Nigeria exceeded its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil production quota for the third consecutive month in July, despite recording a decline in overall output, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The commission said Nigeria produced an average of 1.505 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and 170,000 bpd of condensate during the month.
Combined production averaged 1.67 million bpd, surpassing Nigeria’s OPEC quota of 1.5 million bpd.
NUPRC said the country’s highest daily production of crude oil and condensate reached 1.78 million bpd, while the lowest output recorded during the month was 1.57 million bpd.
The Forcados Terminal was the country’s largest-producing stream, averaging 322,340 bpd, followed by the Bonny Terminal with 303,720 bpd of crude oil and condensate.
The Qua Iboe Terminal recorded average production of 158,020 bpd, while the Escravos Oil Terminal produced 131,410 bpd. Bonga ranked fifth with average crude oil production of 100,230 bpd.
Despite remaining above its OPEC quota, Nigeria’s total oil production declined by 4% month-on-month in July, NUPRC said.
The regulator attributed the reduction mainly to operational difficulties at the Erha and Akpo oil fields, which affected production and contributed to the decline in national crude output.
Production from other assets remained relatively stable, with operators taking measures to maintain efficiency and limit the impact of the disruptions.
NUPRC said routine production and crude evacuation activities continued across most of the sector, while industry operators worked to resolve the challenges affecting the two fields and restore lost production capacity.
The commission said efforts were also being directed towards improving the reliability of oil assets and strengthening operational resilience.
According to NUPRC, the July production performance highlights the importance of proactive asset management and timely intervention in minimising operational disruptions and sustaining growth in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.