February 2018

REUTERS - Brent was down 68 cents, or 1 percent, at $67.91 a barrel at 0344 GMT, after falling 1.5 percent on Friday. Brent’s weekly drop was 2.75 percent last week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined 72 cents to $64.73 a barrel, after dropping 0.5 percent in the previous session. WTI fell by 1 percent during the last week.

REUTERS - Gas output in China rose to a record 147.4 billion cubic meters (bcm) last year, up 8.5 percent from 2016, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. Gas production is forecast to climb by between 6 percent to 8 percent per year through 2020, according to researchers at China National Petroleum Corp.

EXXONMOBIL - Despite efficiency gains, global energy demand will likely increase nearly 25 percent. Nearly all growth will be in non-OECD countries (e.g. China, India), where demand will likely increase about 40 percent, or about the same amount of energy used in the Americas today.

FT - Mexico secured almost $100bn in investment in its most successful oil tender to date as Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell positioned itself as the biggest player in deepwater exploration and new companies including Qatar Petroleum burst on to the scene.

SHANA - Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh says the country's petroleum output has increased by 165,000 b/d in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 21 compared to the same period last year.

ИРНА - Министр нефти Ирана Биджан Зангане заявил, что объём экспорта нефти из Ирана в Россию составляет 3 млн. барр. в месяц.

BP - BP and Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group (Dongming Petrochemical) announced the signing of joint venture agreements to develop a leading branded retail fuels and convenience business covering the Chinese provinces of Shandong, Henan and Hebei. Subject to regulatory approvals, the partnership with Dongming Petrochemical will start operations in 2018 and the network is expected to grow to 500 sites in 10 years. BP has a 49% equity share of the joint venture and Dongming Petrochemical the remaining 51%.

IAEA - An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said France demonstrated a comprehensive commitment to safety with a responsible approach to the management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. The team also made suggestions aimed at further enhancements and noted several good practices.

DOE recently released a report that dives into the emerging technology of advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) and their ability to flexibly provide carbon-free power in response to outages caused by severe weather and physical threats to the grid.

EXXONMOBIL - ExxonMobil Earns $19.7 Billion in 2017; $8.4 Billion in Fourth Quarter