Dangote Industries Limited has commenced preliminary works on its proposed $17bn, 700,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Kenya, marking the first major step towards what is expected to become East Africa’s largest refining project.
The company said the project has advanced beyond the planning stage, with the site already selected, soil tests ongoing and engineering and design work underway ahead of construction.
According to Reuters, the refinery, which will be located on Lamu Island off the Kenyan coast, is expected to take about three years to complete and will supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries, reducing East Africa’s dependence on imported fuels.
The development comes as Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, plans to build the refinery at an estimated cost of up to $17bn as part of efforts to expand his refining empire into East Africa.
Citing a spokesman for Dangote Industries Ltd., Bloomberg reported that the proposed refinery would replicate the company’s refinery in Lagos and process about 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day when completed.
