Nigeria's domestic refineries received an average of 683,000 barrels of crude oil per day in August 2026, a 16.75% increase from the 585,000 barrels per day recorded in July, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The surge in crude availability coincided with a 39% rise in petrol supply from the Dangote Refinery, which delivered 35.9 million litres per day to the local market, while petrol imports fell by 26% to 14.6 million litres per day.
Crude Supply to Local Refineries Rises Sharply
The NMDPRA disclosed these figures in its August 2026 Midstream and Downstream Sector Factsheet, which highlighted increased crude availability and higher domestic petrol production during the month. The regulator's data shows that domestic refineries processed significantly more crude compared to the previous month, reflecting improved feedstock availability.
Average daily petrol receipts in Nigeria rose by 11% to 50.5 million litres per day (ml/d) in August, up from 45.5 ml/d in July. Domestic petrol supply accounted for 35.9 ml/d in August, a 39% increase from the 25.8 ml/d supplied locally in July. Meanwhile, petrol imports declined by 26%, falling from 19.7 ml/d in July to 14.6 ml/d in August.
Dangote Refinery Achieves 105.21% Capacity Utilisation
The Dangote Refinery recorded an average capacity utilisation of 105.21% in August, according to the NMDPRA report. The facility produced an average of 41.94 ml/d of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 18.01 ml/d of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel, and 24.48 ml/d of aviation fuel (ATK).
Of its PMS output, 35.87 ml/d was supplied to the Nigerian market, while 9.73 ml/d was exported. For AGO, domestic receipts stood at 12.37 ml/d, while exports reached 8.75 ml/d. The refinery recorded 3.07 ml/d in domestic ATK receipts, compared with 21.30 ml/d exported during the month.
Imports of Diesel and LPG Shift
The NMDPRA data also showed a sharp drop in diesel imports, which fell from 7.9 ml/d in July to 1.3 ml/d in August. However, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports increased during the period, rising from 0.9 million litres per day in July to 1.3 ml/d in August.
The facility ended August with stocks of 360.4 million litres of PMS, 137.2 million litres of AGO and 133.3 million litres of ATK. The latest figures indicate that the Dangote Refinery supplied a larger share of petrol to the domestic market in August, while Nigeria's reliance on imported petrol continued to decline.
