FRESH: Crude Oil Supply To Dangote Jumps 103% As Imports Crash
Nigeria’s domestic refining drive gathered fresh momentum after crude oil supply from the Federal Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and international oil companies (IOCs) to local refineries surged by more than 103 per cent within four months.
Data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that crude supplied to domestic refineries jumped from 8.83 million barrels in January to 17.96 million barrels in April, signalling a major shift towards local feedstock supply for refiners led by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
At the same time, imported crude and feedstock volumes supplied to domestic plants dropped sharply from 9.43 million barrels in March to just 0.41 million barrels in April, marking a steep decline of about 95.6 per cent.
The figures highlight a changing landscape in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector as the Dangote refinery increasingly leans on locally sourced crude to produce petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.
While overall crude receipts by domestic refineries eased from 20.92 million barrels in March to 18.37 million barrels in April, the structure of refinery supply changed significantly in favour of Nigerian crude.
The shift was also reflected in petrol supply data. According to the NMDPRA report, domestic petrol supply rose from 34.2 million litres per day in March to 40.7 million litres daily in April, representing an increase of about 19 per cent, driven mainly by stronger production from the Dangote refinery, currently Nigeria’s only producer of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
As local production strengthened, imported petrol continued to lose market share. Fuel imports fell from 5.9 million litres daily in January to 3.7 million litres in April, a decline of 37.3 per cent.
The report further showed that the Dangote refinery operated at an average capacity utilisation of 99.12 per cent in April and achieved full utilisation on most days during the month, underscoring its growing role in Nigeria’s fuel market.
The increase in domestic crude allocation comes after months of concerns over insufficient feedstock supply to local refineries and points to stronger coordination among producers, regulators and refiners.
But even with rising local refining, Nigeria has not escaped the impact of global oil market tensions. Brent crude averaged $120.55 per barrel in April amid geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Iran, while international petrol prices climbed to $1,074.97 per metric tonne.
The effect was felt across the local market. Average petrol pump prices reached N1,271.50 per litre in Lagos, N1,326 in Abuja, N1,340 in Kano and N1,371.50 in Maiduguri during April. The highest retail prices stood at N1,400 in Sokoto and N1,413 per litre in Maiduguri.
Despite rising prices, demand remained resilient. The NMDPRA reported average petrol truck-out volumes of 51.1 million litres per day in April, slightly above its benchmark national consumption estimate of 50 million litres daily.
Petrol production averaged 53.6 million litres per day during the month, while diesel output stood at 23.6 million litres daily and aviation fuel production reached 22.9 million litres daily.
Nigeria also maintained stable fuel reserves despite volatility in international energy markets, with stock sufficiency levels of 18 days for petrol, 39 days for diesel and 70 days for aviation fuel in April.
The country’s modular refineries, including WalterSmith Refinery, Edo Refinery and Aradel Holdings, continued diesel production during the period, supplying a combined average of 0.559 million litres daily.
In the gas segment, total supply averaged 5.142 billion standard cubic feet per day in April, with 2.012 Bscf/d delivered to the domestic market. Liquefied Petroleum Gas supply stood at 4,545 metric tonnes daily, while retail cooking gas prices ranged between N1,100 and N1,450 per kilogramme.
The latest figures point to a downstream sector gradually shifting away from decades of heavy import dependence, with local refining taking a stronger position in Nigeria’s energy supply chain.
