LAGOS, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Nigerian refineries including

the Dangote Refinery have raised their domestic crude

requirements for the second half of 2024 to 597,700 barrels per

day from 483,000 bpd in the first half, the national oil

regulator said, despite tight domestic supply.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission

(NUPRC) was only able to help secure 177,777 bpd from oil

producers in the first six months of the year, way below what

the refiners had asked for, it said in a statement released on

Friday.

The refineries' rising crude requirements and oil producers'

struggle to meet demand has put the 650,000-bpd Dangote Refinery

in particular at odds with the regulator.

Dangote Refinery has accused the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum

Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) of failing to enforce a law that

requires oil producers to supply domestic refiners, saying in a

statement on Friday that lax enforcement was raising its

operational costs.

The refinery, which is the largest in Africa, says it is

having to increase crude imports due to the insufficient

domestic supplies and this could impact its ambitions this year

and its long-term prospects.

The NUPRC said oil producers could not satisfy the demands

because some had operational challenges while others pledged

most of their output to traders who financed drilling. It also

said forcing them to raise their supply would violate their

contracts.

In its statement on Friday, the regulator also projected

national average crude oil production of 1.7 million bpd by

December 2024, higher than the 1.57 million bpd it projected for

January through July, which producers did not meet.

"This comprehensive data provides insight into the projected

crude oil needs for the refineries, crucial for understanding

the energy landscape in Nigeria for the second half of 2024,"

Gbenga Komolafe, head of the NUPRC said in the statement.

NUPRC data showed that eight refineries are expected to be

operational from August, with a total refining capacity of

864,500 bpd, meaning that oil producers would be required to

supply over half that.

A total of 52 oil producers, including majors TotalEnergies

, Chevron ( CVX ), Shell and ExxonMobil ( XOM )

will supply the crude, mainly from their joint venture

operations with Nigerian state oil firm, the NNPCL.