…NUPRC says PINL eastern corridor drives oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day
…Oil spill confirm in Ogoni amid ongoing clean-up exercise
By Charles Ebi
In a major step towards improving regulatory clarity and ease of compliance in Nigeria’s petroleum industry, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority ,NMDPRA, has initiated a process to harmonise key safety and environmental regulations.
The initiative was unveiled during the Stakeholders’ Consultation Forum on the draft Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Safety and Environmental Regulations, held in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure ,DSSRI, said the proposed regulation would consolidate three existing regulatory instruments into a single, unified framework.
According to him, the harmonisation is designed to eliminate inconsistencies and redundancies across multiple regulations, while also ensuring full alignment with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and its implementation guidelines.
This consolidation is not just about merging documents; it is about creating a regulatory framework that is clearer, more consistent, and more enforceable.
“Ultimately, this will promote greater compliance and operational efficiency within the midstream and downstream segments”, Ukoha stated.
Also speaking, the Authority’s Legal Adviser, Mr. Joseph Tolorunse, emphasised that the move will enhance Nigeria’s business environment by streamlining compliance requirements and allowing for the review and update of outdated provisions.
“The harmonised regulation will improve the ease of doing business and foster a more responsive regulatory ecosystem”, Tolorunse noted.
The NMDPRA said stakeholder input is crucial to finalising the draft regulation, which is expected to serve as a benchmark for safety and environmental oversight in the petroleum industry.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s crude oil production has reached a major milestone, peaking at 1.8 million barrels per day ,MMBOPD, in July 2025, a development that was attributed partly to enhanced surveillance and stability efforts along the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline.
The Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd’s ,PINL, mandate is to protect the Trans Niger Pipeline.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission ,NUPRC, confirmed the crude oil output surge at a Society of Petroleum Engineers ,SPE, event in Lagos, where the NUPRC Chief Executive Gbenga Komolafe, represented by Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Enorense Amadasu, acknowledged the collaborative efforts that have contributed to restoring and sustaining production levels.
“We are glad to report that we crossed the 1.8 MMBOPD mark on peak production last month, with average production hovering at 1.78 MMBOPD”, Amadasu said.
This milestone comes on the heels of commendations at the World Conference of the Pipeline Host Ethnic Nationality Leaders ,PHENL, where delegates lauded PINL for its pivotal role in enhancing pipeline surveillance, safeguarding vital infrastructure, and restoring operational stability across the Eastern Corridor.
PHENL, in its resolutions, called on the Federal Government and regulatory agencies to sustain and strengthen partnerships with firms like PINL, noting their instrumental contributions to achieving national oil production goals and enhancing the integrity of pipeline networks.
The NUPRC also linked the achievement to its ongoing “One MMBOPD Incremental” initiative a multi-stakeholder program designed to raise Nigeria’s crude output through enhanced collaboration and policy reforms.
Since the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, the Commission has rolled out 21 regulatory frameworks with more in development.
Among them are the Upstream Petroleum Measurement Regulations to improve data accuracy, Gas Flaring, Venting, and Methane Emissions Regulations to drive sustainability, and Host Community Development Regulations aimed at boosting local participation.
Additionally, the Domestic Gas Delivery Obligation Regulations have been introduced to enhance energy access and local supply chain performance.
NUPRC Chief Executive Komolafe emphasized that the Commission remains committed to optimizing operational efficiency by minimizing disruptions through proactive planning and better maintenance scheduling.
He also highlighted the Commission’s long-term strategy anchored on the Upstream Oil & Gas Decarbonisation & Sustainability Blueprint, built around seven strategic pillars to ensure environmental stewardship and global competitiveness.
“We call on all operators to collaborate with us as we integrate decarbonisation measures in field development, facility engineering, and production operations”, he said.
Meanwhile, a new oil spill has been confirmed in the Ogoni area of Rivers State, Nigeria, complicating ongoing environmental clean-up efforts.
According the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre ,YEAC-Nigeria, the spill on August 6, 2025, in the Kpean Community, Ken-Khana District, Khana Local Government Area.
According to the report, the spill is alleged to have resulted from equipment failure on a wellhead, although the specific wellhead is yet to be independently confirmed.
Two paramount rulers in the area provided different accounts, with one indicating Oil Well 2 and the other stating Oil Well 4 in the OML 11 oil field.
These wells were abandoned by Shell Petroleum Development Company ,SPDC, in 1993 after they departed Ogoniland.
Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, emphasized the need for immediate action to address the situation.
He said volunteers in the area reported hearing pressure sounds from the wellhead for several days before the spillage, suggesting that crude oil was struggling to emerge from the sealed Christmas Tree (Oil Well Head).
This raises concerns about the effectiveness of the ‘killing’ of oil wells by SPDC during a maintenance operation in 2011.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre is calling on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency ,NOSDRA, to conduct a Joint Investigation Visits ,JIV, to determine the actual cause of the spill.
However, the recent spill complicates ongoing clean-up efforts by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project ,HYPREP, particularly with the federal government’s oil production resumption discussions in Ogoniland.
