Fuel availability and national stock levels improved significantly in December 2025, with petrol supply rising to 74.2 million litres per day and stock sufficiency expanding to over 29 days, according to a factsheet released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday.
The improvement was largely driven by increased output from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, whose Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) supply rose sharply during the month. Data from the regulator showed that the refinery’s petrol output increased by 12.54 million litres per day, from 19.47 million litres daily in November to 32.01 million litres daily in December.
This translated to total PMS supply of about 960.3 million litres in December, compared to 584.1 million litres supplied in November 2025, strengthening the downstream market during the peak festive demand period.
According to the NMDPRA’s December 2025 factsheet, PMS domestic supply increased from 71.5 million litres per day in November to 74.2 million litres per day in December, while daily petrol consumption surged from 52.9 million litres to 63.7 million litres within the same period.
Despite the sharp rise in consumption, fuel availability improved markedly, with national PMS stock sufficiency jumping from 16.65 days in November to 29.20 days in December.
“Performance data show that PMS domestic supply increased from 71.5 million litres per day in November to 74.2 million litres per day in December, while daily PMS consumption rose from 52.9 million litres to 63.7 million litres,” the report stated. “As a result, national petrol stock sufficiency improved significantly from 16.65 days to 29.20 days.”
The authority attributed the stronger supply position to increased local refining, particularly from the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote refinery, alongside structured import arrangements. Domestic supply figures, it explained, reflect volumes received into coastal depots as well as products trucked out from local refineries.
A further breakdown showed that PMS supply under the Domestic Petroleum Refining Policy (DPRP) framework climbed from 19.47 million litres per day in November to 32.01 million litres per day in December.
On refinery operations, the NMDPRA disclosed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery operated at an average capacity utilisation of 62.94 per cent in December 2025. It supplied an average of 32.01 million litres of petrol per day to the domestic market, below its planned 50 million litres daily for the month. The refinery also supplied about 5.78 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) per day.
In contrast, Nigeria’s state-owned refineries remained largely inactive. The Port Harcourt Refinery stayed in shutdown mode, recording no fresh production, although evacuation of previously produced AGO averaged 0.247 million litres per day. The Warri and Kaduna refineries also remained shut throughout December.
“With PHRC, WRPC and KRPC still offline, domestic fuel supply in December was driven almost entirely by Dangote refinery output,” the regulator noted, underscoring Nigeria’s growing reliance on the privately owned facility.
Meanwhile, Automotive Gas Oil domestic supply declined slightly from 20.4 million litres per day in November to 17.9 million litres per day in December, even as daily AGO consumption increased from 15.4 million litres to 16.4 million litres.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) domestic supply stood at 5.2 metric tonnes per day, as the regulator continued to advance policies aimed at expanding LPG adoption for clean cooking and industrial use.
On the refining front, the NMDPRA said it issued one Licence to Establish and one Licence to Construct in December, maintaining the same pace recorded in November, as investor interest in modular and conventional refineries remained steady.
The authority also disclosed that Train 2 of the Waltersmith Refinery in Imo State, with a capacity of 5,000 barrels per day, had completed pre-commissioning activities, with hydrocarbon introduction expected by January 2026.
In the midstream segment, domestic natural gas supply recorded a marginal increase, rising from 4.684 billion standard cubic feet per day in November to 4.787 Bscf/d in December.
The NMDPRA noted that figures contained in the factsheet remain subject to reconciliation with operators, adding that improved stock levels and rising domestic refining capacity could help cushion the downstream market against supply disruptions in early 2026.
