Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS), Japan's JERA and China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) [SASACY.UL] - whose joint liquefied natural gas volumes account for a third of global LNG trade - are attempting to cement a shift in power from producers to importers amid a supply glut that is expected to persist into the early-2020s.

U.S. Rig Count is up 374 rigs from last year's count of 450, with oil rigs up 300, gas rigs up 72, and miscellaneous rigs up 2. Canadian Rig Count is up 106 rigs from last year's count of 49, with oil rigs up 44, gas rigs up 62, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged.

Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil, were at $52.70 per barrel at 0513 GMT, down 26 cents from their last close. In the United States, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down 18 cents at $50.17 a barrel.

Natural gas futures for April delivery traded down by about 1% in advance of the EIA's report, at around $3.20 per million BTUs, and traded at $3.19 shortly after the data release. Natural gas closed at $3.23 per million BTUs on Wednesday, the highest closing price in the past week. The 52-week range for natural gas is $2.56 to $3.65. One year ago the price for a million BTUs was around $2.63.

“We are witnessing an energy transformation taking hold around the world, and this is reflected in another year of record breaking additions in new renewable energy capacity,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. “This growth in deployment emphasizes the increasingly strong business case for renewables which also have multiple socio-economic benefits in terms of fueling economic growth, creating jobs and improving human welfare and the environment. But accelerating this momentum will require additional investment in order to move decisively towards decarbonising the energy sector and meet climate objectives. This new data is an encouraging sign that though there is much yet to do, we are on the right path,” Mr. Amin added.

Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of LNG, pledged almost $6.2bn worth of investment in Britain on Monday in a show of support, as UK Prime Minister Theresa May begins the formal process of negotiating a separation settlement with the European Union.

Front-month Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil, rose 29 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $51.62 per barrel by 0653 GMT. In the United States, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 34 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $48.71 a barrel.

Особое внимание было уделено расширению сотрудничества в нефтегазовой сфере в области разведки, добычи, транспортировки углеводородного сырья. Стороны договорились продолжать конструктивное взаимодействие в рамках Форума стран – экспортеров газа, нацеленное на формирование справедливого баланса интересов производителей и потребителей газа, а также на более широкое применение этого экономически эффективного и экологически чистого ископаемого вида топлива в глобальном энергобалансе, в том числе в целях снижения выбросов парниковых газов.

Barclays Commodities Research said its analysts still believe oil prices could rise to $60/bbl in the second quarter assuming inventory draws and the OPEC production cut remains in place. “However, this would likely be temporary, and we forecast prices in the mid $50s/bbl in the second half 2017,” Barclays said.

U.S. Rig Count is up 345 rigs from last year's count of 464, with oil rigs up 280, gas rigs up 63, and miscellaneous rigs up 2. Canadian Rig Count is up 130 rigs from last year's count of 55, with oil rigs up 59 and gas rigs up 70, and miscellaneous rigs up 1.

Total petroleum deliveries moved up by 1.2 percent from the prior year to nearly 19.3 million barrels per day in January 2017. These were the highest January deliveries in nine years, since 2008.

Benchmark Brent crude was down 82 cents at $50.14 per barrel at 0936 GMT (5:36 a.m. ET), after dropping to $50.05, its lowest level since OPEC announced on Nov. 30 its plan for cuts. The deal with non-OPEC states was reached in December. U.S. light crude was down 70 cents at $47.54 a barrel, also slipping toward a three-month low.

The NYMEX April natural gas contract continued to march higher Tuesday, climbing 5.2 cents to settle at $3.093/MMBtu on a tightening supply-demand balance characterized by strong LNG feedgas deliveries, March demand above year-ago levels and a 2.8 Bcf/d year-on-year dip in production.

The crude oil contract for April delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped 56¢ on Mar. 20 to $48.22/bbl. The May contract fell by 40¢ to $48.91/bbl. The Brent crude contract for May on London’s ICE decreased 14¢ to $51.62/bbl. The June contract dropped 16¢ to $51.79/bbl. The gas oil contract settled at 458.50/tonne on Mar. 20, up $1.75. The average price for OPEC’s basket of benchmark crudes on Mar. 20 was $49.18/bbl, down 18¢.

«В рамках развития экспортной инфраструктуры реализуются проекты «Сила Сибири», «Северный поток», «Турецкий поток», планируется в этом году запустить первую линию проекта «Ямал СПГ», продолжается работа над сокращением времени присоединения к газораспределительным сетям, развитием рынка газомоторного топлива», - сообщил Александр Новак.