PLATTS - China's crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia in February rose 19.5% month on month to 1.21 million b/d, or 4.64 million mt, making it the second-largest supplier, data released by the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday showed.

OGJ - The governments of China and the Philippines say they’re moving toward cooperative offshore oil and gas exploration.

РОСНЕФТЬ - Комментируя соглашение, Игорь Сечин заявил: «Россия и Катар инвестируют в экономику будущего – экономику знаний. Как отметил Президент Российской Федерации «сегодня важнейшим конкурентным преимуществом являются знания, технологии и компетенции. Это ключ к настоящему прорыву, к повышению качества жизни».

BLOOMBERG - The government has paid out 109 billion kroner ($14 billion) since 2005 to explorers such as Lundin Petroleum AB and Repsol SA. It helped attract more companies to Norway, nearly doubling the pace of exploration and leading to key discoveries such as the multi-billion-barrel Johan Sverdrup field.

CBRF - On 23 March 2018, the Bank of Russia Board of Directors decided to cut the key rate by 25 bp to 7.25% per annum. Annual inflation remains sustainably low. Inflation expectations are diminishing progressively. The Bank of Russia forecasts annual inflation to be 3-4% in late 2018 and remain close to 4% in 2019. In this environment the Bank of Russia will continue to reduce the key rate and will complete the transition to neutral monetary policy in 2018.

WNN - France has demonstrated a strong commitment to nuclear security, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Vienna-based agency carried out a two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) follow-up mission at the French government's request.

WNN - President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended a ceremony to celebrate the completion of construction at the United Arab Emirates' first nuclear power reactor.

REUTERS - The final investment total for the 200 GW of generation, including the solar panels, battery storage and a manufacturing facility for panels in Saudi Arabia, will eventually total around $200 billion, Son said.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $65.51 a barrel at 0255 GMT, down 37 cents, or 0.6 percent, from their previous close. Brent crude futures were at $70.24 per barrel, down 21 cents, or 0.3 percent.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Александр Новак сообщил, что российский ТЭК сохранил лидирующую роль как в экономике страны, так и на международной арене. «В прошлом году мы вышли на 546,8 млн тонн добычи нефти, 691 млрд куб м газа. Динамика добычи угля также демонстрирует тенденцию к росту. » - сказал Министр.