(WoodMac, 4.Dec.2020) — Tense negotiations and rumours of a rift between Saudi Arabia and UAE ended with a compromise deal for OPEC+ on 3 December 2020. Despite concerns on oversupply for Q1 2021, the group agreed to increase output by 500,000 b/d in January. Production restraint is set at minus […]
Tag: OPEC
Venezuela Crude Production, Exports Recover
(Argus, 1.Dec.2020) — Venezuelan state-owned PdV’s crude production and exports have recovered in recent weeks as China resumed direct loadings and a tanker deficit the company blames on US sanctions eased, according to PdV officials and internal reports seen by Argus. PdV’s crude exports jumped to around 500,000 b/d last […]
Venezuela Supports Three Month Opec Extension
(Energy Analytics Institute, 17.Nov.2020) — Opec producer Venezuela continues to support a three month extension of production levels of 7.7 million barrels per day. “Venezuela ratifies its commitment to continue adopting the necessary decisions to guarantee the stability of the energy market,” Venezuela’s state owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) announced […]
Maduro Says Amuay Hit By ‘Terrorist Tttack’
(Reuters, 28.Oct.2020) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday said the country’s Amuay oil refinery was victim of a terrorist attack on Tuesday that involved a “powerful weapon”, but said the country had gasoline reserves equivalent to 20 days of consumption. An explosion hit a distillation unit at the 645,000 […]
Nabarima Floating Storage Tanker At Risk Of Sinking
(Energy Analytics Institute, 17.Oct.2020) — The Nabarima floating storage unit with around 1,180,000 barrels of oil and located offshore Venezuela’s Sucre state is at increased risk of sinking, an oil union official warns. Nabarima belongs to the Empresa Mixta PetroSucre, which partners state oil company PetrĂłleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and […]
Venezuela, Once An Oil Giant, Reaches The End Of An Era
(NYT, 7.Oct.2020) — Wells that once tapped the world’s largest crude reserves are abandoned or left to flare toxic gases that cast an orange glow over depressed oil towns. Refineries that once processed oil for export are rusting hulks, leaking crude that blackens shorelines and coats the water in an […]
Three Iranian Tankers Make It To Venezuela
(Energy Analytics Institute, 5.Oct.2020) — The third and final Iranian tanker, part of a three-tanker flotilla, docked in Venezuela over the weekend with much needed gasoline supplies for the struggling OPEC country. The three Iranian-flagged tankers – Faxon, Forest and Fortune – are estimated to have transported around 250,000 bbls […]
First Iranian Tanker Enters Venezuelan Waters
(Reuters, 28.Sep.2020) — The first of a group of three tankers carrying Iranian fuel for gasoline-starved Venezuela entered the waters of the South American nation on Monday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, in the most recent sign of the countries’ expanding trade. The two OPEC members have increased cooperation this […]
Africa’s Gasoline Demand To Support Asia, Europe
(Platts, 24.Sep.2020) — Africa’s gasoline demand is expected to support the gasoline markets of Asia and Europe as refinery outages in the African continent, together with a strong recovery in demand, draw more cargoes there, away from storage tanks in regional oil hubs. The demand recovery was demonstrated by a […]
Rafael Ramirez: Venezuela Can Fix Its Own Oil Industry
(Argus, 8.Sep.2020) — Rafael Ramirez served as Venezuela’s oil minister from 2002-2013 and concurrent chief executive of state-owned PdV from 2004-2013, a tumultuous period marked by an oil strike and nationalizations under the late president Hugo Chavez. In this interview, edited for length and clarity, Ramirez, now in exile in […]
Maduro Assigns Oil Sector Workers Three Special Tasks
(Energy Analytics Institute, 3.Sep.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced three areas of focus for petroleum sector workers as well as others working directly within the state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). “I have ordered the AlĂ RodrĂguez Araque Presidential Commission and PDVSA workers [focus] on three tasks: the […]
PDVSA, Eni Weigh Options To Transfer Idled Oil
(Reuters, 2.Sep.2020) — Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and Italy’s Eni are looking at options to safely offload crude from a floating storage facility on Venezuela’s eastern coast that has remained idle for over a year due to U.S. sanctions, according to sources close to the discussions. The companies suspended […]
Venezuela Faces Possibility Oil Output Drops To Zero
(Oilprice.com, 1.Sep.2020) — Venezuela once considered one of Latin America’s prosperous countries has plunged into the abyss. Years of economic mismanagement, cronyism and corruption have sparked a monumental economic collapse which saw the oil rich country become one of the poorest in South America. There are emerging signs that Venezuela […]
Russia Is Winning The Battle For Venezuela’s Oil
(Oilprice.com, 24.Aug.2020) — In just over a year Venezuela, and the push to oust socialist leader President Nicolas Maduro, has gone from being one of the world’s hottest news headlines to obscurity. The popularity of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan GuaidĂł is waning. As the December 2020 election date for Venezuela’s […]
How Venezuela’s Oil Industry Collapsed: FT.com
(FT.com, 23.Aug.2020) — The country’s oil industry was once the envy of the region, but after decades of mismanagement and corruption the sector is facing ruin. The FT’s Andean correspondent Gideon Long asks what went wrong. Watch his video here. __________
Agbami Key Sticking Point In OPEC+ Compliance
(Argus, 11.Aug.2020) — Nigeria’s full compliance to the OPEC+ deal hangs on a key oil grade being treated as a condensate. Since OPEC+ allowed ultra-light oil to be exempt from its production cut deal, the West African nation’s Agbami has been a bone of contention. The challenge is that nobody […]
Saudi Arabia Turns Off America’s Oil Taps Again
(Bloomberg, 9.Aug.2020) — The strategy worked wonders in 2017. It will be more challenging this time around unless the pandemic eases its grip on oil demand. For the second time in three years, Saudi Arabia is slashing the volume of crude it’s sending to America in an attempt to force down […]
Ecuador Seeking New Oil-backed Loan From China
(Argus, 13.Jul.2020) — Ecuador’s austerity-minded government is in discussions with China to secure a new loan backed by oil sales. The fresh loan of at least $1.4bn would be secured by some 50mn bl of crude sales under a long-term arrangement that replicates a series of oil-backed debt contracts that […]
Venezuela’s Oil Production Sinks To 300,000 b/d
(Argus, 3.Jul.2020) — Venezuela kicked off July with only around 300,000 b/d of crude production and no oil rigs in operation, according to a series of internal operation reports from state-owned PdV. The production level is the Opec country’s lowest in close to nine decades, with the exception of a […]
Venezuela’s Oil Exports Sank In June To 77-year Low: Data
(Reuters, 1.Jul.2020) — Venezuela’s oil exports slumped in June to their lowest level since 1943 after half a dozen tankers, looking to avoid the threat of U.S. sanctions, sailed away from the nation’s waters without loading, according to vessel tracking data. The fall in oil exports has starved the socialist […]
Leaky Pipes Threaten Libya’s Oil Revival From War
(Bloomberg, 24.Jun.2020) — Libya’s oil industry is crumbling after more than nine years of neglected maintenance amid a civil war that’s killed thousands and destroyed towns across the country. The lack of basic, nuts-and-bolts servicing has left pipelines corroding and storage tanks collapsing. Remedial work at wells alone could cost […]
Venezuela’s Oil Production In Free Fall
(Energy Analytics Institute, 15.Jun.2020) — Venezuela’s production of crude oil continues in a free fall, reaching 411,900 barrels per day on 15 June 2020, down by 206,800 barrels per day from an average 618,700 barrels per day in May, according to documents seen by Energy Analytics Institute. Average production through […]
Mexico To Sit Out Extension Of OPEC+ Oil Output Cuts
(Reuters, 6.Jun.2020) — Mexico will not join other top oil producers in extending through July output cuts aimed at propping up the price of crude, Energy Minister Rocio Nahle said on Saturday. Made up of OPEC members and allies led by Russia, the group known as OPEC+ agreed in April […]
OPEC+ To Meet Saturday On Extending Cuts
(Reuters, 5.Jun.2020) — OPEC and its allies led by Russia will meet on Saturday to discuss extending record oil production cuts and to push laggards such as Iraq and Nigeria to comply with existing curbs. The producers known as OPEC+ previously agreed to cut supply by 9.7 million barrels per […]
US Sanctions Four Firms For Transporting Venezuelan Oil
(Aljazeera, 2.Jun.2020) — The United States Treasury Department on Tuesday said it had sanctioned four shipping firms for transporting Venezuelan oil, the latest escalation in Washington’s effort to depose socialist President Nicolas Maduro by cutting off the OPEC nation’s crude exports. Marshall Islands-based Afranav Maritime Ltd, Adamant Maritime Ltd and […]
Venezuela’s Oil Exports Sink To 17-year Low On Sanctions
(Reuters, 2.Jun.2020) — Venezuela’s oil exports plummeted in May to their lowest level since 2003 as U.S. sanctions choked exports and two Mexican firms that had acted as intermediaries for Venezuelan crude sales stopped receiving oil, Refinitiv Eikon data and internal shipping documents from state-run energy company PDVSA showed. Washington […]
Venezuela Rolls Out Two-tiered Fuel Pricing
(Argus, 1.Jun.2020) — A two-tiered gasoline pricing system rolled out by Venezuela today maintains generous subsidies for limited volumes but allows private-sector operators to charge international prices for imports. The new fuel rationing and pricing policy was unveiled over the weekend in separate addresses by President Nicolas Maduro and acting […]
Third Iranian Fuel Cargo Approaches Venezuela
(Reuters, 26.May.2020) — The third cargo of an Iranian tanker flotilla carrying fuel for gasoline-thirsty Venezuela was approaching the nation’s exclusive economic zone on Tuesday as the previous two were preparing to discharge, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The Iran-flagged tanker Petunia entered the Caribbean Sea on Monday after crossing […]
Mexico To Remain In Opec+, No Output Cuts Planned
(Argus, 22.May.2020) — Mexico will remain within the Opec + group but has no plans for further production cuts, the energy ministry told Argus today. “Mexico will participate in the Opec + meeting in June but we do not contemplate implementing more cuts,” the ministry said. “There are no plans […]
Ecuador’s MERNNR Finally Lifts Force Majeure
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 10.May.2020) — Ecuador’s Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources (MERNNR) on 9 May 2020 lifted the force majeure declared on 10 April declared due to breaks along the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE) and the Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline (OCP) caused by a nature event […]
Statement From Guyana’s DOE Director Mark Bynoe
(DOE, 4.May.2020) — Good morning ladies and gentlemen I am coming to you at a very interesting time in our country’s history given the furore over our national and regional elections, and the instability created in world market due largely to over-supply of crude and us being in the throes […]
Even At $10/bbl, Traders Balk At Buying Nigeria’s Oil
(Bloomberg, 28.Apr.2020) — The oil price crash isn’t getting any easier for Nigeria. Late on Monday, the nation released the prices for most of its crude oil grades for sale in May. The figures reflect an urgent need to offload cargoes in what is a highly competitive marketplace. Even so, […]
Venezuela Floats Lean PdV With Russia Unit
(Argus, 27.Apr.2020) — The two Maduro loyalists who have been effectively running Venezuela’s national oil industry for two months were officially appointed today as acting heads of the oil ministry and PdV, with a mandate to dismantle the company’s bloated Chavez-era organization in favor of a lean structure featuring a […]
Iran Ships Material To Help Repair PDVSA Refinery
(Reuters, 23.Apr.2020) — Venezuela has received refining materials via plane shipment from Iran to help it start the catalytic cracking unit at the 310,000 barrels-per-day Cardon refinery, which is necessary to produce gasoline, an official said on Thursday. The shipments mark a new stage in cooperation between the two OPEC […]
Guyana’s Oil Dream: A Tale Of Smoke And Mirrors
(Jamaica Gleaner, 17.Apr.2020) — Picture soaring sky-scrapers with glistening glass windows adorning cathedrals of steel that dominate the illuminated skyline. This image encapsulates the dreams of many developing countries which seek to achieve unparalleled development, especially upon discovery of vast resource deposits. Expectations for these nations are initially high, with […]
Saudi OSPs For Oil Exports Bode Well For Asian Refiners
(WoodMac, 16.Apr.2020) — On 13 April, Saudi Arabia announced the Official Selling Prices (OSPs) for its May crude oil exports. The new OSPs speak volumes about Saudi Arabia’s crude export strategy after agreeing to cut production in the OPEC+ deal on 10 April 2020. Wood Mackenzie research director Sushant Gupta […]
Ecuador Oil Flow Tumbles, Pipeline Repairs Advance
(Argus, 15.Apr.2020) — Ecuador’s oil production dwindled to just 68,000 b/d on 13 April in the wake of weather-related pipeline ruptures last week, forcing state-owned PetroEcuador to reprogram most crude exports into May. PetroEcuador said it has pushed 10 crude export loadings from April to May as it works to […]
Mexico Agrees To Reduce Oil Production By 100,000 B/D
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 13.Apr.2020) — Mexico plans to reduce its oil production by 100,000 barrels per day, according to discussions with members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+. Representatives from OPEC and OPEC+ lobbied for Mexico to cut production by 400,000 b/d, but the […]
OPEC And Non-OPEC To Cut Output By 9.7 MMb/d
(OPEC, 12.Apr.2020) — The 10th (Extraordinary) OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting was held via videoconference, on Sunday, 12 April 2020, under the Chairmanship of HRH Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, and co-Chair HE Alexander Novak, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation. The Meeting reaffirmed […]
The Unexpected Holdout To A Global Oil Production Deal
(Bloomberg, 10.Apr.2020) — One of the most dramatic global oil production agreements in history has been left hanging on the approval of an unlikely character: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. For weeks Russia and Saudi Arabia, two energy powerhouses, have been sparring over oil, with their dispute sending crude […]
Pemex Not In Position To Maintain Output
(GlobalData, 10.Apr.2020) — Following today’s news (Friday 10 April) that the OPEC+ agreement, which will cut production by ten million barrels, is contingent on Mexico’s consent to also cutting production; Adrian Lara, Senior Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the […]
YPF Slashes Vaca Muerta Output: Rio Negro Reports
(Reuters, 9.Apr.2020) — Argentine state energy firm YPF has cut production by around half at its giant Vaca Muerta shale development Loma Campana due to a slump in demand amid the global coronavirus pandemic and a nationwide lockdown, local media reported on Thursday. Loma Campana is the most important development […]
Brief Intro Remarks By OPEC Secretary General
(OPEC, 9.Apr.2020) — Delivered by HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, OPEC Secretary General, at the 9th (Extraordinary) OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, 9 April 2020, via webinar. Excellencies, Over the course of the last few months, COVID-19 has pervaded almost every aspect of life. We see it in the lockdowns initiated […]
Maduro Highlights Need To Stabilize Oil Market
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 31.Mar.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro highlighted the importance of the agreements between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies (OPEC+), as well as the need to advance in rapprochements between the organization, Russia and Saudi Arabia. “I proposed the need to […]
Which Supply Is Most At Risk Of Shut-in?
(WoodMac, 27.Mar.2020) — The coronavirus pandemic is reducing oil demand. The OPEC+ production restraint agreement fell apart on 6 March and Saudi Arabia is rapidly increasing supply. The result: Brent crude has plunged to less than US$30/bbl. This will have a significant impact on currently producing fields and future supply. […]
Maduro Suggests OPEC, OPEC+ Discuss Oil Market
(Energy Analytics Institute, Piero Stewart, 12.Mar.2020) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has suggested that members of OPEC and OPEC+ return to discussions about balancing the oil market. “Let us seek agreements to provide short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions that will restore the oil markets to an equilibrium point,” state oil […]
Venezuela Discussing Oil Prices With OPEC, Russia
(TASS, 12.Mar.2020) — Venezuelan authorities are discussing the situation with the oil price collapse with OPEC and Russia, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday at a press conference broadcasted in Twitter. “We contacted our partners in OPEC, such our partners as Russia, with oil producing countries, to undertake steps in […]
China “Teapot” Refiners Crank Up Run Rates
(Reuters, 11.Mar.2020) — China’s independent oil refiners are cranking up production as local governments begin to relax strict measures to contain the coronavirus and fuel demand begins to recover. A sharp plunge in crude oil markets triggered by the erupting Saudi-Russia price war has also boosted profit margins. Also known […]
Mexico Seeks To Mediate Russia, Saudi Arabia Oil Row
(Reuters, 10.Mar.2020) — Mexico and other nations are seeking to mediate between Russia and Saudi Arabia to end a price war that has battered world markets, Mexico’s finance minister said on Tuesday, citing his country’s prior experience in calming a crude producer feud. International crude oil prices suffered the biggest […]
Is 2020 The Year For Regime Change In Venezuela?
(FT, 7.Mar.2020) — There have been enough false dawns in Venezuela to deter any confident predictions but a series of developments — all energy related — suggest that 2020 could be the year when regime change might actually occur and the country could begin to resume its role at the […]