WNN - Russia and Argentina have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on uranium exploration and mining in the South American country. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is also proposing to supply Argentina with a nuclear power plant.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - АЛЕКСАНДР НОВАК: СОГЛАШЕНИЕ ОПЕК+ ПО ИТОГАМ 2017 ГОДА ВЫПОЛНЕНО НА 107%

PLATTS - "We need to see the confidence level of investors within the companies and financial community improving about the long-term prospects of the market, and that is why my guidance to my colleagues is that we should not limit our efforts to 2018," Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said, just before he chaired a monitoring committee meeting in Oman.

WNN - Russia and Sri Lanka have held talks this week on establishing cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Nikolay Spassky, deputy director general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, met with Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Susil Premajayantha, respectively Sri Lanka's minister of power and renewable energy and minister of science, technology and research, on 16-17 January.

WNA - Apart from adding capacity, utilisation of existing plants has improved markedly since 2000. In the 1990s capacity factors averaged around 60%, but they have steadily improved since and in 2010, 2011 and 2014 were above 81%. Balakovo was the best plant in 2011 with 92.5%, and again in 2014 with 85.1%.

PLATTS - "The domestic uranium mining industry needs US government assistance to survive the foreign onslaught -- particularly from Russia and Kazakhstan -- that has undermined the US uranium industry while new players -- particularly China -- will soon make the situation worse," Energy Fuels and Ur-Energy said in a petition they jointly filed with the department.

BLOOMBERG - Engie bought the cargo from Petroliam Nasional Bhd and that the Malaysian company in turn bought it from Yamal LNG operator Novatek PJSC. It was the first cargo from the Siberian plant.

BLOOMBERG - Russia’s oil and gas index may gain another 20 to 30 percent this year as investors have yet to price in Brent at $70 per barrel, according to Sberbank CIB. "The sell side is assuming an average oil price of $55 per barrel for 2018,” the bank’s analysts said in a Jan. 15 note. "Should the oil price stay at the current level, we will see a wave of earnings upgrades.”

ROSATOM - Following 2017, a share of electricity production by Russian nuclear power plants has increased up to 18.9%.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - На энергетическом рынке происходят существенные трансформации, появляются новые технологии, что в итоге приводит к изменению энергобаланса. В частности, за последние 10 лет добыча газа в мире выросла на 20% -- до 580 млрд м3, его доля в энергобалансе расширилась с 21 до 22%. При этом мировая торговля газом за тот же период увеличилась на 42%, или на 313 млрд м3.