Exports of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel from Dangote Petroleum Refinery rose to 54.63 million litres per day in September 2026, exceeding the volume of the three products supplied to the Nigerian domestic market.
The development represents a significant shift in the refinery’s distribution pattern, with exports increasing while domestic receipts declined during the month.
Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (NMDPRA) September 2026 Fact Sheet showed that combined exports increased by 37.33 per cent to 54.63 million litres daily from 39.78 million litres recorded in August.
In contrast, domestic receipts fell by 22.08 per cent to 39.98 million litres per day from 51.31 million litres in the preceding month.
Consequently, exports exceeded domestic receipts by approximately 14.65 million litres daily, reversing the August position when domestic supplies were 11.53 million litres higher than exports.
The shift occurred despite an increase in the refinery’s production during the period.
Combined output of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel rose by 15.68 per cent to 97.67 million litres per day in September from 84.43 million litres in August.
The refinery’s average capacity utilisation also increased to 105.98 per cent of its installed capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, compared with 105.21 per cent in August.
Exports accounted for approximately 57.74 per cent of the refinery’s combined evacuation of the three products, against 43.67 per cent recorded in August.
A breakdown of the figures showed that petrol production increased by 12.59 per cent to 47.22 million litres daily, while exports rose by 58.99 per cent to 15.47 million litres.
Domestic petrol receipts, however, declined by 20.55 per cent to 28.50 million litres per day.
Diesel production increased by 35.04 per cent to 24.32 million litres daily, while exports surged by 81.83 per cent to 15.91 million litres. Domestic diesel receipts fell by 34.20 per cent to 8.14 million litres.
For aviation fuel, production rose by 6.74 per cent to 26.13 million litres per day, while exports increased to 23.25 million litres from 21.30 million litres.
Aviation fuel exports accounted for 87.44 per cent of the refinery’s evacuation of the product in September.
The increase in exports coincided with a broader decline in Nigeria’s domestic petrol and diesel receipts, including supplies from local refineries and imports.
National daily petrol receipts dropped by 23.37 per cent to 38.7 million litres in September from 50.5 million litres in August. Petrol imports also declined by 30.14 per cent to 10.2 million litres daily.
Interestingly, Dangote Refinery’s petrol production of 47.22 million litres per day exceeded Nigeria’s average daily petrol consumption of 44.4 million litres.
However, only 28.50 million litres of the refinery’s daily output went into the domestic market, while 15.47 million litres were exported and 3.25 million litres added to refinery stocks.
Diesel receipts also declined by 40 per cent to 8.7 million litres daily, against average consumption of 14.5 million litres.
The regulator attributed the decline partly to reduced imports and lower domestic evacuation amid high prices.
NMDPRA further reported that domestic refining met approximately 65 per cent of national petrol consumption in September, while petrol stock sufficiency stood at 23.9 days, below the regulator’s 30-day benchmark.
The figures highlight the contrast between rising refinery production and the volume of petroleum products actually reaching the Nigerian market.
