Nigeria's Dangote refinery gasoline unit could be shut for 2-3 months, IIR says

Sept 4 (Reuters) - The gasoline unit at Nigeria's 650,000 barrel-per-day Dangote refinery may be shut for 2-3 months for repairs, IIR Energy said in a client note on Thursday.

The 204,000 bpd Residue Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCCU) was forced to shutdown on August 29 and a tentative restart is planned for September 20.

However, it may remain shutdown for longer to complete major repairs and equipment replacements that were previously scheduled for December 2025, the note said.

Dangote did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The possibly lengthy shutdown marks a setback for the refinery just as it was ramping up in recent weeks.

It has shipped two gasoline cargoes to the U.S. East Coast, expected to arrive in the New York area later this month, a major milestone as industry observers were closely tracking if and when the plant would produce fuel meeting U.S. standards.