Dangote Group has reportedly selected Honeywell Technologies (UOP) as process technology provider for its planned refinery in Lamu, Kenya, which is reported to have a crude processing capacity of 700,000 barrels per day (bpd). The selection was reported on September 30, 2026 through a Honeywell press release and Nigerian media, and an industry trade publication carried it on October 1. The Honeywell press release is reported to put the value of the technology package at approximately US$300 million.
According to the reports, the package includes process technology and licensing, engineering services, proprietary catalysts, equipment and digital solutions. Which specific UOP process licenses (such as FCC or hydrocracking) will be applied has not been confirmed. The refinery’s products are reported to be gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and polypropylene.
The Honeywell press release is reported to say that using proven engineering designs developed for Dangote’s Lekki refinery in Nigeria could shorten the development schedule by nearly two years. The release describes the plant as the “world’s largest single-train refinery,” which is the company’s own characterization. Whether 700,000 bpd refers to the capacity of a single CDU (Crude Distillation Unit), and what the CDU configuration is (number of units and capacity per unit), has not been disclosed. For reference, the 650,000 bpd figure for the Lekki refinery was described by its CEO as the nameplate capacity at which the CDU and the MS Block are operating.
Reports differ on timing: BusinessDay cites 30 to 40 months, while Guardian Nigeria and Oil & Gas Journal cite 40 months from groundbreaking. The project also includes a 1,000 MW power facility according to BusinessDay and Guardian Nigeria, and BusinessDay reports that half of it is to be supplied to Kenya’s national grid.
Crude processing capacity is reported at 700,000 bpd but no source states explicitly that the figure represents CDU capacity. The company says the plant would be the world’s largest single-train refinery once completed. The Honeywell technology package is about US$300 million (per the press release), while total project cost is reported at about US$16 billion although some outlets cite figures up to US$20 billion.
Ancillary power generation is 1,000 MW. Polypropylene production is included, which Oil & Gas Journal put at about one million tonnes per year.
The project is presented as a large-scale effort to reduce East Africa’s dependence on imported petroleum products, and earlier coverage addressed a court decision and an EPCM contract for the same site.
Having one supplier provide the process technology for a major refinery as a package appears to be an attempt to reduce schedule risk through design standardization. Reusing the design of a running plant can cut engineering time and commissioning risk, although adjustments for local crude characteristics and infrastructure remain necessary. Whether 700,000 bpd represents one CDU or several changes the equipment configuration and operating risk considerably, so disclosure of the process configuration is an important variable in assessing the project. The combined structure of refining, petrochemicals (polypropylene) and power suggests a strategy of securing profitability through product diversification. Financing of a project of roughly US$16 billion and local permitting remain the key variables.
First, whether the process configuration, including the number and capacity of CDUs, is disclosed. Second, whether the financing structure for the total project cost becomes concrete. Third, whether the specific UOP process license lineup is disclosed. Fourth, how the construction period from groundbreaking to completion is settled relative to the differing reports of 30 to 40 months or 40 months.