Energy
Nigeria’s Crude Output Grows to 12m Barrels on Utapate, Cawthorne
New crude grade variants, Utapate and Cawthorne, have boosted Nigeria’s crude oil production by 12.16 million barrels.
The crude grades, introduced in 2024 and early 2026, represent the latest additions to the country’s basket of crude oil grades aimed at expanding export streams and strengthening oil revenues.
Data contained in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) monthly crude and condensate production, indicated that the Utapate crude grade produced a total of 8.75 million barrels between January and May 2026, while the newly introduced Cawthorne blend contributed 3.41 million barrels during the same period, bringing the combined output from both crude grades to approximately 12.16 million barrels.
The data also showed that Utapate has yet to achieve its projected output target announced by the government, even as production remained more than 20,000 barrels per day below the 80,000 bpd target set by operators.
The figures showed that Utapate recorded an average daily production of 55,190 barrels in January. Based on the 31-day month, this translated to a total monthly output of 1.71 million barrels.
Output increased to 57,970 barrels per day in February, yielding about 1.62 million barrels, before rising marginally to 58,020 barrels daily in March, equivalent to roughly 1.80 million barrels.
In April, the field attained its highest daily production level of 59,290 barrels, producing an estimated 1.78 million barrels during the month. Production moderated slightly to 59,170 barrels per day in May but still generated approximately 1.83 million barrels due to the longer calendar month.
However, despite the upward trend, the data indicated that Utapate remained significantly below the 80,000 barrels-per-day target. The field fell short by 24,810 barrels daily in January, 22,030 barrels in February, and 21,980 barrels in March.
The production gap narrowed to 20,710 barrels per day in April before widening marginally to 20,830 barrels in May.
The development suggests that although operators have made progress in scaling up production, the ambitious target announced earlier by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has yet to be realised.
The Utapate field, which commenced production in May 2024, had been projected to achieve 80,000 barrels per day by the end of 2025.
The Utapate crude blend was introduced into the international market by the NNPC Ltd and its partner, Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited, following the lifting of the maiden cargo of 950,000 barrels destined for Spain.
Produced from Oil Mining Lease 13 in Akwa Ibom State, the crude grade possesses characteristics that have attracted international interest. It has a sulphur content of 0.0655 percent and a relatively low carbon footprint resulting from flare gas elimination.
Meanwhile, another emerging crude stream, Cawthorne, contributed 3.41 million barrels to Nigeria’s production between January and May, according to the NUPRC data.
The figures showed that Cawthorne’s average daily production rose sharply from 12,340 barrels in January to 16,450 barrels in February and 23,970 barrels in March. The field sustained the momentum in April, reaching 30,970 barrels per day before easing slightly to 28,940 barrels daily in May.
The monthly production volumes translated to 382,540 barrels in January, 460,600 barrels in February, 743,070 barrels in March, 929,100 barrels in April and 897,140 barrels in May.
The NNPC Ltd had recently announced the commencement of exports from the Cawthorne blend, describing the development as part of efforts to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and strengthen the country’s position in the global energy market.
In a statement, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Andy Odeh, said the first cargo of the new grade was lifted aboard the MT Eburones vessel for shipment to the Netherlands.
“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has commenced export of its new crude grade, Cawthorne, marking a significant milestone in the company’s drive to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and expand its portfolio of globally competitive export streams,” Odeh said.
He added, “Cawthorne blend crude, the latest addition to Nigeria’s basket of crude grades, has an API gravity of 36.4, placing it firmly within the light, sweet category, comparable to Bonny Light, and highly valued in the global market for its superior petrol and diesel yields.”
According to him, the maiden cargo, estimated at 950,000 barrels, was exported through the Cawthorne Floating Storage and Offloading vessel located offshore Bonny, Rivers State.
“The cargo was exported via the Cawthorne Floating Storage and Offloading vessel, which is strategically located offshore Bonny. The facility enhances crude evacuation from OML 18 and strengthens Nigeria’s export reliability, operational efficiency and overall energy security,” Odeh stated.
The emergence of both Utapate and Cawthorne underscores Nigeria’s determination to diversify its crude export portfolio and maximise oil earnings. However, the latest NUPRC figures also highlight the operational challenges facing producers as they strive to convert ambitious output targets into actual barrels.
Combined, Utapate and Cawthorne contributed an estimated 12.16 million barrels of crude oil between January and May, providing additional support to Nigeria’s broader efforts to sustain production growth and improve foreign exchange earnings from the oil sector.
On Thursday, the NUPRC reported that Nigeria’s crude oil production rose above its Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries quota in May 2026, with the country recording its highest crude output in 15 months amid improved operational stability and the absence of major disruptions across key oil facilities.
Data released showed that Nigeria produced an average of 1,530,354 barrels of crude oil per day in May, representing 102 per cent of the country’s 1.5 million barrels-per-day quota approved by OPEC.
When condensate production of 170,446 barrels per day was added, Nigeria’s total oil output climbed to 1,700,800 barrels per day, further strengthening the country’s position as Africa’s largest oil producer and boosting revenue.
The United Arab Emirates’ state-owned oil giant ADNOC said Saturday one of its vessels came under attack in the Hormuz strait, the latest incident in the waterway at the centre of the US-Iran conflict.
Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait, a vital shipping route for global energy supplies, carrying out strikes on commercial ships since the war began in February.
The Islamic republic has said it wants to charge users for passage, which Washington fiercely opposes.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) “confirmed that one of its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of Friday, August 14”, according to the official WAM news agency, but reported no injuries.
In its statement, ADNOC stressed the importance of protecting seafarers and safeguarding freedom of navigation and maritime security.
After the attack, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the Gulf state would defend its “rights to freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The repeated targeting of ADNOC tankers will not deter the UAE from pursuing a balanced and prudent policy based on the three pillars of deterrence, diplomacy, and adherence to international law,” he wrote in a post on X.
“We will exert every effort to strengthen a unified Gulf position, as it is a fundamental pillar for protecting the security of the region and the interests of its member states in this ongoing crisis.”
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The announcement came a day after the UAE accused Iran of attacking two vessels linked to ADNOC as they passed through the strait.
The UAE foreign ministry condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack” on the vessels and said no injuries had been reported.
Last week, ADNOC reported that three of its tankers had been attacked in the waterway, while the Emirati foreign ministry separately announced an attack on another ADNOC tanker a day later.
Continued attacks in the strait, which was free to transit before the Middle East war began, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
A June deal — meant to serve as a jumping-off point for negotiations on a permanent settlement — had said Iran and Oman, also bordering the waterway, would hash out future arrangements for the strait in discussion with other Gulf countries and “in line with the applicable international law”.
Last week, Iranian official Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr set out a series of conditions for reopening the strait fully, including an end to what he described as war against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of sanctions and compensation for wartime damage.
Courtesy – AFP
In the bid to ease crude oil offtake by domestic refiners, address pricing and logistics challenges, the Nigerian government is taking a look at proposals for direct crude supplies and discounts to domestic refineries.
The Crude Oil Refinery-owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN), revealed that the proposals touch on allowing producers to deliver crude directly to nearby refineries and granting refiners a discount for transportation and handling costs embedded in the price of crude.
This was disclosed in a report by Reuters on Wednesday.
The report read, “The Federal Government is considering changes to crude allocation and pricing rules to improve feedstock access for its refiners, including Dangote Refinery.”
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The review comes as compliance with the domestic crude supply framework improved sharply in the second quarter of 2026, although refiners continue to complain that the cost and structure of domestic crude transactions make locally sourced feedstock expensive.
A spokesperson for CORAN, Eche Idoko, told Reuters that one of the proposals would enable producers, particularly those operating within international oil companies’ networks, to deliver crude directly to refineries located close to their production facilities.
Under the arrangement, the crude volumes could subsequently be reconciled at the relevant terminal, potentially reducing the need to transport the crude through longer trunkline routes.
Idoko said the proposal would bring crude closer to refineries while reducing some of the logistics costs associated with domestic supply. A second proposal would address the pricing component of domestic crude transactions.
Under the arrangement, refiners that lift crude directly from production facilities could receive a discount corresponding to freight and handling costs incorporated into the Brent-linked price of crude but which the refiners do not actually incur.
Idoko described the proposed arrangement as beneficial to both sides of the transaction. “Under one proposal, a producer linked to an IOC’s network could deliver crude directly to a nearby refinery, with volumes reconciled later at the terminal.
“This would reduce reliance on trunklines and bring crude closer to refiners. A second proposal would allow refiners that lift crude directly from production facilities to receive a discount reflecting the freight and handling costs embedded in Brent-linked pricing but not actually incurred by them. This could be a win-win for both the producers and refiners,” the report noted.
The proposed changes are coming against the backdrop of complaints by local refiners that the pricing structure for domestic crude makes their feedstock more expensive than necessary.
Recall that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) had estimated that Nigeria’s pricing structure could add between $3 and $4 per barrel to the cost of crude purchased by domestic refiners because transactions are often routed through trading arms of producers.
Energy analysts have similarly identified pricing, rather than the physical availability of crude, as one of the major challenges facing domestic refiners. The issue is particularly significant for the Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest refinery, which has a nameplate capacity of 700,000 barrels per day.
Although the refinery has significantly increased its operations, securing adequate volumes of locally produced crude at competitive prices remains a key issue for the development of Nigeria’s refining industry.
Nigeria has met and exceeded its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota of 1.5mbpd for the third consecutive month.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement has it that in July 2026, Nigeria produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, making combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
During the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in July, the statistics show that, on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
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The NUPRC attributed the decline in production to operational challenges at the Erha and Akpo fields, which affected output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures to maintain production efficiency and minimise the impact of operational constraints.
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