REUTERS - Israel expects a decision to go ahead with the construction of a 2,000 kilometer (1,243 mile) pipeline linking vast eastern Mediterranean gas resources to Europe to be made by early 2019, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Reuters.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 3 rigs from last week to 984, with oil rigs down 4 to 796, gas rigs up 7 to 188. Canada Rig Count is down 29 rigs from last week to 273, with oil rigs down 15 to 196 and gas rigs down 14 to 77.

REUTERS - Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak told European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcofic in a phone conversation that gas transit would not be at risk until Gazprom and Naftogaz fully terminated their agreement.

EIA - EIA expects a 40% increase in natural gas consumed in the U.S. industrial sector, from 9.8 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2017 to 13.7 quadrillion Btu in 2050.

NPD - The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s (NPD’s) estimate for total proven and unproven petroleum resources on the Norwegian continental shelf is about 15.6 billion standard cubic metres of oil equivalents.

GT - Santos and its GLNG partners—Petronas, Total and KOGAS—will make a massive capital investment of $900 million in upstream developments in the Maranoa, Western Downs, Central Highlands and Banana regions in Queensland this year.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 3 rigs from last week to 981, with oil rigs up 1 to 800, gas rigs up 2 to 181, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. Canada Rig Count is down 4 rigs from last week to 302, with oil rigs up 2 to 211 and gas rigs down 6 to 91.

GAZPROM - In early 2018, the demand for gas is still on the rise in the country. According to estimates, from January 1 through February 21, 2018, Gazprom delivered to Austria 1.8 billion cubic meters of gas, a rise of 60.6 per cent against the same period of 2017 (1.1 billion cubic meters).

GAZPROM - The parties discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation, including the potential for supplying LNG from the Gazprom Group’s portfolio to Pakistan, as well as collaborating in hydrocarbon exploration and production in the country.

NPD - Preliminary production figures for January 2018 show an average daily production of 2 019 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is an increase of 89 000 barrels per day compared to December.