Domestic crude supply to refineries declines 6.3% to 15.97mb —NMDPRA

By Obas Esiedesa Domestic crude oil supply to Nigerian refineries declined by 6.3 per cent to 15.97 million barrels in September 2026 from 17.05 million barrels in August. This comes as petrol supply from domestic refineries and imports fell sharply during the month. The September 2026 Midstream and Downstream Report released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday shows that the decline in crude supply coincided with a 23.4 per cent drop in average daily petrol supply to 38.7 million litres from 50.5 million litres in August.

The report attributed the fall in petrol receipts to lower domestic supply and reduced imports as approved import permit volumes were being exhausted. Between January and September 2026, refineries received a combined 156.51 million barrels of crude oil, comprising 125.85 million barrels of domestic crude and 30.66 million barrels of imported crude.

Domestic production accounted for 80.4 per cent of total intake, while imported cargoes contributed 19.6 per cent. The report further showed that Dangote Refinery’s utilisation stood at 105.98 per cent in September, implying crude processing of approximately 689,000 barrels per day against average crude receipts of 618,000 barrels per day. The difference of about 71,000 barrels per day was drawn from refinery inventory, indicating that the refinery processed more crude than it received during the month.

Despite the September decline, domestic refineries remained the larger source of petrol supply, accounting for approximately 73.6 per cent of total receipts during the month, compared with 26.4 per cent from imports. The September total was also below the 13-month average of 49.7 million litres per day recorded between September 2025 and September 2026.

Over the 13-month period, domestic refineries supplied an average of 30.4 million litres per day, accounting for 61.2 per cent of total supply, while imports contributed 19.3 million litres per day, or 38.8 per cent. The NMDPRA said September petrol receipts declined as domestic supply fell 21 per cent below August levels, while imports dropped by 30 per cent amid the exhaustion of approved import permit volumes.