U.S. EIA - Primary energy consumption in the United States reached a record high of 101.3 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2018, up 4% from 2017 and 0.3% above the previous record set in 2007. The increase in 2018 was the largest increase in energy consumption, in both absolute and percentage terms, since 2010.

U.S. EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 80,000 b/d month-over-month in April from 8,380 to 8,460 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 907 million cubic feet/day from 78,930 to 79,837 million cubic feet/day .

U.S. FRB - Industrial production edged down 0.1 percent in March after edging up 0.1 percent in February; for the first quarter as a whole, the index slipped 0.3 percent at an annual rate.

BHGE - U.S. Rig Count is down 3 rigs from last week to 1,022, with oil rigs up 2 to 833, gas rigs down 5 to 189, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 0. Canada Rig Count is down 2 rigs from last week to 66, with oil rigs down 4 to 18 and gas rigs up 2 to 48.

Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, signed an agreement yesterday to sell its 22.45% non-operated interest in the Caesar-Tonga asset in the US Gulf of Mexico to Delek CT Investment LLC, a subsidiary of Delek Group Ltd (Delek). The total consideration for this deal is $965 million in cash.

Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $66 per barrel (b) in March, up $2/b from February 2019. Brent prices for the first quarter of 2019 averaged $63/b, which is $4/b lower than the same period in 2018. Despite lower crude oil prices than last year, Brent prices in March were $9/b higher than in December 2018, marking the largest December-to-March price increase since December 2011 to March 2012.

Annual U.S. crude oil production reached a record level of 10.96 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018, 1.6 million b/d (17%) higher than 2017 levels. In December 2018, monthly U.S. crude oil production reached 11.96 million b/d, the highest monthly level of crude oil production in U.S. history.

Having slashed spending plans and run out of willing buyers for assets, some U.S. shale producers are turning to workforce cuts as investors step up demands for returns.

Japan’s JERA, the world’s top buyer of liquefied natural gas, on Tuesday said it had signed an agreement with a Mitsubishi Corp unit to buy up to 16 cargoes, or 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), of LNG from the LNG Canada project.

PLATTS - US LPG is being exported directly to India in a new evolution of global trade flow, with four Very Large Gas Carriers laden with LPG set to reach India in April, and cargoes have been set to be delivered for May and June as well.

U.S. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 196,000 in March, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in health care and in professional and technical services.

BHGE - U.S. Rig Count is up 19 rigs from last week to 1,025, with oil rigs up 15 to 831, gas rigs up 4 to 194, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 0.

U.S. net natural gas exports in January 2019 totaled 2.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), marking 12 consecutive months where U.S. natural gas exports exceeded U.S. imports.

U.S. EIA - In January 2019, for the 21st consecutive month, dry natural gas production increased year to year for the month. The preliminary level for dry natural gas production in January 2019 was 2,746 billion cubic feet (Bcf), or 88.6 Bcf/d. This level was 10.7 Bcf/d (13.7%) higher than the January 2018 level of 77.9 Bcf/d.

WNN - The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), bipartisan draft legislation which aims to accelerate the development of advanced nuclear technologies and re-establish US leadership in nuclear energy has been re-introduced to the US Senate.