Dangote refinery drove Nigeria’s petrol supply in August as NNPC refineries remain shut — Report

Nigeria’s domestic refining sector recorded increased crude oil intake and petrol supply in August, driven largely by the performance of the Dangote refinery, while the country’s three major state-owned refineries remained non-operational.

This is the central highlight of the latest Midstream and Downstream Statistics for August 2026, released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday.

The statistical presentation of the report showed that crude oil receipts by domestic refineries increased to 683,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August from 585,000 bpd in July, representing a 17 per cent increase.

The increase became profound as domestic petrol receipts rose significantly while reliance on imported petrol declined.

According to the data, average daily Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) receipts increased by 11 per cent, from 45.5 million litres per day in July to 50.5 million litres per day in August.

The report indicated that domestic PMS receipts accounted for most of the increase, rising by 39 per cent, from 25.8 million litres per day to 35.9 million litres per day.

In contrast, PMS imports fell by 26 per cent, from 19.7 million litres per day in July to 14.6 million litres per day in August.

The figures suggest a shift towards increased domestic supply of petrol as local refining capacity expands.

Dangote refinery drives output

A review of the report showed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery recorded an average capacity utilisation of 105.21 per cent during the period, according to the NMDPRA data.

The NMDPRA noted that the refinery produced an average 41.94 million litres of PMS per day, alongside 18.01 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 24.48 million litres of aviation turbine kerosene (ATK).

The report said the refinery’s daily domestic receipts stood at 35.87 million litres of PMS, 12.37 million litres of AGO and 3.07 million litres of ATK.

The refinery also exported significant volumes, including 9.73 million litres of PMS, 8.75 million litres of AGO and 21.30 million litres of ATK per day.

Additionally, the data showed that the refinery had closing stocks of about 360.4 million litres of PMS, 137.2 million litres of AGO and 133.3 million litres of ATK as of 31 August.

While the Dangote refinery operated above its stated capacity, the NMDPRA report listed all three NNPCL refineries as not producing.

The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) were each listed with a production status of “Not producing.”

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The continued non-production of the three state-owned refineries contrasts with the increase in output from private and modular refineries.

The NMDPRA data also showed that some modular refineries recorded production during the month. WalterSmith Refinery had an average capacity utilisation of 64.77 per cent, while Edo Refinery recorded 90.43 per cent.

The increase in domestic petrol supply was not replicated across all products.

Average daily AGO receipts fell 39 per cent, from 23.6 million litres in July to 14.5 million litres in August. Domestic AGO receipts declined 16 per cent, while AGO imports plunged 84 per cent, from 7.9 million litres to 1.3 million litres per day.

LPG receipts also declined by 19 per cent to 4.3 kilotonnes per day, although LPG imports increased by 44 per cent to 1.3 kilotonnes per day.

Domestic gas supply to the sector increased marginally by 4 per cent, from 4.723 billion cubic feet per day in July to 4.930 billion cubic feet per day in August.

Meanwhile, PMS stock sufficiency stood at 22.9 days, compared with 22.4 days in July, while AGO stock sufficiency increased from 46.5 to 51.6 days.

The NMDPRA report said its consumption figures are based on volumes trucked into the domestic market.