Domestic refineries received a combined 156.51 million barrels of crude oil between January and September 2026, comprising 125.85 million barrels of domestic crude and 30.66 million barrels of imported crude, statistics released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has shown.

The data showed that while Dangote indicated it operated above capacity, the three refineries owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) remained non-operational in the last nine months.

The NMDPRA’s figures also showed that domestic crude accounted for 80.4 percent of total refinery receipts, while imported crude represented 19.6 percent.

According to the NMDPRA’s factsheet, August recorded the highest monthly crude intake at 21.10 million barrels, followed by March with 20.92 million barrels, while September’s intake stood at 18.53 million barrels.

The report showed that Dangote Refinery operated at 105.98 percent of its installed capacity in September 2026, producing 47.22 million litres of petrol daily.

The NMDPRA data added showed that the Dangote refinery, with an installed capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, recorded average capacity utilisation of 105.98 percent in September.

While its automotive gas oil, commonly known as diesel, production stood at 24.32 million litres per day, aviation turbine kerosene production was 26.13 million litres daily.

“Closing stocks stood at 366.2 million litres for petrol, 232.5 million litres for diesel and 141 million litres for aviation fuel,” the report said.

It also indicated that petrol evacuation through domestic sales and exports was 3.25 million litres per day below production, contributing to an increase in closing stock.

Exports accounted for 35.2 per cent of total petrol evacuation, while exports of diesel and aviation fuel outperformed domestic supplies.

The data showed that the refinery was not only supplying the domestic market but also directing a significant proportion of its petrol output towards export markets.

In contrast to Dangote’s performance, the NMDPRA report listed the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries as not producing in September.

The continued inactivity of the three facilities, it said, runs counter to the country’s long-standing efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and maximise the value of its crude oil resources.

Although domestic refineries received 156.51 million barrels of crude during the nine-month period, the report’s separate assessment of the NNPC facilities confirmed that none of the three was producing during the month under review.

The report further indicated that September refinery utilisation reached 105.98 per cent, with crude processing estimated at about 689,000 barrels per day against receipts of approximately 618,000 barrels per day. (Nigerian Tribune)