Nigeria’s average daily crude oil and condensate production rose by 2.34 per cent to 1.717 million barrels in September, marking the fifth consecutive month the country met its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil production quota.
Data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed that combined output peaked at 1.84 million barrels per day during the month, while the lowest daily production stood at 1.68 million barrels.
Crude oil production, excluding condensates, averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, exceeding Nigeria’s OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels by 30,000 barrels daily.
The NUPRC disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu.
According to the commission, the September performance represented approximately 102 per cent of Nigeria’s OPEC crude oil production allocation and reinforced the country’s position as Africa’s largest crude oil producer.
Nigeria’s crude oil output averaged 1.53 million barrels per day in May, increased to 1.55 million in June, and declined to 1.51 million in July before settling at 1.5 million barrels per day in August.
The latest increase comes amid longstanding challenges in the country’s oil and gas sector, including crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, production disruptions and difficulties evacuating crude from oilfields to export terminals.
The regulator attributed the September growth to stable operations across most producing assets and the absence of major pipeline outages during the period.
It said improved operational stability enhanced production uptime and crude oil evacuation efficiency, enabling operators to sustain higher output levels.
The commission also credited oil companies and other industry stakeholders with efforts to improve operational efficiency, protect production assets and strengthen reliability across the upstream petroleum sector.
A breakdown of production by terminal showed that Forcados Terminal recorded average output of 320,320 barrels per day in September, making it the largest contributor among the listed facilities. Bonny Terminal followed with an average production of 303,270 barrels per day.
The sustained increase in crude oil production could support government revenue and foreign exchange earnings if the improved performance continues.
However, the NUPRC figures distinguish between combined crude oil and condensate production and crude oil output alone, which is the basis for assessing Nigeria’s compliance with its OPEC quota.
