Dangote Refinery faces 2–3 month gasoline unit outage amid catalyst leak repairs

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Nigeria’s 650,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery is facing a major setback as its gasoline unit, which went offline on August 29 due to catalyst leaks, may remain shut for two to three months.

Industry monitor IIR Energy disclosed that while the refinery has set a tentative restart date of September 20 for its 204,000 bpd Residue Fluidised Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCCU), “major repairs and equipment replacements could extend the outage significantly.

An earlier Reuters report had suggested the unit could be down for at least two weeks, but the latest assessment points to a much longer disruption.

The development is already impacting global fuel markets. One gasoline trader described the situation bluntly: “This just adds fuel to the fire.”

U.S. gasoline futures crack spreads have risen by almost 13% this week to their highest since August 19. In Northwest Europe, margins climbed 23% to $19.31 per barrel, their strongest since late June, according to LSEG data.

Since starting operations in January 2024, the Dangote Refinery has shifted global gasoline trade flows. Exports from the EU and UK to Nigeria dropped from about 200,000 bpd in 2024 to around 120,000 bpd in the first half of 2025, according to Kpler.

The refinery is also making inroads beyond Africa. It shipped 90,000 metric tons of gasoline to Asia in June—its first cargo outside West Africa—and two gasoline cargoes are now en route to the U.S. East Coast. Industry insiders note that this achievement demonstrates “the Dangote Refinery can now meet U.S. fuel standards.

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