By Mary Izuaka

 

Nigeria has exceeded its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota for the third consecutive month, with combined crude oil and condensate output averaging 1.67 million barrels per day (mbpd) in July 2026, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The latest figures show that crude oil production stood at 1.505mbpd, while condensate contributed an additional 0.17mbpd, putting total output above the country’s 1.5mbpd OPEC quota.

The peak daily production for the month was 1.78 mbpd, while the lowest was 1.57 mbpd.

Despite meeting the OPEC target, Nigeria’s production fell by 4 per cent compared to June 2026.

Reason for decline

The NUPRC, in a statement by its Head, Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, attributed the decline in production to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted production output during the period under review.

These disruptions, Mr Akinkuotu said, constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.

“Despite the challenges encountered, production operations across other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints.

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“Routine production activities and crude evacuation operations were largely sustained across the sector,” the NUPRC said.

It said industry stakeholders remain focused on addressing the identified operational issues, restoring affected production capacity and strengthening asset reliability to support improved performance in subsequent months.

“The July outcome underscores the importance of proactive asset management, operational resilience, and timely intervention in mitigating production disruptions within the Nigerian upstream petroleum industry,” it added.

Terminal breakdown

A breakdown by terminals and streams of the daily average crude oil and condensate production shows Forcados Terminal led output with an average of 322.34 thousand barrels per day (kbpd).

Bonny Terminal followed with 303.72 kbpd, while Qua Iboe recorded 158.02 kbpd. Escravos Terminal posted a daily average of 131.41 kbpd. Bonga field ranked fifth with an average output of 100.23 kbpd.