Nigeria’s ambition to raise crude oil production has received a boost from the growing contribution of newly introduced crude grade streams, Utapate and Cawthorne, Punch reports.
The crude grades, introduced in 2024 and early 2026, represent the latest additions to the country’s basket of crude oil grades aimed at expanding export streams and strengthening oil revenues.
Based on the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s monthly crude and condensate production data analysed by our correspondent on Friday, the Utapate crude grade produced a total of 8.75 million barrels between January and May 2026, while the newly introduced Cawthorne blend contributed 3.41 million barrels during the same period, bringing the combined output from both crude grades to approximately 12.16 million barrels.
The data also showed that Utapate has yet to achieve its projected output target announced by the government, even as production remained more than 20,000 barrels per day below the 80,000 bpd target set by operators.
