OPEC’s biggest crude producer is embarking on a domestic renewable-energy program costing $30 billion to $50 billion. The country’s only solar plant in operation, aside from a limited pilot project, is a 10-megawatt facility on top of a parking lot at Saudi Aramco’s headquarters. The national utility, Saudi Electricity Co., is seeking bids for two solar plants to generate a combined 100 megawatts.

Real GDP increased 1.6 percent in 2016 (that is, from the 2015 annual level to the 2016 annual level), compared with an increase of 2.6 percent in 2015.

“Today’s action to reapply for the Keystone XL Pipeline’s cross-border permit is an important step forward to building a 21st Century energy infrastructure system across our nation,” said Gerard. “The Keystone XL Pipeline would support tens of thousands of jobs, contribute billions of dollars to our economy, and deliver energy efficiently and safely to consumers.

Chevron's full-year 2016 results were a loss of $497 million ($0.27 per share – diluted) compared with earnings of $4.6 billion ($2.45 per share – diluted) in 2015.

Venezuela's president on Sunday created an executive vice president post and named new vice presidents to lead PDVSA in what he described as a shake-up of the state oil company and an effort to root out corruption in the OPEC nation's principal industry.

U.S. Rig Count is up 93 rigs from last year's count of 619, with oil rigs up 68, gas rigs up 24, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 114 rigs from last year's count of 231, with oil rigs up 74 and gas rigs up 40.

Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $55.59 per barrel at 0313 GMT, up 51 cents, or 0.93 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $53.22 a barrel, up 47 cents, or 0.89 percent.

The World Bank is holding steady its crude oil price forecast for the year at $55 per barrel, a 29 percent jump from 2016. The energy price forecast assumes members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other oil producers will partially comply with an agreement to limit production after a long period of unrestrained output.

Brent crude oil spot prices are expected to remain fairly flat during 2017, in part as a result of the responsiveness of U.S. tight oil production to rising oil prices in late 2016, and they are expected to average $53/b for the year.

Oil demand grows but at a slowing pace; and non-combusted uses replace transport as the main source of demand growth by 2030s