LAGOS, NIGERIA — Dangote Group’s planned refinery in Lamu, Kenya, will generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity. This is twice the power-generation capacity of its refinery in Lagos.
Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, disclosed this on Friday, September 25, 2026. He spoke while hosting Kenyan President William Ruto at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos.
Groundbreaking Set for September 30
Ruto’s visit came ahead of the planned groundbreaking of the East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The refinery will have a crude-processing capacity of 700,000 barrels per day.
Power Generation Plans
Dangote said the power plant at the Lamu refinery will have about 1,000MW of generating capacity. This makes it twice the power capacity of the Lagos facility.
“So, what we are going to have, you will see our power plant, which is very big. But all of Lamu will actually be doubled, because we are going to produce about 1,000 megawatts of power at Lamu from this petcoke,” he said.
He said the project will also generate power beyond the refinery’s own requirements. Half of the planned capacity is expected to be supplied to the Kenyan government.
“And we will have 500 megawatts to sell to the government of Kenya,” Dangote said. “The refinery is like opening the gate. Once you open it up and have the refinery, you will be shocked at how many people will now come and invest in Kenya.”
Broader Expansion Across Africa
Dangote said the planned power generation is part of the group’s broader expansion across Africa. The group spent about $50 billion on capital expenditure between 2020 and 2025. It plans to invest twice that amount over the next five years.
Lamu Refinery Project Targets East Africa
Kenya has scheduled the project’s groundbreaking for September 30. President William Ruto is expected to lead the ceremony. Preparations for the event are already underway in Lamu.
Dangote Group appointed Engineers India Limited under a contract worth more than $450 million. The firm will provide project management consultancy and engineering services. It will also handle procurement and construction management for the refinery and petrochemical complex.
The Lamu project is positioned as an expansion of Dangote Group’s refining operations into the East African market. It also includes a power-generation component.
Dangote Expands Refining and Power Capacity
Dangote Group reported about $17 billion in revenue in the first half of 2026. It said it is on course to reach $36 billion for the full year. This compares with $18 billion recorded in 2025.
The group is expanding the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos. It plans to increase crude-processing capacity from about 700,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day. This will be achieved through the addition of a new 750,000-barrels-per-day crude distillation unit.
The group said the Lagos expansion is expected to be completed by 2028. The refinery has separately indicated a target of reaching 1.4 million barrels per day by 2029.
Nigeria’s Refined Petroleum Exports
Nigeria’s seaborne refined petroleum exports to Europe averaged 130,000 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026. This is up from 15,000 barrels per day in 2023. The U.S. Energy Information Administration disclosed this, citing Vortexa shipping data.
The increase has coincided with the ramp-up of Dangote Refinery’s operations. The Lagos facility exports refined products to markets in Africa and Europe.
