Nigerian billionaire and industrialist Aliko Dangote has disclosed plans for the proposed Lamu refinery in Kenya to generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity, with up to half of the output potentially supplied to the Kenyan government.
Dangote made the disclosure in Lagos on Friday while hosting Kenyan President William Ruto, who visited the Dangote Petroleum Refinery ahead of the planned groundbreaking ceremony for the Lamu project on September 30.
The proposed refinery is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it a major component of Dangote's planned investment in Kenya.
According to Dangote, the electricity-generation component of the project will be significantly larger than the power facility serving his refinery in Lagos.
“What we are going to have, the power plant in Lamu will be actually double (the one in Nigeria) because we are going to produce about 1000 megawatts in Lamu out of petcoke and we'll have 500 megawatts to sell to the government of Kenya,” he said.
The proposed arrangement could make the Lamu refinery not only a petroleum-processing facility but also a significant source of power for the Kenyan market.
Refinery as gateway to wider investment
Dangote said the significance of the Lamu project would extend beyond refining crude oil, arguing that the refinery could become a catalyst for additional industrial investments around the facility.
“What this investment (Lamu refinery) will do for the Kenyans, it's not only the refinery; the refinery is like the gate. Once you open and have the refinery, you'll be shocked at how many people will know come and invest in Kenya,” Dangote said.
His comments suggest that the refinery is being conceived as an anchor project around which other industries and businesses could develop.
The proposed investment could therefore create opportunities for additional industrial activity, supply chains and supporting businesses around the refinery, potentially expanding the economic impact of the project beyond its core petroleum operations.
Larger processing equipment
Dangote also highlighted differences between the equipment planned for the Lamu refinery and components installed at his Lagos facility, saying some of the Kenyan plant's equipment would be larger.
“Some of the equipment that we have here, like the RFCC, will be much heavier than the one in Lamu,” he said.
RFCC, or Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking, is a refinery process used to convert heavier, lower-value petroleum residues into lighter and more commercially valuable products, including gasoline and other fuels.
Dangote's reference to the larger RFCC unit points to the scale of the processing infrastructure being planned for Lamu.
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| President William Ruto with billionaire Aliko Dangote at Dangote refinery in Lagos on September 25, 2026/PCS |
The proposed 1,000MW power plant would use petroleum coke, or petcoke, a carbon-rich solid material produced during the oil-refining process.
Petcoke is generated when heavier petroleum residues undergo further processing and can be used as an industrial fuel because of its high carbon content.
Dangote's comments place power generation among the broader industrial components expected to accompany the Lamu refinery, with the potential sale of 500MW to the Kenyan government creating an additional link between the project and the country's electricity supply.
The power facility could therefore form part of a wider energy and industrial complex around the refinery.
Ruto visits Lagos refinery
President Ruto's visit to Lagos comes days before the planned groundbreaking of the Lamu project.
During the visit, the Kenyan president toured the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, gaining an insight into the operations of the $20 billion facility, which has become one of Africa's largest refinery projects.
The Lamu investment is expected to require between $15 billion and $17 billion, with construction projected to take about three years.
For Dangote, however, the refinery represents more than an investment in petroleum processing.
His vision is for the facility to provide the infrastructure around which other businesses can establish operations, creating an industrial ecosystem around the refinery.
“The refinery is like the gate,” Dangote said, describing the project as an entry point for further investment.
With a planned processing capacity of 700,000 barrels per day and a proposed 1,000MW power plant, the Lamu project is positioned as a large-scale energy and industrial development, with Dangote expecting its impact to extend well beyond the refinery itself.