Energy Aramco and Shell near final stage of Pavilion Energy talks Saudi Aramco and Shell, which are competing to buy the assets of Singapore’s Temasek-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading firm Pavilion Energy, are now locked in price negotiations after completing the due diligence process, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. The potential sale comes a decade after the Singapore state investment firm set up Pavilion […] April 7, 2024
Opinion Economy Economic diversification is the GCC’s top priority Saudi Arabia has taken great steps to diversify its economy – Kuwait must follow suit April 3, 2024
Oil & Gas Abu Dhabi’s Lunate buys stake in Adnoc’s pipelines US companies Blackrock and KKR have sold their 40 percent stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (Adnoc) oil pipeline infrastructure assets to Abu Dhabi alternative investor Lunate. Lunate is backed by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ and has $105 billion of assets under management. The acquisition was made by one of Lunate’s funds. […] April 3, 2024
Oil & Gas Aramco invests $8bn to raise gas output by 60% Saudi Aramco is building on its natural gas reserves to free more crude oil for value-added refining and export. As part of the strategy, the oil giant has awarded engineering, procurement and construction contracts worth $8 billion for a major expansion of its Fadhili gas plant in the Eastern Province. The contracts for the gas […] April 3, 2024
Economy Saudi-listed companies’ total profits tumble by 17% The total profits of Saudi-listed companies fell 17 percent year on year to SAR126.8 billion ($33.8 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2023, research has found. The drop has been attributed to the country’s economic contraction as oil production cuts continue. But sectors such as banks, insurance, transport and pharmaceuticals showed improvement in Q4, reflecting […] April 2, 2024
Oil & Gas Adnoc Gas to invest $13bn in domestic and international growth Adnoc Gas plans to invest more than $13 billion in domestic and international growth opportunities over the next five years, chairman Sultan Al Jaber told the company’s annual general meeting on Monday. Al Jaber said that the company was progressing with several “significant’ projects to accelerate its growth. Predictable margin business was expected to increase […] April 1, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas The IEA and Opec: 50 years of prickly co-existence The two organisations were managing to get along until climate change entered the equation April 1, 2024
Oil & Gas Oil prices rise again ahead of Opec+ talks on Wednesday Crude oil prices consolidated on Monday, following a run of increases in the first quarter, fuelled by signs of recovery in China, tighter supplies by the Opec+ producers and geopolitical tensions. Brent was trading slightly higher at $87.28 a barrel in the morning, while West Texas Intermediate rose to $83.45. Brent has gained about 15 […] April 1, 2024
Energy Adnoc cuts Upper Zakum exports to fuel its refinery Exports of Upper Zakum crude from the UAE fell sharply in March after Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) diverted more supply to its own refinery and boosted shipments of its lighter Murban oil, according to traders, analysts and shipping data. The swap in oil grades at Adnoc’s Ruwais refinery has tightened medium-sour crude supply […] April 1, 2024
Analysis Oil & Gas Iran’s gas ambitions under pressure Iran has trebled its natural gas production in 10 years, becoming the largest producer in the Middle East. But Qatar’s expansion of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production in the world’s largest natural gas field, shared by the two nations, is likely to undermine Tehran’s output ambitions, analysts say. Iran holds the world’s second-largest gas […] April 1, 2024
Oil & Gas Adnoc begins output at new block off Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc has commenced crude oil production from its Belbazem offshore block to achieve its strategy of producing five million barrels per day (bpd) by 2027. The block is operated by Al Yasat Petroleum, a joint venture between Adnoc and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the UAE state-owned Wam news agency […] March 28, 2024
Oil & Gas Oil industry needs trillions in investment, says Opec chief The global oil and gas industry needs trillions of dollars in investment to sustain stable supply and meet growing energy demand, the secretary general of Opec has warned. Haitham Al Ghais said this week that the upstream sector needed more than $11 trillion, the downstream sector would need just under $2 trillion, and the midstream […] March 27, 2024
Economy Saudi exports fall 10% on oil output cuts Saudi Arabia’s exports fell by more than 10 percent in January compared to the previous year due to a reduction in oil exports. The Saudi economy has taken a hit from Opec+ oil output cuts over the past year, although non-oil exports rose slightly by 0.8 percent. Riyadh promoted the cuts in an effort to […] March 27, 2024
Energy Opec+ unlikely to adjust output before June meeting Opec+ is unlikely to make any oil output policy changes until a full ministerial gathering in June, three Opec+ sources told Reuters ahead of next week’s gathering of ministers that is not expected to make any policy recommendations. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, known as Opec+, will hold […] March 27, 2024
Energy China’s energy security is ‘set in stone’ says Aramco CEO Saudi Aramco’s dedication to China’s energy security is “set in stone”, President and CEO of the state oil company Amin Nasser has said. “China has a vitally important place in our global investment strategy,” he said in his speech at the China Development Forum 2024. “Aramco was among the leading direct investors in China last […] March 26, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas Oil traders ponder Putin’s reaction to Moscow attack, and decide: buy Russia's response can only mean upward pressure on crude markets March 25, 2024
Energy Oman signs LNG supply pact with Germany’s Sefe State-backed Oman LNG has signed a three-year pact to supply 0.4 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to German headquartered Sefe Secure Energy for Europe (Sefe) from 2026. The binding term sheet was signed in August 2023, with the formal agreement being signed during the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2024, […] March 24, 2024
Energy US Republicans call IEA an ‘energy transition cheerleader’ Members of the US Republican Party have hit out at the International Energy Agency, criticising its latest forecasts and accusing it of becoming an “energy transition cheerleader”. Leaders from the Republicans, who hold the majority in the Congress, have opened a joint probe into the Paris-based watchdog this week, accusing the agency of straying from […] March 22, 2024
Economy Qatar’s gas expansion plans to drive budget surplus until 2030 Qatar is expected to retain budget surpluses until 2030, driven by an increase in gas production at the North Field Expansion (NFE) project, Fitch Ratings has said. The budget surplus is forecast at 8.6 percent of GDP in 2024, compared to 9.3 percent percent in 2023, the rating agency said in a report. “Oil and […] March 21, 2024
Renewable Energy Energy transition strategy ‘visibly failing’, says Aramco CEO Saudi Aramco’s chief executive believes the current global energy transition strategy is “visibly failing on most fronts” and needs an urgent reset. Despite $9.5 trillion of investment in the past two decades, other energy sources have still not scaled up sufficiently to offer an alternative to hydrocarbons, Amin Nasser told the CERAWeek by S&P Global […] March 19, 2024
Oil & Gas Iran gives local companies $13bn to lift oil output Iran has announced contracts with local companies worth more than $13 billion to boost its oil output. The sanctions-hit country wants to develop six oil fields to add around 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) and will rely on domestic expertise, Iran’s official news agency, Shana reported on Sunday. The agency said that the deals were […] March 18, 2024
Oil & Gas Kuwaiti oil major to buy 50% of Italian biodiesel producer The Italian subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), the international downstream subsidiary of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), has signed an agreement to purchase 50 percent of Eco Fox, an Italian biofuel producer. The deal will help develop, produce and distribute sustainable biofuels that will reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector, state-owned Kuna news […] March 18, 2024