NUPRC says 127 million barrels of crude supplied to local refineries in nine months

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says more than 127 million barrels of Nigerian crude oil and condensate were supplied to domestic refineries between January and September 2026, following interventions to address supply disruptions.

Commission Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan disclosed this on Monday, October 26, at the OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week 2026 in Lagos.

Represented by Assistant Director of Operations Prosper Omonedo, she said engagements between producers and refiners had improved deliveries after commercial disagreements affected supplies in the first quarter.

According to a statement published on the NUPRC website and signed by its Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, the Commission is also considering a domestic crude swap framework to reduce transportation costs and improve refinery access to crude.

Domestic refineries receive 127 million barrels

Eyesan said crude oil and condensate deliveries improved in the second and third quarters following the Commission’s intervention.

• “We engaged producers and refiners, and in the second and third quarters, 53.7 and 45.1 million barrels of crude oil and condensate were supplied to domestic refineries, an overall performance of 97.4 and 76.2 per cent, respectively. From Q1–Q3 of 2026, more than 127 million barrels of Nigerian crude went to Nigerian refineries,” she said.

Under Section 109 of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the NUPRC allocates crude oil to domestic refineries before exports.

• The Commission is consulting producers, refiners and other stakeholders on a domestic crude swap framework that would allow refineries to receive suitable crude from nearby production or export points instead of transporting allocated grades over long distances.
• According to Eyesan, the arrangement could reduce costs by an estimated $3 to $4 per barrel, potentially easing some of the logistical expenses associated with domestic crude supply.

The latest figures follow an earlier Nairametrics report that domestic refineries received 53.7 million barrels of crude oil and condensate in the second quarter, representing 97.4% of the expected supply performance.

Nigeria’s crude oil production improves

Eyesan also reported an improvement in upstream production, with Nigeria recording average crude oil and condensate output of 1.717 million barrels per day in September, up 2.34% from August.

• Crude oil production alone averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, marking the fifth consecutive month in which the industry met or exceeded its production quota.
• She attributed the improvement to better asset integrity, enhanced security around evacuation infrastructure, closer collaboration with operators and regulatory efforts to restore shut-in production.

In a separate development, Nairametrics previously reported that the NUPRC had identified more than 788,000 barrels per day of shut-in production across 63 operators for possible restoration as part of efforts to increase national output.

Oil licensing round targets higher output

On the 2026 oil and gas licensing round, Eyesan said the 40 blocks on offer would undergo a transparent evaluation process, with published criteria and mandatory disclosure of beneficial ownership.

• She said the Commission was enforcing the drill-or-drop princip le to discourage speculative ownership of licences. Under the approach, licence holders are expected to develop their assets rather than retain them without meaningful exploration or production activity.
• The Commission expects 22 recent awardees to contribute at least 250,000 barrels per day within five years.
• The licensing round follows the Federal Government’s decision to offer 40 blocks across onshore, shallow-water and deepwater terrains to local and international investors. Earlier Nairametrics coverage also noted that assets in the 2025 licensing round could add about 500 million barrels to Nigeria’s reserves and at least 300,000 barrels per day of crude oil and condensate production within five years, subject to successful development.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s natural gas exports rose 19% year-on-year to 733,778 million standard cubic feet in the first eight months of 2026, according to earlier Nairametrics reporting.