UNIAN - "If we don't pay, this will mean inflation, uncontrolled price rises for everything, depreciation of the national currency, halt of industrial production, and so on... And that's why we are adopting a strategy to manage the debt so as to protect people from any negative consequences as much as possible. We spend UAH 130 billion annually on debt servicing alone," Groysman said.

REUTERS - Norway’s 2018 oil production is so far coming below the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s forecasts due to a couple of unplanned offshore shutdowns, though Nyland cautioned the situation may turn before the end of the year.

WNN - A draft updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) approved by South Africa's cabinet on 22 August sees the country's nuclear capacity remaining at its current 1830 MWe over the period to 2030. Energy Minister Jeff Radebe yesterday released the plan for public comment.

FT - Saudi Arabia has cut the length of time that its state energy company has exclusive rights to the kingdom’s vast oil and gasfields, raising questions about Saudi Aramco’s long-term production and revealing a power struggle between the company and the government.

PLATTS - Royal Dutch Shell has picked up 26% stake in Hazira LNG project in the western Indian state of Gujarat from French energy major Total,

REUTERS - Ukraine government should consider looking for alternatives to natural gas supplies from Russia.

ARAB NEWS - The Government remains committed to the IPO of Saudi Aramco at a time of its own choosing when conditions are optimum. This timing will depend on multiple factors, including favorable market conditions, and a downstream acquisition which the Company will pursue in the next few months, as directed by its Board of Directors.

UNIAN - Ukraine must raise gas prices to market levels in order to qualify for more aid under a $17.5 billion IMF program. Ukraine, which wants to resume cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), may need to increase household gas prices, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman was quoted as saying on Thursday.

STATISTICS NORWAY - Total investments in oil and gas activity in 2019, including pipeline transportation, are estimated at NOK 165.1 billion, which is 6.2 per cent higher than estimated in the previous quarter. The estimate for 2018 is NOK 156 billion, which equals the estimate given in the previous quarter.

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.

CNOOC - In the first half of 2018, the Company maintained a healthy profitability and a sound financial position. Oil and gas sales reached RMB 90.31 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 20.5%. Net profit reached RMB 25.48 billion, representing a significant increase of 56.8% year-on-year (“YoY”). The Company’s average realized oil price was US$ 67.36 per barrel, representing an increase of 33.6% YoY. The average realized natural gas price increased by 13.0% YoY to US$ 6.42 per thousand cubic feet. Despite the international oil prices rebound and industry costs inflation, the Company maintained a competitive all-in cost of US$ 31.83/BOE during the first half of the year.

REUTERS - China’s Sinopec Corp has teamed with Zhejiang Energy Group Co Ltd on a 3 million tonne-per-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in east China, with the first phase set for operation at end-2021, the state oil giant said

FT - The German official welcomed an agreement reached earlier this month between the Caspian littoral states — Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan — on a legal framework for sharing the Caspian, the world’s largest inland body of water.

PLATTS - EGAT, Thailand's largest power producer, will import the gas at PTT's Map Ta Phut LNG receiving terminal where the utility has acquired access to 1.5 million mt/year of regasification capacity from PTT LNG for a 38-year period from 2019-2056.