Crude oil imports by domestic refineries surged by 151.5 per cent to 5.13 million barrels in July 2026, as local crude supplies to refiners declined sharply, according to data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The increase in imported crude came as domestic refineries received significantly less crude from Nigerian producers during the month, highlighting continued challenges around local crude availability for refining operations.
According to the NMDPRA’s July 2026 Midstream and Downstream Statistics, domestic refineries received 17.88 million barrels of crude in July, comprising 12.75 million barrels sourced locally and 5.13 million barrels imported.
Imported crude therefore accounted for 28.7 per cent of total crude received by domestic refineries during the month, compared with 71.3 per cent supplied locally.
The July import figure rose from 2.04 million barrels in June and 2.08 million barrels in May. It was also substantially higher than the 0.41 million barrels recorded in April.
However, July imports remained below the 9.43 million barrels recorded in March, which represented the highest monthly import volume so far in 2026.
Domestic crude supply drops 25.4%
The NMDPRA data showed that domestic crude deliveries to refineries fell by 25.4 per cent month-on-month, from 17.08 million barrels in June to 12.75 million barrels in July.
The decline prompted refiners to increase reliance on imported crude, although the additional imports were not enough to prevent a decline in overall crude receipts.
Total crude received by domestic refineries fell by 6.5 per cent, from 19.12 million barrels in June to 17.88 million barrels in July.
The monthly figures showed considerable fluctuations in refinery crude sourcing throughout the year.
In January, refineries received 9.54 million barrels, comprising 8.83 million barrels of domestic crude and 0.71 million barrels of imports.
February receipts rose to 13.13 million barrels, while March recorded the highest monthly total of 20.92 million barrels, including 9.43 million barrels of imported crude.
Total receipts subsequently stood at 18.37 million barrels in April, 17.92 million barrels in May and 19.12 million barrels in June before declining in July.
Meanwhile, the NMDPRA report showed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery operated at an average capacity utilisation of 71.09 per cent in July.
The refinery produced an average of 25.9 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) per day, alongside 19.1 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 15.6 million litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK).
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Its average domestic supply stood at 25.8 million litres per day for PMS, 15.7 million litres for AGO and 1.9 million litres for ATK.
The refinery also exported an average of 3.4 million litres of PMS, 11 million litres of AGO and 11.6 million litres of ATK per day as of July 31.
Its closing stocks at the end of the month stood at 446.1 million litres of PMS, 162.3 million litres of AGO and 217.4 million litres of ATK.
The sharp increase in crude imports, coming alongside weaker domestic crude deliveries, underscores the growing importance of alternative crude supply arrangements for Nigeria’s expanding domestic refining capacity.
