Russian and Saudi Arabian companies are considering expanding existing energy cooperation to include new joint oil and gas, petchems and nuclear projects,

People living on Australia’s east coast (including the states of Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania; as well as the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory) are paying well above international prices.

In 2019, the global oil demand growth forecast remains at 1.14 mb/d, with expectations for global oil demand to reach 99.87 mb/d. In 2020, the initial forecast indicates growth of around 1.14 mb/d y-o-y, as global oil demand is anticipated to surpass the 100 mb/d threshold on an annual basis, to average 101.01 mb/d for the year.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts Brent spot prices will average $67/b in the second half of 2019 and remain at that level in 2020. EIA expects West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices will average $62/b in the second half of 2019 and $63/b in 2020.

Chevron Phillips Chemical, a joint venture of Chevron and Phillips 66, will be the majority owner with a 51 percent share, with Qatar Petroleum owning 49 percent of the project. The companies expect a final investment decision no later than 2021 for the project, which has a target of starting in 2024.

China has lifted restrictions on foreign investment in its conventional oil and gas upstream and city gas distribution sectors, in an attempt to boost resource development, and setting the stage to break the monopoly of national oil companies.

The countries signed an $8.3 billion economic cooperation pact that included a $6 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Korean company S-Oil to build an oil refinery and downstream petrochemical facilities in South Korea.

U.S. crude oil production reached a new all-time high of 12.2 million barrels per day (mb/d) in May 2019

Demand for natural gas grew 4.6% in 2018, its fastest annual pace since 2010, according to the IEA’s latest annual market report,

Total world crude oil production increased sharply in 2018 by 1.213 million barrels/day (mb/d), or 1.6%, as compared to 2017, to reach 75.78 mb/d, marking a historical high and the highest annual growth since 2015.

In March 2019, for the 23rd consecutive month, dry natural gas production increased year to year for the month. The preliminary level for dry natural gas production in March 2019 was 2,771 billion cubic feet (Bcf), or 89.4 Bcf/d. This level was 9.2 Bcf/d (11.5%) higher than the March 2018 level of 80.2 Bcf/d.

Profit attributable to owners of PJSC Gazprom amounted to RUB 535,908 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 which is by RUB 164,285 million, or 44%, more than for the same period of the prior year.

Profit attributable to shareholders totaled RUB 149.2 bln, up 36.8% year-on-year. The growth was restrained with higher DD&A due to the launch of new production facilities.

U.S. crude oil production sustained a record-tying 12.1 million barrels per day (mb/d) in April while total petroleum demand was the highest for the month since 2007 at 20.2 million barrels per day.

The United States produced a record amount of energy from various sources in 2018, reaching 96 quadrillion British thermal units (quads), an 8% increase from 2017. This increase in production outpaced the 4% increase in U.S. energy consumption, which also reached a record high of 101 quads.