Lekki Refinery Diversifies into Plastics and Detergents in Multi-Billion Dollar Honeywell Expansion

Nigeria’s Dangote oil refinery has reached a deal with Honeywell to use the U.S. industrial group’s ​technology to build up production of petrochemicals for plastics ‌and detergents, the companies said, expanding the $20 billion complex’s footprint beyond fuels and making Nigeria less dependent on imports.

The move is part of ​Dangote’s wider plan to build an integrated petrochemicals business ​around Africa’s largest refinery, producing industrial and consumer inputs ⁠locally while positioning Nigeria as a regional manufacturing hub.

Dangote ​said on Monday it will use Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex technology to ​produce an additional 750,000 metric tons a year of propylene at its Lekki refinery, supporting plastics used in packaging, consumer goods and industrial applications.

The ​refinery will also deploy Honeywell technologies to produce 400,000 tons ​a year of linear alkylbenzene (LAB), a key ingredient in detergents and cleaning ‌products. ⁠Once fully operational, Dangote says its LAB plant is expected to rank among the world’s largest.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Dangote’s $2 billion petrochemical plant at the Lekki complex near ​Lagos, situated close ​to the ⁠main refinery and with a 830,000 metric tonne capacity, also began producing polypropylene in March 2025, ​in 25kg bags for the local market.

Dangote and ​Honeywell ⁠have worked together for years on the main refinery, which currently has capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. Using Honeywell technology, ⁠Dangote plans ​to lift capacity to 1.4 million ​bpd by 2028, a move that Dangote says would make it the world’s ​biggest refinery by throughput.

REUTERS