Says July output fell by four percent month-on-month because of operational challenges at Erha and Akpo.
Nigeria met its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota of 1.5 million barrels per day (mbpd) for a third month in July 2026, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said.
The NUPRC, in its Crude Oil and Condensate Production February to July 2026 report showed that 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.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
The report however showed that although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, production fell by four per cent on a month-on-month basis, compared to the 1.735mbpd total crude and condensate output recorded in June, 2026.
The NUPRC attributed the decline in production to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted production output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
NUPRC said July output fell by four percent month-on-month because of operational challenges at Erha and Akpo, and described production at most other assets as “relatively stable.”
LEADERSHIP’S review of NUPRC’s January-to-July 2026 dataset, however, indicated a more uneven picture in which gains at several shallow-water and onshore terminals masked falls at a number of deepwater fields.
NUPRC pointed to Bonny, Forcados and Cawthorne Channel as the main improvers. The commission’s figures showed Bonny’s combined crude and condensate output rose from about 244,870 barrels per day (bopd) in January to a peak of 318,280 bopd in June, before easing to 303,720 bopd in July.
NUPRC said Forcados staged the sharpest turnaround, recovering from a low of 167,190 bopd in March to finish July at 322,340 bopd.
Cawthorne Channel’s output more than doubled from 12,340 bopd in January to a June high of 33,140 bopd, settling at 27,830 bopd in July.
Agbami condensate also trended upward, rising from 54,200 bopd in January to 73,870 bopd in July.
At the same time, NUPRC acknowledged significant declines at some deepwater assets.
The commission said Erha and Akpo constrained July volumes. LEADERSHIP’s review found Erha’s output more than halved across the seven months, falling from 70,760 bopd in January to 31,980 bopd in July, with the largest drop occurring between June and July. NUPRC described Akpo condensate as declining steadily, and its data showed a fall from 50,110 bopd in January to 27,560 bopd in July.
Further analysis also highlighted other deepwater weaknesses that the commission did not emphasise.
NUPRC’s figures showed Bonga’s output plunged from 119,400 bopd in January to 2,020 bopd in February, then recovered to about 92,000–104,000 bopd between March and July.
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Also, Pennington trended down from 13,860 bopd in January to 2,020 bopd in May, with only a small recovery to 5,940 bopd by July. NUPRC’s data showed Yoho produced 120 bopd in January and recorded zero output from February through July; the commission did not offer a reason for six months of no measurable production.
Leadership noted that the terminal-level data suggested July’s quota compliance was concentrated in a few strong terminals rather than reflecting broad sector health.
Despite the challenges, NUPRC said production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints.
