Iran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog it plans to enrich uranium to up to 20% purity, a level it achieved before its 2015 accord, at its Fordow site buried inside a mountain, the agency said on Friday. The move is the latest of several recent announcements by Iran …
Read More »Saudi Cabinet Stresses Commitment to Support Oil Market Stability after Joint Committee Meeting with Russia
The Saudi cabinet said it reviewed on Tuesday the results of a Saudi-Russian joint governmental committee meeting, in which the two countries reaffirmed commitment to the cooperation pact between petroleum producing countries and the declaration of the OPEC+ group to support the stability of global oil markets, a cabinet statement …
Read More »China to Abolish Access Restrictions on Foreign Investment in Energy Sector
China will fully lift access restrictions on foreign investment in coal, oil, gas, power generation, excluding nuclear, as well as the new energy businesses, according to a sector white paper released on Monday, reported Reuters. Separately, a top energy official told reporters that recent power shortages in some Chinese regions …
Read More »Russia to U.S. President-Elect: Don’t Upset the Oil Market
Russia hopes the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will not derail producer nations’ action to boost oil markets, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday. Russia, other leading oil producers and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a group known as OPEC+, have joined forces …
Read More »Saudi Arabia Says Oil Market Fluctuation Remains a Major Challenge for Economy
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday the COVID-19 outbreak has made predicting the oil market “increasingly challenging,” warning that oil market fluctuation is a major challenge for the economy. The world’s biggest oil exporter has cut oil output this year as part of a deal with OPEC and other producers to …
Read More »Russia’s Rosneft Discovers New Gas Field in Kara Sea
Russian energy giant Rosneft on Tuesday said it had discovered a new gas field in the Kara Sea with total reserves of 514 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas and 53 million tonnes of condensate.
Read More »Oil Prices Rise on Vaccine Hopes, Tanker Blast at Saudi Arabia
Oil prices rose on Monday, pushing Brent back above $50 a barrel, buoyed by hopes that a rollout of coronavirus vaccines will lift global fuel demand while a tanker explosion in Saudi Arabia jangled nerves in the market. Brent crude futures for February rose 67 cents, or 1.3%, to $50.64 …
Read More »Russia Restarts Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Construction despite U.S. Sanctions
Russia has resumed construction of the politically-charged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, laying pipes after a one-year hiatus prompted by U.S. sanctions, the pipeline operator said on Friday. The pipeline, which Washington says compromises European energy security, has become a flashpoint in relations between Russia and the West …
Read More »EU to Approve Sanctions over Turkish Gas Drilling
European Union leaders are set to agree sanctions on Turkish individuals on Thursday over a energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus, but will postpone any harsher steps until March, according to a new draft summit statement. Shying away from a threat made in October to consider wider economic measures, …
Read More »Oil Inches Higher as Vaccine Hopes Outweigh Build in U.S. Stockpiles
Oil prices inched higher on Wednesday, paring earlier losses, as positive news on COVID-19 vaccines lifted investor hopes for a recovery in fuel demand, outweighing concerns over an unexpected jump in U.S. oil inventories last week. Brent crude futures rose 11 cents, or 0.2%, to $48.95 a barrel by 0746 …
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