Nigeria’s dependence on imported petrol recorded a sharp decline in August, with daily average imports falling by 26 percent as domestic supply surged by 39 percent, fresh data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has shown.
According to the latest NMDPRA factsheet, average daily petrol imports dropped from 19.7 million litres in July to 14.6 million litres in August.
In contrast, domestic petrol receipts jumped from 25.8 million litres per day to 35.9 million litres during the same period.
The development meant that domestic petrol receipts outstripped imported supplies by 21.3 million litres daily in August, signalling a further shift towards locally sourced petroleum products.
The regulator also reported that total petrol receipts rose by 11 percent, from 45.5 million litres per day in July to 50.5 million litres in August.
Petrol Consumption Falls 14%
Despite the higher volume of petrol receipts, domestic consumption declined significantly during the month.
NMDPRA put average petrol consumption at 41.5 million litres per day in August, representing a 14 percent decline from the 48.5 million litres consumed daily in July.
The authority clarified that its consumption figures were based on volumes trucked out into the domestic market.
Diesel consumption also fell by 15 percent, from 16.8 million litres per day in July to 14.3 million litres in August.
Daily diesel receipts recorded an even sharper decline, dropping by 39 percent from 23.6 million litres to 14.5 million litres.
Dangote Refinery Drives Local Production
The latest figures also highlighted the growing contribution of domestic refineries, particularly the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
According to the NMDPRA data, the Dangote refinery produced an average of 41.94 million litres of petrol daily in August.
Of this volume, 35.87 million litres were supplied to the domestic market, while 9.73 million litres were exported.
The refinery ended the month with 360.4 million litres of petrol in stock, while its average capacity utilisation was put at 105.21 percent.
Dangote also produced an average of 18.01 million litres of diesel daily, supplying 12.37 million litres to the domestic market and exporting 8.75 million litres.
Refineries Receive More Crude
The data showed that crude supplies to domestic refineries also strengthened in August.
Crude oil receipts by local refineries increased by 17 percent to 683,000 barrels per day in August, compared with 585,000 barrels per day in July.
Between January and August, domestic refineries received a combined 137.98 million barrels of crude feedstock.
Of the total, 109.88 million barrels, representing 79.64 percent, came from domestic crude, while imported seaborne crude accounted for 28.10 million barrels, or 20.36 percent.
Aviation Fuel Supply Jumps 63%
While diesel receipts weakened, aviation fuel recorded a significant increase.
NMDPRA said aviation fuel receipts rose by 63 percent to 3.1 million litres per day in August, compared with 1.9 million litres daily in July.
The improvement came alongside stronger petroleum stock positions.
Petrol stock sufficiency increased marginally from 22.4 days in July to 22.9 days in August, while diesel stock sufficiency rose by 11 percent from 46.5 days to 51.6 days.
Modular Refineries Post Mixed Performance
The performance of Nigeria’s modular refineries varied significantly during the month
Edo refinery recorded the highest capacity utilisation at 90.43 percent, followed by WalterSmith at 64.77 percent and Aradel at 58.77 percent.
OPAC refinery operated at 16.97 percent capacity utilisation, while Dupport refinery was shut down during the period.
In diesel production, WalterSmith produced an average of 280,000 litres daily, while Aradel produced 310,000 litres per day.
OPAC produced 110,000 litres daily, while Edo refinery produced 80,000 litres per day.
The modular refineries collectively produced an average of 790,000 litres of diesel daily in August.
The latest NMDPRA figures therefore point to a changing petroleum supply structure, with domestic refinery output increasingly accounting for a larger share of Nigeria’s fuel supply even as petrol imports continue to decline.
