By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Nigeria has met its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota for the third consecutive month even as the country’s crude oil production fell by four percent month-on-month in July 2026.
The July oil production statistics were contained in the latest data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) released on Wednesday, August 12.
According to a statement issued by NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, Nigeria pumped an average of 1.505 million barrels per day of crude oil in July, slightly above its OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels per day.
The data showed that condensate production stood at 170,000 barrels per day, bringing the country’s total crude and condensate output in July 2026 to 1.67 million barrels per day.
However, the July figures showed a decline from the 1.735 million barrels per day recorded in June, representing a reduction of about 65,000 barrels per day, or 3.75 percent.
“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.
“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,” the NUPRC statement read.
According to the commission, daily combined crude and condensate production fluctuated between a low of 1.57 million barrels per day and a peak of 1.78 million barrels per day in July.
It further stated that daily average production was 1.67 million barrels per day, comprising both crude oil (1.505 million barrels per day and condensate (170,000 barrels per day).
Despite the July decline, Nigeria has maintained crude production above its 1.5 million barrels per day OPEC quota for three consecutive months.
According to NUPRC’s month-on-month data, Nigeria’s combined crude and condensate production has increased since the beginning of the year.
Production stood at 1.459 million barrels per day (mbpd) in January, before rising to 1.483mbpd in February. It subsequently increased to 1.564mbpd in March, 1.663mbpd in April, 1.701mbpd in May, and 1.735mbpd in June.
The figures recorded in July therefore marked the first monthly decline after the steady increase recorded in the first half of the year.
Compared with January, however, July’s combined production of 1.67mbpd was about 211,000 barrels per day, or 14.5 percent, higher.
The NUPRC attributed the July decline to operational challenges at the Erha and Akpo fields, which affected production during the month.
“These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output,” the commission said.
It added that production activities at other oil-producing assets remained relatively stable despite the disruptions.
“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,” the NUPRC stated.
It said routine production and crude evacuation activities were also largely sustained across the industry, adding that operators and other stakeholders were working to resolve the affected production facilities and restore lost capacity.
“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,” it said.
The breakdown of production by terminals and streams showed that Forcados Terminal recorded an average output of 322.34kbpd in July, making it the largest producing stream listed by the commission.
It was followed by Bonny Terminal, which recorded 303.72kbpd. Qua Iboe Terminal ranked third, with an average production of 158.02kbpd of crude oil and condensates, while Escravos Oil Terminal recorded 131.41kbpd.
The Bonga stream ranked fifth among the leading producing terminals, with an average of 100.23kbpd of crude oil.
