May 2016

Futures rose as much as 1.4 percent in New York after climbing 1.1 percent Tuesday. Inventories dropped by 5.14 million barrels last week, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report. Data from the Energy Information Administration Wednesday is forecast to show supplies fell. Canadian oil-sands producers that cut more than 1 million barrels a day from the market because of the threat of wildfires are starting the process of resuming operations.

With most companies indicating continued reductions in E&D budgets absent a meaningful increase in crude oil prices, proved reserves additions will likely continue to decline.

US commercial crude oil inventories, excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, decreased 4.2 million bbl during the week ended May 20 compared with the previous week’s average

U.S. exports of LPG to Asia are hitting their highest rates ever this year and exacerbating the usual seasonal May-July pick-up in use of the fuel in cracking plants.

China’s Yantai Xinchao Industry Co. is pursuing U.S. oil acquisitions worth as much as $1 billion in the Permian Basin, and it won’t be satisfied letting others run the show, according to the head of the company’s U.S. subsidiary.

Russia plans to increase oil production to 540 million tonnes (10.8 million bpd) or more this year, from 534 million tonnes in 2015.

The parties discussed the implementation of a joint project, the Amatitlán Block which LUKOIL entered on the terms of a service contract with a 50% interest in July 2015, and the company’s participation in forthcoming bidding rounds. This resolution was positively received by the Government of Mexico.

Pertamina seeks a 51% stake in the venture to build a crude-oil refinery and petrochemical plants in eastern Java, with Russian state-controlled oil major Rosneft taking the remainder, Pertamina executives and Indonesian officials said. The refinery will be capable of processing 320,000 barrels of oil a day, and the complex will require $13 billion to $14 billion in investment, they said.

Oil companies operating in Norway expect to spend 153.2 billion kroner ($18.47 billion) on exploration and production next year, the weakest figure since 2011 and nearly a third below the sector’s all-time high of NOK220.7 billion two years ago. In 2016, they expect to spend NOK165.9 billion on exploration and production, down from NOK195.4 billion a year earlier and 1% below a similar estimate made in February.

"During the first quarter we achieved record operational uptime and we continue to see the benefits of our cost reduction program coming through. Our key priorities for the year are cost reduction, managing newbuild deferments and concluding our financing plans, while ensuring that we continue to maintain safe and efficient operations. I am pleased to say we have made good progress in all three areas during the first quarter."