Nigeria’s Crude Oil Production Rises for Fourth Straight Month to 1.68mbpd

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production increased to 1,677,777 barrels per day in August 2026, representing a 0.4 per cent rise from the 1.67 million barrels per day recorded in July.

The latest increase marks the fourth consecutive month of improved production as Nigeria sustained compliance with its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil quota.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Mr Eniola Akinkuotu.

The regulator said crude oil production, excluding condensates, stood at 1,500,190 barrels per day in August.

It noted that Nigeria met its OPEC quota for the fourth consecutive month, attributing the development to continued efforts by operators to restore affected production capacity and resolve operational bottlenecks. The latest improvement followed the resolution of operational challenges involving the Single Buoy Mooring at the Erha field, which had affected production performance in the previous month.

According to the NUPRC, the restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the facility contributed positively to the overall output recorded in August.

The statement read, “The NUPRC attributed the modest improvement in August production largely to the resolution of the Single Buoy Mooring operational challenges at the Erha field, which had adversely impacted production performance in the preceding month.

“The restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to overall production volumes during the period under review.”

The regulator added that production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators sustaining measures aimed at improving efficiency, maintaining asset integrity and reducing operational disruptions.

According to the commission, the lowest daily crude oil and condensate production recorded in August was 1.64 million barrels per day, while the highest stood at 1.71 million barrels per day.

A breakdown of production by terminals and streams showed that Bonny Terminal recorded the highest average output during the month, accounting for 320.04 thousand barrels per day.

Forcados Terminal followed with 317.40 thousand barrels per day, while Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average of 171.72 thousand barrels per day of crude oil and condensates.

Escravos Oil Terminal posted a daily average of 131.71 thousand barrels per day, while Bonga ranked fifth among the leading producing terminals with an average of 92.50 thousand barrels per day of crude oil.

The August output represented an increase of 6,777 barrels per day from July’s 1,671,000 barrels per day, based on the rounded July figure. It was also 57,621 barrels per day lower than the 1,735,398 barrels per day recorded in June.

The June figure represented a decline of about 3.3 per cent in August when compared with the latest available June production data.

The NUPRC said the August performance reflected the industry’s continued efforts to resolve operational constraints and restore affected production capacity.

“While the increase recorded in August was modest, it reflects the industry’s continued efforts to address operational bottlenecks and restore affected production capacity.

“Stakeholders remain focused on enhancing asset reliability, improving operational resilience and advancing intervention programs to support sustained production growth in the coming months,” the statement added.

The regulator further emphasised the importance of timely intervention, effective asset management and collaboration among industry stakeholders in safeguarding Nigeria’s crude oil production capacity.