March 2016

The world’s biggest oil exporter lost ground to rivals in nine out of 15 top markets between 2013 and 2015, including China, South Africa and the US, according to an analysis of customs data.

The world’s biggest oil exporter, known as Saudi Aramco, won’t cancel any oil, gas or refining projects, Amin Nasser told reporters during a conference in Al-Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia. Aramco is also studying a possible expansion of the country’s largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, which has a capacity of 550,000 barrels a day, he said Wednesday.

China, the world's top energy user, is keen to boost cleaner burning natural gas consumption to tackle air pollution.

Even if demand can rise to meet existing and under construction supply, this doesn't necessarily support the development of a raft of proposed projects.

The drilling cost per foot, based on total depth, and the completion cost per foot, based on lateral length, are both projected to maintain these lower cost trends through 2018. Sustained lower upstream costs may affect near-term oil and natural gas markets, and ultimately, the prices of these fuels.

The deal, which resolves arbitration proceedings between E.ON and Gazprom, will lead to a positive one-off effect of about 380 million euros ($425 million) on E.ON's core earnings (EBITDA) in the first quarter of 2016.

«Компания продолжает повышать свою эффективность, отвечая на вызовы глобального рынка. В 4 кв. 2015 г. операционные издержки на добычу углеводородов на б. н.э. и эксплуатационные расходы российской переработки в рублевом выражении увеличились незначительно в сравнении с показателями 4 кв. 2014 г., несмотря на рост цен в промышленности на 10,7%. Рост операционной прибыли до начисления амортизации на 17,8% в 2015 г. на фоне снижения и долларовых, и рублевых цен на нефть свидетельствует об эффективном контроле операционных затрат, который позволил Компании значительно сократить долговую нагрузку, повысив существенным образом устойчивость бизнеса в сложных макроэкономических условиях».

Brent oil prices dropped below $40/bbl on the London market on Mar. 29 after news reports about the restart of production from Khafji oil field, which had been closed since October 2014. Kuwait Gulf Oil Co. and Saudi Aramco Gulf Operations Co. jointly operate the 300,000-b/d field. No restart date was given.

In 2015, the seven biggest publicly traded Western energy companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC, replaced just 75% of the oil and natural gas they pumped, on average, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of company data. It was the biggest combined drop in inventory that companies have reported in at least a decade.

U.S. crude production is forecast to drop from 9.4 million barrels per day in 2015 to 8.7 million bpd in 2016 and 8.2 million bpd in 2017.