Nigeria oil output remained hampered by operational and technical problems in July, sources close to the matter said Monday, August 9.
Bonny Light, Escravos and Forcados all faced production issues last month while output for other key grades such as Qua Iboe, Brass River, Agbami, Akpo and Egina also remained low, sources told S&P Global Platts.
Nigerian crude and condensate output stayed stable at 1.639 million b/d in July, according to data from Nigeria’s upstream regulator, the Department of Petroleum Resources.
In June, crude production had fallen to a six-month low of 1.639 million b/d from 1.659 million b/d in May.
Pipelines feeding into Bonny Light and Forcados and other grades have faced persistent sabotage in the past few months, resulting in lower production, sources added.
July crude production inched up to 1.32 million b/d from 1.31 million b/d in June while condensate output fell to 316,237 b/d from 326,012 b/d, DPR data showed.
Nigeria’s crude oil production cap under the OPEC+ deal was 1.579 million b/d for July.
Downside risks
S&P Global Platts Analytics expects Nigerian crude supply to remain below its OPEC production quotas in the coming months due to ongoing field and pipeline issues with a downside risk to 2022 forecast if operational setbacks continue.
“We forecast [crude] supply at 1.5 million b/d in July-September,” it said in a recent note. “Supply reaches 1.8 million b/d by end-2021. Growth is threatened by fiscal stress, which may pressure amnesty payments to former militants. The last time the government curtailed amnesty payments, disruptions surpassed 600,000 b/d by mid-2016. Militant threats are also rising.”
Growing threats by militants to renew attacks on oil infrastructure in the restive Niger Delta also pose a huge concern for Africa’s largest oil producer.
Output has fallen in 2021 as key fields, especially those in the Niger Delta like Bonny, Brass River, Escravos, Forcados and Qua Iboe, are pumping well below full capacity due to technical problems or maintenance.
Nigeria has the capacity to produce around 2.2 million-2.3 million b/d of crude and condensate, but production has averaged only around 1.62 million b/d for the first seven months of 2021, according to S&P Global Platts estimates. Production has fallen also due to Nigeria’s obligation under OPEC+ caps.
Source: Platts