Petrol imports rise as PMS receipts fall 10% in July — NMDPRA
Orisemeke Benjamin
Nigeria’s petrol supply weakened in July, with average daily receipts of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) dropping to 45.5 million litres from 50.6 million litres in June, a 10 per cent decline, the latest data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has shown.
The Authority’s July 2026 factsheet on the state of the midstream and downstream sector showed that while overall PMS receipts fell, imports of the product rose 9 per cent month-on-month to 19.7 million litres per day, even as domestic supply from refineries dropped 21 per cent to 25.8 million litres daily.
Diesel (AGO) told a different story, with daily receipts climbing 46 per cent to 23.6 million litres, driven almost entirely by imports, which surged from zero in June to 7.9 million litres per day in July, as domestic diesel supply slipped 3 per cent.
Crude oil receipts by domestic refineries also declined, falling 8 per cent to 0.585 million barrels per day, according to the report.
Despite the drop in receipts, national petrol stock sufficiency improved to 22.4 days in July from 19.7 days in June, though it remained below the Authority’s 30-day minimum threshold. Diesel stock cover rose sharply to 46.5 days, up 25 per cent.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery ran at an average capacity utilisation of 71.09 per cent during the month, producing 25.9 million litres of petrol and 19.1 million litres of diesel daily, with export volumes of 3.4 million litres per day for PMS.
State-owned refineries remained idle through July. The Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries were all listed as not producing, with the NMDPRA data showing Port Harcourt’s shutdown extending from June into July.
Gas processing facilities operated at an average utilisation of 49.21 per cent, with the Soku Gas Plant recording the highest utilisation at 99.56 per cent, while the OB/OB AG Gas Plant lagged at 22.95 per cent, the lowest among the seven major facilities tracked.
Indicative pump prices for petrol averaged N1,204 per litre in Lagos and N1,345.50 in Maiduguri, the highest among the eight cities surveyed, based on the Authority’s average actual pump price data for the review period.
