The Queen has officially signed the Brexit Bill

LONDON — The Queen has officially signed the Brexit bill into law, paving the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50 and initiate Britain's formal exit from the European Union.

Queen Elizabeth II gave the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill its royal assent shortly before 11:00 a.m. (GMT) on Thursday, meaning that May now has the legal authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty at a time of her choosing.

May has promised to deliver a speech in the Commons to announce when she has invoked Article 50 — but is yet to confirm whether there will be advanced notice of this taking place.

The prime minister intends to officially notify the European Union that the United Kingdom is leaving the 28-nation by the end of March. Monday, March 27, is the most likely date for notification, according to multiple reports.

May told MPs this week that invoking Article 50 will be a "defining moment" in Britain's history.

The Brexit bill was passed by both houses of parliament late on Monday evening after peers in the House of Lords gave up on an uphill effort to add two amendments to it before becoming legislation.

One amendment sought to guarantee the residence rights of EU citizens living in Britain, while the other wanted parliament to be given a "meaningful vote" on the terms of Brexit at the end of the two-year Article 50 negotiations.

Dangote orders compressors and turbines for the refinery, Largest in Africa to be erected in Nigeria.

Dangote Group orders compressors and turbines from MAN Diesel & Turbo for a refinery to be erected in Nigeria.

With a double-digit million dollar order volume, Germany-based MAN Diesel & Turbo will deliver two compressor trains to Nigerian Dangote Oil Refining Company, to be employed in the company’s refinery in the capital of Lagos.

Dangote Corporation is currently building Africa’s largest refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone of Lagos, investing a total of around 12 billion US dollar. “This one we are building will satisfy 100% of the fuel needs of Nigeria,” so Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of the Dangote Group. The new building should enable the country of Nigeria as Africa’s biggest crude oil producer to also raise its processing capacities, finally getting more independent from imported fuels.

Wayne Jones, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Sales Officer of MAN Diesel & Turbo: “This is a milestone project and will have a huge impact on the economy of not only Nigeria but the whole of the West African region. We are very proud to be a part of this project and gladly offer our equipment and technological expertise in order to help to make the Dangote refinery not only Africa’s biggest but also one of the most efficient operations on the continent.”

Sohail A. Khan, Managing Director of MAN Diesel & Turbo in Nigeria: “This refinery new building is underlining the long-term growth perspective Nigeria and the region of West Africa have. We are here to serve customers with highperformance technology for the oil and gas industry, process industry or the ever-rising need for efficient power generation.”

The highly efficient machinery trains from MAN Diesel & Turbo each consist of an axial compressor driven by a steam turbine with about 30 MW power. Delivered with a comprehensive auxiliary package, they will come into operation for the refinery process of Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC), thereby supporting the production of fuel.

MAN Diesel & Turbo convinced here with proven and reliable technology, together with its extensive expertise in the refinery sector. The order also comprises erection and commissioning of the machinery trains, being developed and build at the company’s Turbomachinery technology site in Germany. Delivery will take place in the course of 2018, while commissioning of the whole refinery is planned for the year 2019.

Beside Nigeria as the largest national economy, MAN Diesel & Turbo holds subsidiaries also in other countries on the African continent. With 250 employees across various sales and service sites, regional workshops and a pool of field service engineers, the company serves customers that are mainly active in the oil and gas industry, the power generation business or the process industry. The company’s history in Africa dates back to the 1950s, when the first engines for power generation were delivered to the countries of Mali and Senegal.