PLATTS - NYMEX February natural gas futures extended gains overnight in the US leading up to Tuesday's open, on the back of current and midrange weather support. At 7:20 am ET (1220 GMT) the contract was gripping the upside at $2.990/MMBtu, up 3.7 cents on the session.

BLOOMBERG - Norway’s oil production has been halved since a 2000 peak. While natural-gas output has surged, total production is forecast to fall again in the middle of the next decade. A flurry of investment decisions at the end of last year hides a painful truth: after Statoil’s $6 billion Johan Castberg oil field starts production in the Barents in 2022, the project pipeline is scant.

U.S. Rig Count is down 2 rigs from last week to 929, with oil rigs unchanged at 747, gas rigs down 2 to 182, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. Canada Rig Count is down 74 rigs from last week to 136, with oil rigs down 58 to 62 and gas rigs down 16 to 74.

PLATTS - After dropping 2.4 cents Tuesday to settle at $2.643/MMBtu, NYMEX January natural gas futures dipped then rallied ahead of Wednesday's open and the contract's expiry at the close of business, as traders mulled the likely impact on demand from weather outlooks.

REUTERS - Shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon shows LPG shipments to India will reach 2.4 million tonnes in December, pushing it ahead of top importer China, on 2.3 million tonnes, for the first time.

ГАЗПРОМ - еще в начале ноября Австрия превзошла исторический рекорд импорта российского газа, установленный по итогам 2005 года (6,8 млрд куб. м). С 1 января по 21 декабря 2017 года «Газпром», по предварительным данным, поставил в республику 8,25 млрд куб. м газа — на 2,4 млрд куб. м (40,7%) больше, чем за аналогичный период прошлого года.

PLATTS - The amount of gas held within the UK's medium-range natural gas storage facilities has fallen by more than 50% since the end of November on the back of high demand allied to weaker UK gas production.

U.S. Rig Count is up 1 rig from last week to 931, with oil rigs unchanged at 747, gas rigs up 1 to 184, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. Canada Rig Count is down 28 rigs from last week to 210, with oil rigs down 14 to 120 and gas rigs down 14 to 90.

GAZPROM - Last year, Gazprom exported a record 179.3 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe. The upward trend continued this year: as early as December 8, 2017, last year’s record was beaten, with total exports reaching 179.8 billion cubic meters of gas.

GAZPROM - “Today, we laid the basis for another pipeline route of Russian gas supplies to China. The project will expand the range of options for satisfying the growing demand for gas in the Chinese market,” said Alexey Miller.