Citizenship News
The NMDPRA August 2026 Factsheet has revealed that the Dangote Refinery recorded an average capacity utilisation of 105.21%, producing 41.94 million litres per day (ML/D) of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), alongside substantial volumes of diesel and aviation fuel.
Average domestic PMS consumption stood at 41.5 ML/D, below the 50.0 ML/D benchmark, while national PMS stock sufficiency was 22.9 days, below the required 30-day strategic threshold. In contrast, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) had a 51.6-day stock surplus, while Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumption increased to 4.8 Kilotonnes per day (KT/D), despite a 17.2-day stock deficit. Nationwide gas processing averaged 8.258 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) across 47 plants, representing 51.02% capacity utilisation, with 0.633 Bcf/d supplied for power generation.
The increase in domestic refining capacity and the substantial diesel stock buffer represent progress towards greater domestic fuel supply and stability. However, the PMS and LPG stock deficits remain important vulnerabilities, particularly because both products are critical to household and economic activity. The relatively low utilisation of gas-processing capacity also suggests scope to increase domestic gas availability, including for power generation.
NMDPRA and midstream operators should establish clear inventory targets and require refiners, importers and storage operators to maintain at least the 30-day strategic stock threshold for PMS, while progressively closing the LPG inventory gap. Storage expansion should prioritise locations with persistent supply and distribution constraints, along with regular public reporting of stock levels against strategic targets. The authorities should also develop incentives and performance targets to raise gas-processing utilisation and increase the volume of processed gas available to power plants. At the same time, sustaining high domestic refinery utilisation should remain a priority, while regulatory monitoring should ensure that increased refining capacity translates into reliable domestic supply.
These measures would reduce exposure to supply disruptions, strengthen energy security and help moderate the risk of fuel-supply shocks being transmitted to transport and household costs.
