REUTERS - The United States has warned German companies involved in the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they could face sanctions if they stick with the project.

PLATTS - Russia has already lowered its oil output by around 30,000 b/d compared with October volumes, used as a baseline under the latest OPEC/non-OPEC crude production agreement, and still plans to reach a cut of 50,000 b/d by the end of January, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said Friday.

PLATTS - China's crude oil imports surged 29.9% year on year to 10.35 million b/d in December, bringing total imports to 9.28 million b/d in 2018, up 10.1% year on year, preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs showed Monday.

CNBC - Saudi Arabia has additional reserves in an area along the border with Kuwait that has sat idle due to a dispute between the neighbors. Including this so-called Neutral Zone, Saudi oil reserves total 268.5 billion barrels, DeGolyer and MacNaughton concluded. That compares with an earlier estimate of 266.3 billion barrels.

REUTERS - India’s oil imports from Iran fell by 41 percent in December to 302,000 barrels per day oil (bpd), ship tracking data reviewed by Reuters showed, as pressure from U.S. sanctions took effect.

U.S. EIA - Crude oil production in Iraq averaged 4.5 million barrels per day (b/d) through August 2018, up from 4.4 million b/d in 2017. Iraq’s crude oil production has been steadily increasing since declines in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it has nearly doubled over the past decade.

PLATTS - Oil prices averaging $70/b in 2018 underscore the need for more investment in new supply, UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei told delegates at the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

PLATTS - Coal exports from Russia in 2018 came to 191 million mt, a rise of 3.4% on the year, according to the latest data from the ministry of energy, making the 2018 volume the highest since S&P Global Platts began collecting data in 2013.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - По состоянию на 1 января 2019 г. объем ФНБ составил 4 036 047,6 млн. рублей, что эквивалентно 58 097,2 млн. долл. США. Совокупный доход от размещения средств Фонда в разрешенные финансовые активы, за исключением средств на счетах в Банке России, в 2018 г. составил 58 195,6 млн. рублей, что эквивалентно 923,3 млн. долл. США.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Ожидаемый объем дополнительных нефтегазовых доходов федерального бюджета, связанный с превышением фактически сложившейся цены на нефть над базовым уровнем, прогнозируется в январе 2019 года в размере +220,6 млрд руб.

BLOOMBERG - Russia’s Novatek PJSC is looking at storing liquefied natural gas produced in the Arctic on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu so it can better meet spot demand from China and cut shipping costs.

PLATTS - Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco will seek to sell around $10 billion in bonds to help fund the purchase of petrochemicals firm Sabic, Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said Sunday.

REUTERS - Saudi Arabia plans to set up a $10 billion oil refinery in Pakistan’s deepwater port of Gwadar, the Saudi energy minister said on Saturday, speaking at the Indian Ocean port that is being developed with the help of China.

EBRD - The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is announcing financial close, with €3.9 billion secured from public and private lenders.

ISSUES - Yet the United States still has an opportunity to help interested African nations overcome the obstacles to realizing their energy ambitions. Whereas Russia and China have large government investments in a few advanced nuclear technologies, the United States has a robust and thriving private sector for advanced nuclear development, drawing on both decades of public research and development and a high-tech investment ecosystem. From large national laboratories to small venture-backed start-ups, the United States has over 50 firms working on a diverse portfolio of advanced nuclear designs, many targeting smaller or niche markets.