Dangote Group’s planned oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya, is expected to generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity, double the power-generation capacity of the company’s refinery in Lagos.
Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote disclosed the planned capacity on Friday, September 25, 2026, while hosting Kenyan President William Ruto during his visit to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos.
Ruto’s visit came ahead of the planned groundbreaking ceremony for the Dangote-backed East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu, scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.
The proposed refinery is expected to have a crude-processing capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, positioning it among the major planned refining projects in Africa.
According to Dangote, the refinery’s power plant will have an estimated generation capacity of 1,000MW. The facility is expected to provide electricity for the refinery’s operations and potentially support wider industrial activity around the project.
The planned power capacity is significant in the context of Kenya’s energy infrastructure, particularly as the country continues to expand its industrial and manufacturing base.
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The Lamu project forms part of a broader investment relationship between Dangote Group and Kenya and is expected to strengthen the country’s petroleum-processing capacity.
For Kenya, a large-scale refinery could reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products by increasing domestic processing capacity. It could also create opportunities across transportation, logistics, engineering, construction and other sectors linked to the petroleum industry.
The project is expected to be developed in Lamu, a coastal area that is already being positioned as an important regional trade and logistics centre.
Ruto’s visit to Lagos provided an opportunity for the Kenyan president to inspect the operations of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has become one of Africa’s largest single-train refineries.
The Lagos facility has a crude-processing capacity of 650,000 barrels per day and includes an integrated petrochemical complex and power-generation infrastructure.
Dangote said the planned Lamu facility would have a power-generation capacity twice that of the Lagos refinery.
The comparison highlights the scale of the proposed Kenyan investment and the company’s intention to develop an integrated industrial operation rather than a refinery focused solely on crude processing.
The project is also expected to have implications for East Africa’s petroleum supply chain, particularly if its planned capacity is delivered.
A 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery could provide Kenya with substantial refining capacity while potentially creating opportunities to supply neighbouring markets.
However, the project will require significant investment in infrastructure, financing, construction and supporting logistics before operations can begin.
The September 30 groundbreaking is expected to mark the formal commencement of the project’s development phase.
For Dangote Group, the Lamu refinery represents an expansion of its petroleum ambitions beyond Nigeria and into the wider African market.
The proposed 1,000MW power plant could become another major component of the project, underscoring the company’s focus on combining energy production with large-scale industrial development.
