Dangote Refinery is grappling with a refining capacity challenge following the prolonged shutdown of its Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker, RFCC, according to global commodities intelligence firm Kpler.

The challenge had pushed the $20 billion plant to import gasoline in January in a bid to ramp up its capacity amid its RFCC downtime.

In a recent report, Kpler explained that the 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery has resorted to a lighter crude gravity of about 37–39 since the fourth quarter of 2025 over its RFCC outage.

The report said the move by Dangote Refinery was requisite to keep other units of the refinery operational at a time when its 200,000-barrel-per-day RFCC remains offline.

Kpler, in the report titled, ‘Dangote H1 2026 Outlook: RFCC challenges keep runs capped and ramp-up uneven,’ noted that due to the plant’s constraints, it has in the past weeks resorted to increased imports of gasoline blending components, estimated at around 45,000 barrels per day, to ramp up its capacity.

“Dangote Refinery’s operational status continues to show mixed signals, with the key uncertainty centered on the duration of RFCC downtime and the refinery’s ability to sustain a stable ramp-up.

“Dangote’s gasoline imports in January are estimated to have surged to around ~45 kbd, helping sustain supply even as internal conversion capacity remains constrained.”

Meanwhile, Dangote Refinery has not officially issued a statement as of filing the report on its RFCC downtime.

UGAMATV reports that in a recent briefing with journalists in Lagos, Chief Executive of Dangote Refinery, David Bird, had reiterated the plant’s commitment to ensure fuel price and supply stability in the country’s oil and gas downstream sector.

Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, had in early December directed the sale of the refinery’s petrol at N739 per liter across MRS filling stations nationwide.