THUR AUG 13 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria sustained crude oil production above its OPEC quota for a third consecutive month in July, offering further evidence that the country’s upstream reforms and efforts to curb production losses are beginning to translate into higher output, even as monthly volumes eased.
Latest data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) showed crude production averaged 1.505 million barrels per day (mbpd) in July, slightly above Nigeria’s 1.5mbpd OPEC quota.
Including condensate, output rose to 1.67mbpd, with daily combined production ranging from 1.57mbpd to 1.78mbpd.
The milestone nevertheless came with a modest setback. Crude and condensate production declined by about 4% month on month, indicating that while Nigeria has moved closer to consistently meeting its OPEC allocation, production remains vulnerable to operational disruptions and field-level volatility.
The NUPRC attributed the decline in production to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpofields, which impacted production output during the period under review.
”These disruptions 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 minimizing the impact of operational constraints,” NUPRC said.
A breakdown of the daily average crude oil and condensate production by terminals/streams during the review month shows that Forcados Terminal accounted for 322.34kbpd while Bonny Terminal accounted for 303.72kbpd while
Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average production of 158.02kbpd of crude oil and condensates while EscravosOil Terminal posted a daily average of 131.41kbpd.
Bonga ranked as the fifth highest producing terminal, recording an average of 100.23kbpd of crude oil.
NUPRC notes that routine production activities and crude evacuation operations were largely sustained across the sector.
”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,” it adds.
An analyst said the July figures were encouraging but should not yet be interpreted as evidence of a sustained structural recovery in Nigeria’s oil sector.
“Staying above quota for three consecutive months is significant because it suggests the recent improvement in production is becoming more consistent,” the analyst said.
“But the month-on-month decline shows that Nigeria still has limited room for complacency. Maintaining output above 1.5mbpd will depend on the reliability of upstream infrastructure, reduced disruptions and continued investment in mature and new fields.”
According to the NUPRC: ”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.”
X-@theGBJournal|email:gbj@govbusinessjournal.com|govandbusinessj@gmail.com
