Nigeria’s crude oil production slipped under its OPEC target in August after an unexpected shutdown disrupted operations at one of the country’s facilities, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has revealed.
The regulator said Nigeria pumped an average of 1.43 million barrels per day (mbpd) in August, falling short of the 1.5 mbpd quota set by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The decline represents a drop of about 66,000 barrels compared to July, when production averaged 1.507 mbpd.
NUPRC spokesperson, Eniola Akinkuotu, explained that the shortfall was tied to a single day of unscheduled maintenance but stressed that the country still managed to meet 96 per cent of its OPEC quota for the month.
Despite the dip, total crude and condensate output in August averaged 1.63 mbpd, an improvement over the 1.58 mbpd recorded in the same month of 2024. Condensate production, however, fell to 197,229 barrels per day, down from 220,435 barrels last year.
Breakdown of terminal activities showed Forcados leading the chart with 8.99 million barrels, followed by Bonny with 6.26 million barrels, Qua Iboe with 4.99 million barrels, and Escravos with 4.18 million barrels in August.
The commission noted that while the August figures reflected a 4.7 per cent month-on-month decline from July, year-on-year performance pointed to steady recovery and improved operational capacity across the sector.
NUPRC assured that Nigeria’s oil industry remains strong enough to consistently meet OPEC obligations once temporary disruptions are addressed.
