NUPRC: Domestic Refineries Receive 127m Barrels of Crude in Nine Months
The Commission Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Monday at the OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week 2026 in Lagos.
Eyesan, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Operations, Mr Prosper Omonedo, said the development reflected improvements in the implementation of the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO).
Speaking on the theme, ‘Secure Energy, Shared Prosperity’, she said commercial disagreements between producers and refiners affected crude deliveries in the first quarter, prompting the Commission to intervene.
She said the intervention improved supplies in the second and third quarters, with 53.7 million barrels and 45.1 million barrels of crude oil and condensate delivered to domestic refineries, respectively.
The figures represented supply performance rates of 97.4 per cent in the second quarter and 76.2 per cent in the third quarter.
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 export.
The Commission is also consulting producers, refiners and other stakeholders on a domestic crude swap framework designed to reduce transportation costs and improve supply efficiency.
Under the proposed arrangement, refiners could receive crude from the nearest suitable production or export point instead of transporting their allocated grades over long distances.
According to the Commission, the arrangement could reduce costs by an estimated $3 to $4 per barrel.
On production, Eyesan said Nigeria recorded an average of 1.717 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate in September, representing a 2.34 per cent increase over August.
Crude oil production alone averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, marking the fifth consecutive month the industry met or exceeded its production quota.
She attributed the improvement to better asset integrity, enhanced security of evacuation infrastructure, stronger collaboration with operators and sustained regulatory efforts to restore shut-in production.
On the 2026 licensing round, Eyesan said the 40 blocks on offer would undergo a transparent evaluation process based on published criteria, with mandatory disclosure of beneficial ownership.
She added that the Commission was enforcing the drill-or-drop principle to discourage speculative holding of licences.
According to her, 22 recent awardees are expected to contribute at least 250,000 barrels per day to national production within five years.
Eyesan reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to meeting the Domestic Gas Delivery Obligation and working with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to align refinery demand with crude supply planning.
She said the collaboration was aimed at ensuring that gains in upstream operations translate into tangible benefits for households, industries and power generation.
