Niger signs agreement for proposed $1.9 billion Dosso refinery

Niger signed a public-private partnership agreement with Zimar Group and Hightech Co. to develop a proposed refinery and petrochemical complex in Dosso, Oil & Gas Journal reported on August 21. The project is valued at $1.9 billion and is designed for processing capacity of 100,000 barrels per day. The agreement runs for 16 years under a build-operate-transfer model: three years for construction and 13 years of operation. Signing establishes the reported partnership terms, but does not mean construction is immediately authorized. According to the journal, citing Niger’s official press agency, the partners have four months to secure financing and complete detailed engineering. A final investment decision is to follow within 12 months of signing. The planned infrastructure includes pipelines and storage as well as refining and petrochemicals. A monitoring committee is to assess the partners’ performance against the agreed milestones. The refinery would be transferred to the Nigerien government after the operating period. The project’s stated objectives include processing domestically produced crude, reducing reliance on imported fuels and training local engineers, technicians and operators. The refinery design has changed during development. The journal says the government had moved away from a modular configuration by June 2026, choosing a conventional plant after reviewing the partner’s feasibility study. Niger’s technical services submitted observations, while the ministry commissioned an independent assessment of the project and proposed financing. Earlier discussions with Sonatrach included training placements at Algerian refineries and the Algerian Petroleum Institute. If delivered, Dosso would join the existing 20,000-barrel-per-day Zinder refinery. Nexus analysis: The design revision and parallel feasibility review make engineering scope and financial guarantees more informative implementation indicators than the agreement’s headline value.