Sinopec’s world largest atmospheric tower for Dangote refinery arrives next month
In the next one month, Dangote Refinery in Lekki will take delivery of completed furnace-like equipment that will process crude oil into series of petroleum products from Ningbo, China.
According to a Citac analyst, Jeremy Parker, who spoke to Reuters, the type of refinery being developed by Dangote relies on the atmospheric tower as its primary unit for processing crude into targeted products.
Parker viewed the atmospheric tower shipment as a major milestone, but there is still much work to be done, both in terms of sourcing the other units and interconnection at the site.
In its verified tweeter handle, Sinopec said in a tweet for Dangote refinery has set sail from China, Sinopec Corporation said “On July 29, the world’s largest atmospheric tower built by Sinopec slowly left a wharf in Ningbo. Following the Maritime #SilkRoad, it will travel to #Nigeria and be installed at the world’s biggest single-train facility – Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery.”
Business Hilights recalls that Dangote Refinery had been designed to process a variety of light and medium grades of crude with extremely clean fuels that could meet the Euro V specification.
Though the President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, had assured that the 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery will live on stream between this year and early 2020, industry experts say it may linger till 2023.
The Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development and Capital Projects (DIL), Mr Devakumar Edwin, had in February this year that revealed that local content in job creation has gulped about $368m as about 120 local contractors are working facility.
He also averred that the synergy between local and foreign contractors have created room for significant skills transfer and technology acquisition opportunities in the country.
