REUTERS - “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to OPEC this morning,” the minister said.

REUTERS - The United States has been pressing Europe to cut its reliance on cheap Russian gas and buy much more expensive U.S. LNG instead, which many European countries, including industrial heavyweight Germany, have so far resisted.

REUTERS - “Between 150 and 160 transfers will take place in the port’s fjord from November to June,” local mayor Kristina Sigursdottir Hansen told Reuters. “Ships will be coming with gas from Russia, from Yamal ... More than 300 ships actually (will be involved).”

WSJ - Directly squaring off against U.S. shale exporters, Russia has emerged this year as a major player in the burgeoning market for liquefied natural gas, which is exported across the oceans on special ships. Meanwhile, Russia has been pumping gas into Europe at a record pace in existing pipelines, and to the East it’s close to opening a major pipeline into China, the world’s fastest-growing major gas market.

NOVATEK - PAO NOVATEK (“NOVATEK” and/or the “Company) announced that its joint venture Yamal LNG has commenced initial production of LNG at the plant’s third LNG train. The total nameplate capacity of all three LNG trains is 16.5 mmtpa, or 5.5 mmtpa per LNG train.

PLATTS - Asia is a growing market for Russian energy, including LNG, and a potential source of investment for the world's largest producer of resources and minerals. The Kremlin has increasingly looked to build its presence in the Asian region following the imposition of tough sanctions by the US on Russia.

ADNOC - The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed a framework agreement with Saudi Aramco (Aramco), to explore potential opportunities for collaboration in the natural gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) sectors.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - «Мировой спрос на СПГ к 2035 году удвоится и составит 600 млн тонн, основным локомотивом станут страны АТР, Китай и Индия в частности. При этом, строящийся и одобренные СПГ-заводы обеспечат потребность в газе только до середины следующего десятилетия. После 2025 года для России появляется окно возможностей, суммарно для удовлетворения спроса нужно будет построить еще 250 млн т», - отметил Министр. Россия может обеспечить до 40% от уровня дополнительного спроса, заявил Александр Новак.

EIA - Imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the 28 countries that make up the European Union (EU-28) averaged 5.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017, increasing for the third consecutive year but remaining below their 2011 peak.

FT - That the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will increase Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas is a geographic and arithmetical fact. But buried in the heated rhetoric — now rising to US sanction threats — over how much that matters, is just how inexpensive it would be for Europe to purchase supply diversity with liquefied natural gas from the US.