Nigeria’s crude oil output rises 0.4% in August — NUPRC

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By Obas Esiedesa, Bangkok

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Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose marginally by 0.4 per cent in August 2026 to 1.68 million barrels per day (bpd), from 1.67 million bpd recorded in July, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said.

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The increase came as the country sustained crude oil production at its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota for the fourth consecutive month.

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According to the NUPRC’s latest production data, combined crude oil and condensate output stood at 1,677,777 bpd in August, compared with 1,670,890 bpd in July.

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The August figure was, however, below the 1,735,398 bpd recorded in June, the highest monthly output between March and August.

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Production rose from 1,564,100 bpd in March to 1,663,430 bpd in April and 1,700,800 bpd in May, before reaching 1,735,398 bpd in June. It declined to 1,670,890 bpd in July before recovering slightly in August.

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Excluding condensates, Nigeria produced 1,500,190 bpd of crude oil in August, representing 100 per cent of its OPEC quota of 1.50 million bpd.

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The NUPRC said the lowest daily combined crude oil and condensate production during the month was 1.64 million bpd, while the peak was 1.71 million bpd.

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The Commission attributed the modest improvement largely to the resolution of Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) operational challenges at the Erha field, which had affected production in the preceding month.

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It said the restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to overall production volumes in August.

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A breakdown of average production by terminals and streams showed that Bonny Terminal led with 320.04 thousand barrels per day (kbpd), followed by Forcados Terminal with 317.40 kbpd.

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Qua Iboe Terminal recorded 171.72 kbpd of crude oil and condensates, while Escravos Oil Terminal posted an average of 131.71 kbpd.

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Bonga ranked fifth among the leading producing streams, with an average production of 92.50 kbpd of crude oil.

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The NUPRC said production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable during the month, as operators continued measures to optimise production efficiency, maintain asset integrity and minimise operational disruptions.

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It added that routine production and crude evacuation operations were generally sustained across the industry, supporting the improvement recorded in August.

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The regulator said the modest increase reflected continued efforts by operators and other stakeholders to address operational bottlenecks and restore affected production capacity.

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It stated that stakeholders remained focused on enhancing asset reliability, improving operational resilience and advancing intervention programmes to support sustained production growth in the coming months.

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The Commission stressed that the August performance underscored the importance of timely resolution of operational constraints, effective asset management and continued collaboration among industry stakeholders in safeguarding and improving Nigeria’s crude oil production capacity.

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