Iraq ranks fourth in the world in gas reserves, The Parliamentary Oil and Energy Committee confirmed, on Saturday. “Iraq is the fourth in the world with natural gas reserves, but annually, it burns about 18 billion cubic meters without any benefit.” A member of the committee, Ghaleb Muhammad, told Shafaq …
Read More »OPEC+ Faces Growing Pressure to Change Course as Ministers Meet
When OPEC and its allies met last month, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister dared oil speculators to test his determination to stabilize global markets. Now that a resurgent pandemic is threatening demand once again, the moment of reckoning is getting closer. The coalition of crude producers gathers on Monday to assess …
Read More »Nord Stream 2 Project Will Be Completed
In mid-September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against politicising the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which he said is profitable for both Russia and the EU. The statement came amid Berlin’s threats to freeze the project due to Moscow’s alleged role in the purported poisoning of Russian opposition figure …
Read More »Russia and Saudi Arabia Step up Oil Diplomacy
Russia and Saudi Arabia held a second, and unusual, phone call this week to discuss the OPEC+ agreement after officials from the group warned on Friday of the potential for a weaker oil market in 2021. President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman spoke Saturday in …
Read More »Oil Market to Rebalance by End-’21
Global oil demand is expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2022 while supply tightens, creating a deficit, Energy Intelligence has reported, quoting the chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco. Amin Nasser said China would once again be the focus of attention and would account for most of the rebound, …
Read More »Global Oil Market to Rely more on Middle East as U.S. Output Falls
Global oil market will rely more on the Middle East as U.S. shale oil production is expected to continue to fall, said Chris Midgley, global head of analytics with S&P Global Platts, on Friday. U.S. shale oil production will fall by 900,000 barrels per day in 2020 and drop another …
Read More »Libyan Oil Output Reaches 500,000 Barrels Per Day Following Industry Restart
Libya’s daily oil production has risen to around 500,000 barrels, according to people familiar with the situation, as the war-battered nation restarts its energy industry after a truce. Sharara, the country’s biggest oil field, is pumping roughly 110,000 barrels a day, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, …
Read More »Japan Focuses on the Role of LNG in Tackling the Global Climate Challenge
One key theme of the 9th annual LNG Producer-Consumer Conference—held by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) on 12th October 2020—was the role of LNG in tackling the global climate challenge. Japan is seeking opportunities to use its position as …
Read More »OPEC+ Fears Second Virus Wave could Lead to Oil Surplus in 2021
OPEC and its allies fear a prolonged second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and a jump in Libyan output could push the oil market into surplus next year, according to a confidential document seen by Reuters, a gloomier outlook than just a month ago. A panel of officials from OPEC+ …
Read More »European Union may Enact Binding Limits on Methane Emissions from Gas Industry
The European Union is considering binding standards for natural gas to limit emissions of methane, the second-largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. The 27-member bloc is the world’s biggest importer of gas, and imposing such standards could affect its major suppliers, which include Russia and Norway. Published on …
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