4,500 barrels per day of dangote crude oil production began at the Kalaekule field on OML 72, the company said, marking first oil from Dangote Group’s upstream licences and setting up marketable crude flows to start in the coming weeks.
Devakumar Edwin Testing Timeline Details
Devakumar Edwin said, "We have opened a well and begun standard testing, which should be completed in the next three to four weeks maximum." He added a second quote that lays out the immediate operational path: "After that point, oil can start to be pumped in larger volumes, and the company can begin work on drilling new wells."
Olajumoke Ajayi Output Forecast
15,000 barrels per day is the near-term target, with Olajumoke Ajayi saying in reporting that "output is expected to ramp up to 15,000 bpd within the next month." That follows the current producing level and signals a step-change in supply available from the Kalaekule field on OML 72 as WAEP moves from testing to standard production.
David Bird Shipping Plan Remarks
David Bird flagged logistics as the operational friction point, saying "Alongside its upstream interests, the company is seeking to establish its own shipping presence to help reduce logistics costs and improve the reliability of its crude sourcing." He added that "The refinery will take the crude if it makes sense" and cautioned that "that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t be arms length at every phase." Those comments place shipping capacity and commercial terms at the centre of whether upstream barrels displace imports.
85 percent is the stake Dangote holds in the upstream business WAEP, which itself carries a 45 percent working interest in OML 71 and OML 72; First E&P operates the assets while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited holds the balance. The licences sit about 22 kilometres from the Bonny terminal, positioning produced crude close to major export and logistics infrastructure as testing completes.
650,000 barrels per day is the refinery’s full nameplate capacity; meeting even a fraction of that internally will hinge on how quickly WAEP converts testing into sustained volumes and on whether Dangote can secure its own shipping to move crude reliably. Forecasts that OML 71 and OML 72 could peak at about 43,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2036 provide a longer-term ceiling, but near-term logistics and commercial terms will determine how much of the ramped 15,000 bpd actually displaces imports.
For refinery managers and downstream purchasers the immediate actions are concrete: expect testing to conclude within three to four weeks and a visible ramp toward the 15,000 bpd mark within the next month, while procurement teams should track Dangote’s shipping moves and commercial offers that could alter import needs and contract volumes.
