Nigeria’s oil output rises 0.4% in August

Nigeria’s oil output rises 0.4% in August

Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose by 0.4 per cent to 1,677,777 barrels per day (bpd) in August 2026.

The Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) disclosed this in its crude oil and condensate statistics report released on Sunday.

The commission said crude oil production, excluding condensate, averaged 1,500,190 bpd during the month under review.

It added that Nigeria met its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil quota for the fourth consecutive month.

According to the report, combined crude oil and condensate production fluctuated between a daily low of 1.64 million barrels and high of 1.71 million barrels.

The report showed that Bonny Terminal recorded the highest average production at 320.04 thousand barrels per day (kbpd).

Forcados Terminal followed closely, recording an average daily production of 317.40 kbpd during the month.

“Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average production of 171.72kbpd of crude oil and condensates,” the report said.

It added that Escravos Oil Terminal recorded a daily average production of 131.71 kbpd during the period.

Bonga ranked fifth among the highest-producing terminals, with an average output of 92.50 kbpd of crude oil.

The NUPRC attributed the modest increase in August production largely to the resolution of operational challenges involving the Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) at the Erha field.

The commission said the challenges had adversely affected production performance in the preceding month.

It explained that restoring normal evacuation and production operations at the Erha field contributed positively to overall production volumes in August.

“Production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable,” the report said.

It said operators continued implementing measures to optimise production efficiency, maintain asset integrity and minimise operational disruptions.

The commission added that routine production and crude evacuation operations were generally sustained across the industry during the period.

“These supported the observed improvement in output,” it said.

The report described the August increase as modest but said it reflected continuing industry efforts to address operational bottlenecks.

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Safety Lapses:FG revokes oil rig license Gbenga Komolafe, CEO, NUPRC The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has revoked the operating licence of Oritsemeyin Rig, and directed it to cease all operations upon the completion of its current well operations due to catastrophe. The notice is contained in a letter dated September 11, 2025, addressed to Selective Marine Services Limited (SMSL) and signed by the Commission Chief Executive, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe. The NUPRC said in a statement on Friday 12 September, 2025 that the decision followed a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the drilling of UDIBE-2 wellbore during which a kick was recorded, resulting in several Non-Productive Time (NPT) with consequential cost and a forced well Describing the situation, NUPRC Head, Media and Strategic Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, said: “A kick on an oil rig is the unwanted flow of formation fluids (oil, gas, or water) into the wellbore due to a temporary pressure imbalance, where the pressure inside the wellbore becomes lower than the formation pressure. “This phenomenon, if left unmanaged, can lead to a potentially catastrophic uncontrolled release of fluids called a blowout.” Subsequently, according to the statement, the NUPRC in accordance with Section 97 of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, issued a formal notice of culpability via a letter dated June 5, 2025 with a timeline of 21 days followed by a reminder dated July 9, 2025 to ensure an amicable resolution which was not achieved even beyond the stipulated time. “Consequent upon the forgoing and pursuant to the relevant powers conferred on the commission under the extant Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the annual licence to operate granted to Selective Marine Services Limited for the Oritsemeyin Rig is hereby revoked,” the commission stated. The upstream regulator also disqualified the Oritsemeyin Rig from all renewal protocols in strict compliance with the applicable provisions of the law forthwith. The NUPRC noted that this action is in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 which empowers the commission to ensure compliance with good oilfield and international best industry practices, operational safety and optimization as well as promote technical excellence and preserve commercial and environmental sustainability. (The Nation)

It said stakeholders were also working to restore affected production capacity and support sustained growth in the coming months.

The commission said operators remained focused on improving asset reliability and operational resilience across Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.

It added that intervention programmes were being advanced to strengthen production performance and reduce disruptions.

The August performance, according to the NUPRC, underscored the importance of resolving operational constraints promptly.

It also highlighted the need for effective asset management and continued collaboration among industry stakeholders.

Such measures, the commission said, remained critical to safeguarding and improving Nigeria’s crude oil production capacity. (NAN)

ELLA/KTO

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