US tight oil production leaving Nigeria under pressure
Rising tight-oil production in the US threatens to unravel Nigeria’s oil exports
North America’s soaring tight-oil production is changing the US energy dynamic and the shift is causing problems for an important global crude benchmark: Nigerian Bonny Light. Named for the city of Bonny on the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s light sweet crude accounted for 1 million barrels per day (b/d), or 10%, of US oil imports in 2010. But its market share has fallen to barely 5% in less than three years, displaced by a flood of new barrels from US tight-oil plays. Five years ago, US imports of Nigerian oil were as high as 1.2m b/d, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). By December 2012, they had reached 230,000 b/d, the lowest level since 1987. Nigeria has now slipped behi
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
