Nigeria produces 454m barrels of crude, condensates in nine months – NUPRC

Nigeria produced a total of 454.28 million barrels of crude oil and condensates between January and September 2025, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The report shows that crude oil accounted for 399.81 million barrels, while condensates contributed 54.47 million barrels, representing about 12 percent of total liquid hydrocarbons.

This translates to an average production of 1.66 million barrels per day (mbpd) — comprising 1.46 mbpd of crude oil and 0.20 mbpd of condensates.

The NUPRC noted that condensate output continues to play a growing role in Nigeria’s production mix, particularly as deepwater, gas-linked fields mature.

Production fluctuated through the period, peaking in January at 53.86 million barrels of liquids before dropping to a low of 46.81 million barrels in February.

Output stabilised between March and July but declined again in September to 41.69 million barrels, a drop attributed to labour union strikes and maintenance downtimes.

By September, Nigeria’s crude output was about 93 percent of its OPEC quota of 1.5 mbpd, marking the second consecutive month the country fell short of its target.

According to field-level data, production was driven by major terminals — Forcados Terminal led with 67.1 million barrels, followed by Bonny (60.54 million barrels), Qua Iboe (40.66 million), and Escravos (37.36 million). Brass Terminal contributed 7.31 million barrels of crude and 1.81 million barrels of condensates.

Deepwater fields remained central to national output. Bonga Field (Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company) dominated with 32.89 million barrels, followed by Erha Field (ExxonMobil) with 18.93 million barrels and Egina Field (TotalEnergies) with 17.84 million barrels. Other offshore fields such as Usan, Abo, and Okono also sustained steady production despite onshore disruptions from theft and vandalism.

Condensate production totalled 54.47 million barrels, led by Agbami Field (Chevron) with 21.78 million barrels and Akpo Field (TotalEnergies) with 14.38 million barrels. Tulja–Okweibome averaged about 280,000 barrels per month during the period.

Experts noted that maintaining output above 1.6 mbpd would require stronger security along oil corridors, timely redevelopment of mature fields, and consistent implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). The NUPRC pledged to improve metering accuracy, tighten compliance, and deepen collaboration with operators to stabilise production.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) reported progress in tackling pipeline vandalism and restoring crude evacuation infrastructure.

The company said five key pipelines — Trans-Niger, Oando Brass, Trans-Forcados, Trans-Escravos, and Trans-Ramos — achieved full operational availability between May and June 2025.

However, NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, lamented that producers have yet to ramp up output to meet the government’s target of 2.02 mbpd set in the 2025 national budget, despite recent infrastructure improvements.