Nigeria exceeded its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil production quota for the third consecutive month in July, despite a decline in output caused by operational challenges at two major oil fields.
The latest production data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that Nigeria produced an average of 1.505 million barrels per day (mbpd) of crude oil in July, slightly above its OPEC quota of 1.5mbpd.
With condensate production estimated at 170,000 barrels per day, the country’s combined crude oil and condensate output stood at 1.67mbpd during the month.
However, July’s crude and condensate production represented a decline from the 1.735mbpd recorded in June.
The month-on-month reduction of about 65,000 barrels per day represented a 3.75 per cent decline, or approximately four per cent when rounded.
In a statement signed by its Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, the NUPRC said Nigeria had maintained its compliance with the OPEC quota for three consecutive months.
“Nigeria has for the third consecutive month met and exceeded its OPEC quota of 1.5mbpd. In the month of July 2026, Nigeria produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd,” the commission said.
The regulator, however, noted that the increase above the OPEC quota came against a decline in monthly production.
“Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent,” it added.
The July decline marked the first monthly reduction after combined crude oil and condensate production increased steadily from January through June.
Output rose from 1.459mbpd in January to 1.483mbpd in February, 1.564mbpd in March, 1.663mbpd in April, 1.701mbpd in May and 1.735mbpd in June.
The NUPRC attributed the latest decline mainly to operational challenges at the Erha and Akpo oil fields, which disrupted production during the month.
“These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output,” the commission said.
Despite the disruptions, the regulator said production activities at other producing assets remained relatively stable.
“Despite the challenges encountered, production operations across other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints,” it said.
Nigeria’s combined daily crude oil and condensate production peaked at 1.78mbpd in July, while the lowest daily output recorded during the month was 1.57mbpd.
The production breakdown showed that the Forcados Terminal recorded the highest average output at 322.34 thousand barrels per day, followed by the Bonny Terminal with 303.72 thousand barrels per day.
Qua Iboe Terminal recorded average production of 158.02 thousand barrels per day, while Escravos Oil Terminal produced 131.41 thousand barrels per day.
Bonga ranked fifth among the listed terminals, recording an average production of 100.23 thousand barrels per day.
The NUPRC said routine production and crude evacuation activities were largely sustained across the industry during July.
It added that industry stakeholders were working to resolve the operational challenges, restore affected production capacity and improve the reliability of oil assets.
“Industry stakeholders remain focused on addressing the identified operational issues, restoring affected production capacity and strengthening asset reliability to support improved performance in subsequent months,” the commission said.
The regulator said the July figures highlighted the importance of proactive asset management, operational resilience and timely intervention in reducing the impact of production disruptions.
While Nigeria’s ability to remain above its OPEC quota marks continued progress in restoring crude production, the July decline highlights the vulnerability of national output to operational challenges affecting individual oil assets.
