The Dangote Petroleum Refinery made a significant contribution to Nigeria's petrol supply in August, accounting for 71% of the total petrol received in the country. According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority's (NMDPRA) August 2026 State of the Midstream and Downstream Sector factsheet, the refinery's output drove a sharp shift away from imports. The total PMS receipts increased by 11% from 45.5 million litres per day in July to 50.5 million litres per day in August.
The NMDPRA's data showed that domestic PMS receipts stood at 35.9 million litres per day, representing a 39% increase from 25.8 million litres per day in July. Petrol imports in August declined to 14.6 million litres per day, a sharp drop from 19.7 million litres per day recorded in July. This represents a 26% decline in petrol imports over the same period. The Dangote refinery's growing contribution to domestic fuel supply was highlighted by its average capacity utilisation of 105.21% during the month.
The Dangote refinery produced an average of 41.94 million litres of PMS daily in August, with 35.87 million litres supplied to the domestic market and 9.73 million litres exported. The refinery ended August with 360.4 million litres of PMS in stock. However, the increase in supply was accompanied by a 14% fall in recorded domestic PMS consumption, which declined from 48.3 million litres per day in July to 41.5 million litres per day in August.
The NMDPRA's data also showed a broader increase in crude supplied to domestic refineries, with crude oil receipts rising by 17% from 585,000 barrels per day in July to 683,000 barrels per day in August. Between January and August, domestic refineries received 137.98 million barrels of feedstock, comprising 109.88 million barrels of domestic crude and 28.10 million barrels of imported seaborne crude.
Domestic crude accounted for 79.64% of the total refinery feedstock during the eight-month period, while imported crude made up 20.36%. The regulator also reported that petrol stock sufficiency improved marginally from 22.4 days in July to 22.9 days in August. The data further showed a sharp decline in diesel imports, with Automotive Gas Oil imports falling by 84% from 7.9 million litres per day in July to 1.3 million litres per day in August.
Aviation fuel receipts rose by 63% from 1.9 million litres per day to 3.1 million litres per day. On the consumption side, petrol usage fell 14% to 41.5 million litres daily, while diesel consumption dropped 15%, based on volumes trucked into the domestic market. Aviation fuel consumption rose 22%. Stock sufficiency improved for both petrol and diesel, standing at 22.9 days and 51.6 days respectively by the end of August.
The NMDPRA's report also noted continued progress on major gas pipeline projects, including the OB3 River Niger Crossing, which is fully complete, and the broader OB3 Gas Pipeline project, which stands at 96% complete. The Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Pipeline is 80% complete, while the Obidi–Warri Expansion Project and the Escravos–Obidi Pipeline stand at 71.17% and 27.50% respectively.
Key points
- Dangote Refinery supplied 71% of Nigeria's petrol in August.
- Petrol imports declined by 26% in August.
- Domestic crude accounted for 79.64% of total refinery feedstock between January and August.
