Off-grid 435MW power plant powers Dangote refinery

The Dangote refinery, that is set to be commissioned today by President Muhammadu Buhari, will run on a 435-megawatt (MW) power plant. This is according to information shared by the Dangote Group last week.

The refinery, which is a 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) integrated refinery project, is completely off the grid and has its own independent power plant (IPP). The refinery is powered by a 435-megawatt (MW) power plant.

It has been said that the power requirement of the Dangote refinery is about 15% of the average power generated on the grid today. The power plant has the capacity to cater to all states under the Ibadan electricity distribution company (DisCo).

According to reports, the power infrastructure for the Dangote refinery includes the construction of eight gas turbines and four steam turbines combined for a total of 570 MW of power generation. Each of the eight gas turbines is capable of generating 34.5 MW/110 tons per hour of steam.

Energy efficiency at 100%

In August 2017, Dangote refinery signed an agreement with global energy management specialist Schneider Electric to provide comprehensive process automation systems, solutions, and services to the refinery. Under the agreement, Schneider Electric supplied its EcoStruxure system architecture and platform, which is made up of its EcoStruxure Foxboro distributed control system, Triconex process safety solutions, PIONIR analytical fuel blending systems, and a suite of SimSci and Wonderware software solutions, including its unified supply chain management and operations management software.

All these solutions are expected to drive supply chain and operational efficiency, reliability, and profitability improvements at the Dangote refinery.

From 650,000 bpd to zero?

At the time (2017), Devakumar V. G. Edwin, the group executive director, strategy, capital projects, and portfolio development at Dangote Industries, said that Schneider Electric was chosen because the Dangote refinery will be a single train facility, and any interruption or shutdown in operations at the refinery would decrease output from 650,000 barrels a day to zero.

So, recognizing the need to safeguard their continuous operations, Dangote refinery chose Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS and Triconex process safety solutions—which include emergency shutdown systems, to maximize the safety and efficiency of their operations and to improve the reliability of their equipment assets and asset sets.

Meanwhile, the PIONIR process analyzers will improve process optimization, asset protection, and compliance with environmental regulations. And advanced SimSci and Wonderware software will be implemented both to unify planning and scheduling and to improve real-time data collection and analysis, further optimizing operations and product blending.

Edwin also said that maintaining continuously safe, reliable, and efficient refinery operations will help the company reach its national goal of reducing petroleum product imports and increasing energy independence.