The Federal Government, on Tuesday, announced that it was set to issue a fully valid operating licence to the 650,000 barrels per day capacity Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

It announced this at the  Stakeholders’ Consultation Forum on Midstream and Petroleum Host Community Development Trust Regulations organised by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in Abuja.

The NMDPRA, an agency of the Federal Government, however, explained that though it had awarded a pre-commissioning licence to the $20bn refinery, a fully valid operating licence would be issued to the Dangote refinery soon.

Dangote refinery was inaugurated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023. The facility started releasing Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel to the domestic market in April this year. It has yet to release Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol.

Speaking at the forum in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Executive, NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, told industry players and other stakeholders that the authority would issue a fully valid operating licence to the refinery very soon.

Ahmed, who was represented by the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, pointed out that currently, only three refineries have valid licences.

“We have issued three refineries with three valid licences. We awarded to Dangote refinery even in their pre-commissioning and sooner than later they will have full commission and a valid licence to also operate,” he stated.

He also stated that about 15 gas facilities across the country have valid licences while more are undergoing processing.

The NMDPRA boss said there are 1,199 facilities with valid licences in the downstream, while more than 176 operators hold gas import permits.

Ahmed said 130 depots have valid licences while 69 hold valid coastal vessel licences, adding that NMDPRA has licensed 9,464 retail outlets as of 10 am on April 30, 2024.

“In the gas processing facility within the midstream, there are about 15 of them with valid licences. And much is under processing.  If you go to the downstream sector, in the gas state of the downstream, more than 1,199 facilities have NMDPRA valid licences.

“More than 176 operators hold gas import permits. In the liquid licensing side of the downstream, there are 130 depots with valid licences and coastal vessels of more than 69 valid licences as of today. And in the retail outlets, we have 9,464 licensed retail outlets as of 10 am today, April 30,” Ahmed stated.

He explained why locations in the midstream and downstream arms of the oil sector were included as part of host communities, stating that emissions and effluence affect them.

Ahmed said the authority organised the forum for stakeholders to ventilate their ideas and proffer measures that would further enable the NMDPRA to relate better with host communities in the mid and downstream arms of the oil sector.