Domestic refiners took over 127m barrels of Nigerian crude in 9 months – NUPRC

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has disclosed that home refineries acquired greater than 127 million barrels of Nigerian crude oil and condensate between January and September 2026, reflecting enhancements within the implementation of the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO).

The Commission Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Monday in her speech on the OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week 2026 in Lagos.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Secure Energy, Shared Prosperity’, the NUPRC boss, who was represented by Assistant Director, Operations, Mr. Prosper Omonedo, mentioned the Commission’s intervention had improved crude oil deliveries after business disagreements between producers and refiners affected provides within the first quarter.

“We engaged producers and refiners, and in the second and third quarters, 53.7 and 45.1 million barrels of crude oil and condensate were supplied to domestic refineries, an overall performance of 97.4 and 76.2 per cent, respectively. From Q1–Q3 of 2026, more than 127 million barrels of Nigerian crude went to Nigerian refineries,” she mentioned.

Under Section 109 of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the NUPRC allocates crude oil to home refineries earlier than export.

The CCE mentioned the NUPRC can be consulting producers, refiners and different stakeholders on a home crude swap framework.

“Under it, a refiner could receive crude from the nearest suitable production or export point instead of moving an allocated grade over long distances, which could take an estimated three to four dollars off the cost of every barrel,” he added.

On manufacturing, Eyesan mentioned Nigeria recorded a mean of 1.717 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate in September, a 2.34 per cent enhance over August. Crude oil manufacturing alone averaged 1.53 million barrels per day, marking the fifth consecutive month the business met or exceeded its quota.

She attributed the advance to raised asset integrity, enhanced safety of evacuation infrastructure, stronger collaboration with operators and sustained regulatory efforts to revive shut-in manufacturing.

On the 2026 Licensing Round, she mentioned the 40 blocks on supply could be subjected to a clear analysis course of, with revealed standards and necessary disclosure of useful possession.

The NUPRC boss added that the Commission was imposing the drill-or-drop precept to discourage speculative holding of licences, noting that 22 latest awardees had been anticipated to contribute no less than 250,000 barrels per day inside 5 years.

She reaffirmed the Commission’s dedication to assembly the Domestic Gas Delivery Obligation and dealing with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to align refinery demand with crude provide planning, guaranteeing that upstream beneficial properties translate into tangible advantages for households, industries and energy technology.