PLATTS - Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 natural gas field producers have booked around 8.6 Bcm/year of long-term capacity to Italy in the planned 10 Bcm/year Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, developer TAP's head of communication, Lisa Givert, told

PLATTS - South Korean LPG providers' sales to the domestic market in the first six month rose 4.2% on the year despite higher retail prices, driven by solid demand for petrochemical production, company officials said Thursday.

REUTERS - Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $72.90 per barrel at 0653 GMT, up 27 cents, or 0.37 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were up 27 cents, or 0.41 percent, at $66.11 per barrel.

U.S. API - API emphasized the counterproductive effects of Section 301 tariffs on America’s natural gas and oil sector, underscoring the damaging impact that Chinese retaliatory tariffs would have on U.S. LNG exports, and urged the Administration not to impose additional tariffs on Chinese products at today’s hearing before the U.S. Trade Representative on Section 301.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures, a benchmark for international oil prices, were at $72.11 per barrel at 0803 GMT, up 28 cents. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 3 cents at $65.94 per barrel.

U.S. API - The American Petroleum Institute’s latest monthly statistical report shows the U.S. set a record for the production of natural gas liquids (NGL) last month producing 4.4 million barrels per day (mb/d). July also saw the U.S. tie its record for crude oil production at 10.7 mb/d.

SAUDI ARAMCO - 2017 highlights: Produced an average of 10.2 million barrels per day of crude oil including condensate Increased amount of natural gas supplied for fourth straight year, to an average of 8.7 billion standard cubic feet per day Crude oil exports averaged 6.9 million barrels per day

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is unchanged at 1,057 rigs, with oil rigs unchanged at 869, gas rigs unchanged at 186, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. Canada Rig Count is up 3 rigs from last week to 212, with oil rigs up 1 to 141 and gas rigs up 2 to 71.

REUTERS - Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were down 3 cents at $71.40 a barrel by 00229 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 dropped 1 cent to $65.45 a barrel.

WNA - Nuclear reactors generated a total of 2506 TWh of electricity in 2017, up from 2477 TWh in 2016. This is the fifth successive year that nuclear generation has risen, with output 160 TWh higher than in 2012.

PLATTS - China Gas Holdings is expected to import around 10 million mt/year of LPG over the next five years, up from the current 2.8 million mt/year, as the Hong Kong-listed gas operator and service provider seeks to expand into the petrochemical sector, industry sources said recently.

PLATTS - South Korea's crude oil imports from Iran halved in July from a year earlier in the wake of the reimposition of US sanctions, according to preliminary data released by the Korea Customs Service Thursday.

U.S. FRB - Industrial production edged up 0.1 percent in July after rising at an average pace of 0.5 percent over the previous five months. Manufacturing production increased 0.3 percent, the output of utilities moved down 0.5 percent, and, after posting five consecutive months of growth, the index for mining declined 0.3 percent. At 108.0 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production was 4.2 percent higher in July than it was a year earlier. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector was unchanged in July at 78.1 percent, a rate that is 1.7 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2017) average.

NPD - Preliminary production figures for July 2018 show an average daily production of 1 911 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is an increase of 64 000 barrels per day compared to June.

GAZPROM NEFT - For the first six months of 2018 Gazprom Neft achieved revenue** growth of 24.4% year-on-year, at one trillion, 137.7 billion rubles (RUB1,137,700,000,000). The Company achieved a 49.8% year-on-year increase in adjusted EBITDA, to RUB368.2 billion. This performance reflected positive market conditions for oil and oil products, production growth at the Company’s new projects, and effective management initiatives. Net profit attributable to Gazprom Neft PJSC shareholders grew 49.6% year on year, to RUB166.4 billion. Growth in the Company’s operating cash flow, as well as the completion of key infrastructure investments at new upstream projects, delivered positive free cash flow of RUB47.5 billion for 1H 2018.