India, one of the world’s top oil consumers, has slammed OPEC for creating confusion with its latest decisions regarding oil supply, with many importers seeing their expectations of higher volumes disappointed. In December, OPEC+ had agreed to start raising oil production by half a million barrels daily from this month. …
Read More »Saudi Arabia’s Surprise Cut Transforms Oil Market Outlook
Suddenly, the outlook for oil prices has changed dramatically. From a situation at the end of last year when there was talk of Brent crude “stuck” at $50-$55 per barrel, many experts are now looking for upward of $60 in 2021, with some of the more bullish targeting $65 by …
Read More »Energy Majors Re-Route LNG Supplies from Europe to Asia
Global energy majors including Royal Dutch Shell and Total are expected to benefit most from January’s gas price spike, beating rival trading houses and non-integrated producers thanks to their access to multiple sources of the fuel. Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices have rocketed to record highs in January due …
Read More »Russia Prepares Earliest-Ever Arctic LNG Transit to Asia
Russia is preparing to make the earliest-ever shipment of liquefied natural gas to Asia, taking advantage of thinning ice in the Arctic Ocean and paving the way for a record-long navigation season this year. The super-chilled cargo from Novatek PJSC’s Yamal LNG facility in early May will beat last year’s …
Read More »Russia’s Flagship Crude Gets a Boost from Saudi Production Cuts
Russia’s flagship crude is rising in price in Europe in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s surprise oil production cuts. The nation’s Urals crude sold at a slight discount of 70 cents a barrel to benchmark Dated Brent in northwest Europe on Jan. 15, a increase of almost $1 from an …
Read More »China’s First Deep-Water Oil Platform Ready to Set Off for South China Sea
China’s first domestically-built, semi-submersible deep-water oil production unit has been completed after 21 months of construction. The platform is now ready to set off to the country’s first deep-water gas field in the South China Sea. The gas field, called Lingshui 17-2, is 150 kilometers off the city of Sanya …
Read More »Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Construction to Resume in Danish Waters despite US Sanctions Threat
Despite threats of new sanctions from the United States, Nord Stream 2 AG will resume construction of the Nord Stream 2 underwater gas pipeline, which would double the capacity of the existing undersea Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. Ture Falbe-Hansen, who heads the Danish Energy Agency’s press …
Read More »The UAE Warns U.S. Shale Companies against Pumping More Oil
Any attempt by U.S. shale and other oil producers to boost output this year will backfire and lead to lower prices, according to the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates. Oil prices have surged in the past two months with the development of coronavirus vaccines. They jumped again last …
Read More »Oil Prices Decline as Coronavirus Cases Surge in China
Oil prices slipped on Monday due to worries about global fuel demand as coronavirus restrictions across Europe toughens and China imposes restrictions due to jump in cases. Brent crude oil futures were down 65 cents, or 1.2%, at $55.34 a barrel while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slipped 44 cents, …
Read More »OPEC Crude Output Cuts should Help U.S. shale profits in 2021
A decision by OPEC and allied countries to cut crude production through March delivered a late Christmas present for U.S. shale firms that have slashed costs, but any rise in prices spurred by the unexpected move may be just a modest stocking stuffer. U.S. crude oil production has fallen 2 …
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