The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is considering a domestic crude swap framework that it says could cut refiners’ costs by an estimated $3 to $4 per barrel. The commission chief executive,  Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos at the OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week 2026. Speaking on the theme, “Secure Energy, Shared Prosperity,” she was represented by the Assistant Director, Operations, Mr. Prosper Omonedo. Eyesan said the NUPRC is consulting producers, refiners and other stakeholders on the framework. “Under it, a refiner could receive crude from the nearest suitable production or export point instead of moving an allocated grade over long distances, which could take an estimated three to four dollars off the cost of every barrel,” she said. Under Section 109 of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the NUPRC allocates crude oil to domestic refineries before export. The proposal followed improved crude deliveries to domestic refineries under the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO). Eyesan said the NUPRC’s intervention helped after commercial disagreements between producers and refiners affected supplies in the first quarter.
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