in a big way. From being an ambitious idea to becoming one of the top global players.