On October 13, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission reported that crude output averaged 1.53 million barrels per day in September. That was 30,000 barrels above Nigeria’s OPEC quota of 1.5 million, extending the country’s run of meeting or beating its allocation to five consecutive months.
OPEC compares Nigeria’s crude output alone with its quota, excluding condensates. With condensates included, daily production reached 1,717,030 barrels, up 2.34 per cent from August.
September’s crude output was about 102 per cent of the quota, as Premium Times reported.
The NUPRC’s figures show combined output ranging from a monthly low of 1.68 million barrels per day to a peak of 1.84 million. Stable operations across most producing assets and the absence of major pipeline outages helped improve production uptime and crude evacuation in September, BusinessDay reported.
Oil theft and pipeline vandalism have long disrupted the sector. Production interruptions and transport difficulties have also weighed on output. The commission credited operators and other industry stakeholders with efforts to improve efficiency and protect assets, as well as strengthen reliability.
Crude output averaged 1.53 million barrels per day in May, then rose to 1.55 million in June. It slipped to 1.51 million in July and stood at 1.5 million in August.
September’s 1.53 million barrels per day marked a recovery of about 2 per cent from August. Average crude production in the third quarter was 1.512 million barrels per day.
If sustained, production at or above the quota could support government revenue and foreign-exchange earnings. Nigeria first moved above its allocation in May.
Forcados Terminal recorded average output of 320,320 barrels per day, the highest among the facilities in the regulator’s breakdown. Bonny Terminal followed at 303,270 barrels per day. The terminal figures cover different stages of the oil supply chain, including the collection and evacuation of crude.
