Aliko Dangote has announced that the proposed Lamu oil refinery could generate about 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, with up to 500MW potentially sold to the Kenyan government.
Dangote made the remarks on September 25, 2026, during President William Ruto’s visit to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos. The announcement comes ahead of the planned September 30 groundbreaking for the Lamu refinery.
The proposed refinery is expected to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it one of the largest refining projects planned in Africa. The electricity-generation component would provide power for the refinery and potentially supply additional electricity to Kenya’s grid.
Dangote said the Lamu power plant would be larger than the corresponding facility at his Nigerian refinery and would use petroleum coke (petcoke) generated during the refining process as fuel.
If developed as proposed, the project could give Lamu a broader role in Kenya’s industrial and energy development. The refinery is also expected to stimulate investment in manufacturing, logistics, storage and other industries around the Lamu port and LAPSSET corridor.
However, the 1,000MW figure represents proposed generation capacity, not electricity that is already available to Kenya. The terms for selling the reported 500MW to the government, including any power-purchase agreement, would still need to be established.
The refinery itself is still at the development stage. Reuters has reported that the project faces challenges including securing sufficient crude supplies and financing, with completion currently targeted around 2030.
Read more: Ruto Tours Dangote Refinery Ahead of Lamu Project Groundbreaking
