In June 2017, for the first time in 15 months, dry natural gas production increased year-to-year from the same month a year ago. The preliminary level for dry natural gas production in June 2017 was 2,188 billion cubic feet (Bcf), or 72.9 Bcf/day. This level was a 1.3 Bcf/day (1.9%) increase from the June 2016 level of 71.6 Bcf/day.

U.S. Rig Count is up 446 rigs from last year's count of 497, with oil rigs up 352, gas rigs up 95, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 2. Canada Rig Count is up 64 rigs from last year's count of 137, with oil rigs up 25 and gas rigs up 39.

Last week, U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) made its way to the somewhat unlikely market of Lithuania. The former Soviet republic traditionally bought its gas from Russian state company Gazprom; this was its first shipment from the United States. For President Donald Trump, that must have been a gratifying sign of the success of his administration’s nascent energy diplomacy.

Norway’s $970-billion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, should allocate a bigger share of its investments to renewable energy to boost returns, a U.S. energy policy think-tank said

Profit attributable to the owners of PJSC Gazprom for the six months ended June 30, 2017 totalled RUB 381,346 million which is RUB 225,814 million, or 37 % less than for the same period of the prior year.

Oman’s petroleum and other liquids production averaged more than 1 million barrels per day in 2016, its highest production level ever. Oman was on track to maintain this production level in 2017, but it reduced production to approximately 970,000 barrels per day in early 2017 to meet the production cut it agreed to, along with members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Bahrain’s fiscal and external vulnerabilities have increased in the wake of the oil price decline. Overall GDP grew 3 percent in 2016, supported by strong growth of 3.7 percent in the non-oil sector aided by the implementation of GCC-funded projects. Average inflation remained moderate at 2.8 percent. Bank deposit and private sector credit growth slowed. The banking sector remains well capitalized and liquid. Despite the implementation of significant fiscal adjustment, lower oil prices meant that the overall fiscal deficit reached nearly 18 percent of GDP and government debt rose to 82 percent of GDP. The current account deficit widened to 4.7 percent. International reserves have declined.

“We have been producing oil and gas in Norway for nearly 50 years and we are still not halfway done. Vast volumes of oil and gas have been discovered on the Norwegian shelf that are still waiting to be produced. We want companies with the ability and willingness to utilise new knowledge and advanced technology. This will yield profitable production for many decades in the future,” says Ingrid Sølvberg, Director of development and operations in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

U.S. Rig Count is up 451 rigs from last year's count of 489, with oil rigs up 353, gas rigs up 99, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 1. Canada Rig Count is up 71 rigs from last year's count of 146, with oil rigs up 31 and gas rigs up 40.

NYMEX September gas futures climbed 6.9 cents to $2.962/MMBtu as Monday's eclipse was projected to boost natural gas demand.