Nigeria’s Utapate, Cawthorne Grades Add 12.16 Million Barrels as Output Tops 1.53 Million bpd Quota
Updated
Updated · msmeafricaonline.com · Jun 12
Nigeria’s Utapate, Cawthorne Grades Add 12.16 Million Barrels as Output Tops 1.53 Million bpd Quota
1 articles · Updated · msmeafricaonline.com · Jun 12
Summary
12.16 million barrels from Utapate and Cawthorne between January and May helped lift Nigeria’s crude production above its OPEC quota in May, with output reaching 1.53 million barrels per day against a 1.5 million bpd target.
8.75 million barrels came from Utapate and 3.41 million from Cawthorne, underscoring Abuja’s push to diversify export streams, raise foreign-exchange earnings and sustain production growth.
Utapate’s daily output climbed to 59,170 barrels in May from 55,190 in January, though it remained below its 80,000-bpd target; Cawthorne ramped up faster, rising to 28,940 bpd from 12,340 and peaking at 30,970 in April.
Both blends have recently entered export markets with maiden cargoes of about 950,000 barrels each—Utapate to Spain and Cawthorne to the Netherlands—adding light, sweet crude grades that operators say should improve evacuation efficiency and buyer appeal.
Including condensate of 170,446 bpd, Nigeria’s total oil output reached 1.7 million bpd in May, reinforcing its position as Africa’s top producer and supporting government revenue and dollar inflows.