May 2018

PLATTS - Nigeria's oil production rebounded to 2.07 million b/d in April this year, after it slipped to 2.02 million b/d in the preceding month, according to estimates released Thursday by the oil ministry.

LUKOIL - LUKOIL and the Basra Oil Company signed a Development Plan of West Qurna-2 field that provides for an oil production plateau of 800 thousand barrels per day. According to the Plan, the oil production of 480 thousand barrels per day will be reached in 2020 and 800 thousand barrels per day is expected in 2025.

OGJ - Bahrain plans to raise $1 billion for energy investments in a fund the government calls unique among Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

PENEWS - Blackstone Group LP is planning a first close this quarter on more than half of the roughly $4.5 billion it seeks for its third energy fund, according to a person familiar with the matter. The New York firm is raising the pool three years after it sealed $4.5 billion for its previous energy fund, people said.

AOG - Shell Gas & Power Developments has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oman’s government to cover proposed energy development projects in Oman. The agreement covers upstream gas exploration and development, gas-to-liquids (GTL), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energies.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 13 rigs from last week to 1,045, with oil rigs up 10 to 844, gas rigs up 3 to 199, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. Canada Rig Count is down 7 rigs from last week to 79, with oil rigs down 5 to 32 and gas rigs down 2 to 47.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures were up 29 cents at $77.50 a barrel by 0933 GMT, having gained 3.5 percent so far this week, the largest weekly increase since mid-April. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 42 cents at $71.56 a barrel.

U.S. DT - President Donald J. Trump announced his decision to cease the United States’ participation in the JCPOA and begin reimposing U.S. nuclear-related sanctions on the Iranian regime. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking immediate action to implement the President’s decision. Sanctions will be reimposed subject to certain 90 day and 180 day wind-down periods. At the conclusion of the wind-down periods, the applicable sanctions will come back into full effect.

EIA - Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $72 per barrel (b) in April, an increase of $6/b from the March level and the first time monthly Brent crude oil prices have averaged more than $70/b since November 2014. EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $71/b in 2018 and $66/b in 2019, which are $7/b and $3/b higher, respectively, than in the April

BLOOMBERG - India sees a greater probability of global crude oil prices remaining high for a longer period, a scenario that threatens to dent growth and fan inflation in Asia’s third-largest economy.