Utapate Emerges as Nigeria’s 2026 Oil Output Booster with Millions of Barrels

Utapate crude, launched into the international market in 2024, has become more relevant to Nigeria’s oil production recovery in 2026, with the Akwa Ibom stream contributing substantial volumes as the country works to sustain higher crude output.

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission production figures show that Utapate produced 1.71 million barrels in January, 1.62 million barrels in February and 1.80 million barrels in March 2026. Between January and May, the grade supplied about 8.75 million barrels.

The contribution places renewed focus on the field nearly two years after NNPC E&P Limited began production and presented the blend to international buyers.

From new grade to production contributor

When Utapate entered production in May 2024, output was put at 40,000 barrels per day. Operators later projected an increase to 50,000 barrels per day by January 2025, 60,000 to 65,000 barrels per day by June 2025 and up to 80,000 barrels per day before the end of that year.

Production in 2026 has, however, stayed below the 80,000-barrel projection, with the field still supplying a notable share of Nigeria’s crude output.

Its relevance has become clearer as Nigeria’s overall crude production improved. The country recorded average crude production of about 1.56 million barrels per day in June 2026, its highest level since April 2020 and above its 1.5 million barrels-per-day OPEC quota.

Utapate is one of the newer production streams contributing to that recovery. The grade has joined other recently introduced Nigerian crudes, including Nembe, Obodo and Cawthorne, expanding the country's export basket.

Export qualities support demand

Produced from Oil Mining Lease 13 (OML 13) in Akwa Ibom State, Utapate is a light sweet crude with low sulphur content. Its sulphur level is about 0.0655 per cent, while its API gravity and product yield have made it suitable for international refiners.

The grade shares similarities with Amenam and Nembe crude and has been marketed principally to buyers in Europe and the US East Coast.

NNPC Trading Limited had proposed term contracts for Utapate cargoes to support predictable supply to refiners in those markets.

The first Utapate cargo, containing 950,000 barrels, went to Spain in July 2024. By the time NNPC formally presented the crude at the Argus European Crude Conference in London, five cargoes had already been exported, mainly to Spain and the US East Coast.

OML 13 also provides a sizeable reserve base for future production. The asset contains about 330 million barrels of crude oil, 45 million barrels of condensate and 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Development of the field involved converting wells and facilities from swamp and marine operations to land-based installations. The project also included a 40-well drilling campaign, production facilities, storage tanks, a subsea pipeline and an offshore loading platform.

Utapate's output now forms part of the country's current production base at a time when Nigeria is working to keep crude volumes above the OPEC quota and raise export earnings from new and existing fields.