Key Points

• Nigeria boosts oil exports with the Otakikpo terminal launch.

• Project strengthens crude evacuation and local participation.

• New facility positions Nigeria as a regional energy hub.

Nigeria has expanded its crude export capacity with the launch of the $400 million Otakikpo Oil Export Terminal in Rivers State.

The new terminal, located in Ikuru Town, Andoni Local Government Area, can handle up to 365,000 barrels of crude per day. It is the first onshore oil terminal built in Nigeria in 50 years.

Tinubu says project supports energy goals

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said the project supports his administration’s drive to boost oil output and improve crude evacuation systems.

“This project aligns with our plan to grow production, expand export routes, and promote local participation under the Petroleum Industry Act,” Tinubu said.

“It will unlock new reserves and create long-term value for our economy.”

Facility boosts local capacity and crude evacuation

Green Energy International Limited (GEIL) Chairman and CEO, Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, explained that the Otakikpo terminal was designed and built entirely by Nigerians within two years. He said the project finished ahead of schedule.

The facility has a 750,000-barrel storage capacity, which can expand to three million barrels. Its pumping system moves up to 360,000 barrels per day.

Since operations began in June 2025, the terminal has already exported over one million barrels of crude.

According to Adegbulugbe, the project could also help open up more than 40 stranded oil fields in the Niger Delta.

These fields hold about three billion barrels of reserves and could increase Nigeria’s daily output by 200,000 barrels.

Industry leaders call project a game changer

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, praised the new facility as a major step forward for local oil operators.

He said the terminal would ease pressure on old export hubs, reduce costs, and improve efficiency in the country’s crude evacuation network.

Komolafe added that the Otakikpo project would attract new investors to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

He also noted that it supports the government’s target to position the country as a regional energy leader.