In the last four years of the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Federal Government has issued 23 refineries ‘licenses to establish.’The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) disclosed this at the maiden conference of the Energy Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN) in Abuja on Thursday.The theme of the conference was “Four Years of the PIA: Achievements, Gaps and the Road Ahead.
NMDPRA Director Legal Tolurosho Joseph, who represented him said upon completion, the plants will add over 850,000bpsd refining capacity to the present 1,125,000bpsd.He said, “23 refineries ‘License To Establish’ were issued from 2021 to date which when constructed and commissioned will add over 850,000bpsd refining capacity to the existing 1,125,000bpsd capacity.
He said crude oil supply to domestic refineries rose from about 20,000bpd in 2023 to above 40,000bpd in 2025.According to him, this is enabled by NMDPRA’s implementation of 2021 PIA provisions.Ahmed said refined product supplies from local refineries to the domestic market have experienced drastic improvement.He specifically noted that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) supply grew from 1.3 billion litres in 2024 to 3.8 billion litres in 2025, and the outlook is positive
The Authority Chief Executive said the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) has Invested over N287 billion in various gas infrastructure projects with 16 companies across 62 projects as of October 2025. He added that the MDGIF catalysed an additional $500 million investment to Gas infrastructure by leveraging on AFRIEXIM Bank MOU to expand energy access to drive economic development.According to him, UTM Offshore, NLNG train 7, AKK gas pipeline, OB3 gas pipeline, AIPCC refinery, Indorama fertilizer plant and Greenville’s LNG & LCNG projects, Walthersmith Refinery Train 2, Supertech’s Methanol Project are some of the key midstream and downstream facility development projects that brought significant investments into the sub-sector.
He also said 10 Gas distribution Licenses were issued for 10 gas distribution zones covering a pipeline network stretch of 692km, with carrying capacity of 712MMscf/day, connecting a total of 412 customers.The NMDPRA boss said the total investment value in this distribution system was estimated at $639.07 million with multiplier effect across energy, agriculture, industry, manufacturing and socio-economic impacts.According to him, the NMDPRA developed Gas Trading and Settlement Regulations in 2023, which applies to activities connected to the establishment of secure, reliable and efficient trading and settlement systems for natural gas and other gas commodities on exchange platforms regulated by the Authority.
