Jubilation erupted in Yenagoa as the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) of the Azikel Refinery arrived at the project site in Obunagha-Gbarain, marking a major milestone in the completion of the privately owned refinery.
The massive equipment was formally received by the Group President of Azikel Group, Dr. Eluani Azibapu Godbless Eruani (CFR), alongside other critical equipment required for the completion of the project.
Key Highlights
Azikel Refinery’s CDU has a processing capacity of 25,000 barrels per day.
The unit weighs about 200 tonnes and measures approximately 64 metres.
The equipment was transported from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa by a specially built barge.
The refinery’s total investment is estimated at $1 billion.
The project is expected to create jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity.
The CDU is regarded as the central processing unit of a refinery. It heats and separates crude oil and condensate into intermediate fractions that can be further processed into products including petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene, LPG and heavy fuel oil.
The equipment arrived in Nigeria aboard a specially chartered vessel before being transported from Port Harcourt to the refinery site through the Niger Delta’s waterways. The operation required a specially built barge because of the equipment’s exceptional size and weight.
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Azikel Refinery is designed as a full-slate hydro-skimming facility capable of processing both crude oil and condensate. The project, originally licensed in 2015, has undergone value engineering and redesign, increasing its planned capacity to 25,000 barrels per day.
The company has estimated the total investment in the project at about $1 billion, with plans to eventually expand the refinery’s capacity to 125,000 barrels per day.
Dr. Eruani has described the refinery as a strategic industrial project aimed at transforming Bayelsa into an industrial hub, creating employment, adding value to locally produced crude and contributing to Nigeria’s energy security.
The project currently supports hundreds of jobs, including positions for Nigerian engineers and young Bayelsans working alongside expatriate specialists during the finishing phase.
The arrival of the CDU has raised optimism among local stakeholders and residents that the refinery is approaching mechanical completion and eventual commercial operations.
Once operational, the refinery is expected to stimulate related businesses in logistics, transportation, trucking and petroleum distribution, while contributing additional revenue to Bayelsa State and the Federal Government.
The delivery of the CDU represents a significant step in the development of Azikel Refinery, strengthening expectations that the indigenous project will contribute to industrialisation and domestic petroleum refining in the Niger Delta.
