Dangote refinery petrol unit repairs to last up to three months: Reuters

The petrol unit at Nigeria's 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote refinery may be shut for 2-3 months for repairs, industry monitor IIR Energy told clients on Thursday, which could lead to a tighter petrol market.

The unit has been shut since around August 29 after catalyst leaks. The refinery plans to attempt to restart the 204,000 bpd Residue Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCCU) on September 20, but major repairs and equipment replacement could keep the unit shut for months, IIR Energy said.

Reuters first reported on Wednesday that Dangote's RFCCU was expected to be shut for at least two weeks.

Dangote did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Significant shift in international petrol trade

One petrol trader said the market for the motor fuel was already strong.