PLATTS - As a result, demand for OPEC crude will average 32.86 million b/d in 2018, the organization calculated.

PLATTS - Saudi Arabia's commitment to the OPEC-led production output cut deal was confirmed with reduced exports to key Asian outlets in 2017, but Japanese imports of Saudi crude jumped to the highest level in 35 years as the kingdom also maintained its flexibility to meet demand whenever there is a need. Japan's crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia rose 9.5% year on year to 1.295 million b/d in 2017, or 40.1% of total imports in the year, and the country's imports of Saudi crude in 2017 were the highest since 1982, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry data.

REUTERS - “Europe completely miscalculated when they assumed that they won’t need much additional gas and if they need some it can be supplied from outside Russia,” Medvedev, who looks after exports for the world’s top gas producer and exporter, said.

AOG - A $3.1bn project to introduce crude processing flexibility at the ADNOC-owned Ruwais oil refinery was announced.

REUTERS - A consortium led by India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) (ONGC.NS) has become the first group to win a stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Co’s (ADNOC) 40-year offshore oil concession, a deal set to help the UAE expand its foothold in Asia.

NOVATEK - Total and Eni signed exploration and production agreements (Agreements) with the Government of Lebanon to explore and produce hydrocarbons on the offshore blocks 4 and 9 in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. NOVATEK’s participating interest in the Agreements is 20%, Total and Eni both hold 40% stakes, with Total appointed as the Operator.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - «Мы придаем большое значение восстановлению экономики Сирии, в частности нефтегазовой сфере, что, безусловно, будет способствовать нормализации социально-экономической ситуации в стране», - отметил Александр Новак.

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.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Министр энергетики Российской Федерации Александр Новак и Министр электроэнергетики Сирийской Арабской Республики Мухаммед Зухейр Харбутли подписали Дорожную карту сотрудничества в сфере энергетики в 2018 г. и на последующий период, которая включает сотрудничество в области электроэнергетики.

BLOOMBERG - Oil exports from Qatar, one of OPEC’s smaller crude producers, to Japan last year slumped by almost a quarter to its lowest level since 1990, while shipments from giant supplier Saudi Arabia grew 8.1 percent, boosting its market share in the Asian nation to a record. Over in South Korea, imports from Qatar sank 26 percent to the least in seven years.

REUTERS -The deal follows an initial sale by Noble of 3.5 percent of the Tamar field in mid-2016. Combined proceeds from both deals amount to nearly $1.25 billion, of which almost $1 billion will be in cash, Noble said.

WNA - Saudi Arabia plans to construct 16 nuclear power reactors over the next 20-25 years at a cost of more than $80 billion. It projects 17 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2040 to provide 15% of the power then, along with over 40 GWe of solar capacity. There are also plans for small reactors for deslination.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - АЛЕКСАНДР НОВАК: СОГЛАШЕНИЕ ОПЕК+ ПО ИТОГАМ 2017 ГОДА ВЫПОЛНЕНО НА 107%

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - В ходе переговоров стороны обсудили состояние и перспективы двустороннего сотрудничества в газовой сфере, а также атомной энергетике. Также главы энергетических ведомств выразили приверженность взятым договоренностям в рамках соглашения стран, входящих и не входящих в ОПЕК, по стабилизации нефтяных рынков.