Nigeria’s 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery has bought its first cargo of Algeria’s light sweet Saharan Blend crude, according to market sources quoted by Argus Media, a leading independent provider of global energy market intelligence.
Dangote bought the 1 million barrels cargo from trading firm Glencore in the past week, sources told Argus, adding that it is due to be delivered over 15-20 March.
The deal was not directly confirmed by either party and the price is unknown, it added.
The mega refinery, Africa’s largest, had said in February that it could begin operating at full capacity this month.
The facility built by Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, in Lagos began processing crude into products, including diesel, naphtha and jet fuel, in January last year and started processing petrol in September.
It aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity but has been struggling to secure sufficient crude locally.
Costing about $20 billion to build, the refinery has helped to partly meet local demand and has reduced reliance on imports.
