Saudi oil giant Aramco IPO-ARMO.SE will buy an equity stake in Malaysian firm Petronas' refining and petrochemicals project in the southeast Asian country, the companies confirmed on Tuesday, investing a total of $7 billion.

Light, sweet crude oil prices for April dropped modestly Feb. 24 but still settled at about $54/bbl on Feb. 24 on the New York market despite a climbing US rig count. The US oil futures benchmark has traded at $50-55/bbl for weeks.

Highlights • Revenue of $667 million • Operating income of $118 million • EBITDA of $354 million • 99% economic utilization • Reported net income of $127 million and diluted net income per share of $0.26 • Underlying net income, excluding non-recurring items and non-cash mark to market movements on derivatives, was $111 million and earnings per share was $0.24 • Cash and cash equivalents of $1.4 billion • Seadrill Limited order backlog of approximately $2.5 billion

The growing world economy will require more energy, but consumption is expected to grow less quickly than in the past - at 1.3% per year over the Outlook period (2015-2035) compared with 2.2% per year in 1995-2015.

Iran will begin exporting 100,000b/d of crude oil to Russia within the next two week, Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh said.

Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 января 2017 года по 14 февраля 2017 года составила $ 53,24818 за баррель, или $388,7 за тонну.

В 2016 году «Газпром» экспортировал в Республику 2,68 млрд куб. м — на 35% больше, чем в 2015 году. В январе и феврале 2017 года положительная динамика спроса сохранилась: Греция импортировала российского газа на 20,6% больше, чем за аналогичный период 2016 года.

Gazprom’s projects were strategically important for Russia’s energy security. The projects make gas supplies to domestic and foreign consumers more reliable and create conditions for further strengthening the Company’s position in the global energy market. All of Gazprom’s priority projects are on schedule.

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.5 percent.

ExxonMobil anticipates capital spending of $22 billion in 2017, an increase of 16 percent from 2016. Capital and exploration expenses through the end of the decade will average $25 billion annually.

Russia has enough reserves to remain Europe’s main gas provider for years to come, President Vladimir Putin said in December. “Gazprom is supplying more gas to Europe than Russia or the Soviet Union ever did,” he said. “We have enough gas for ourselves, even considering the growing requirements of the Russian economy, and for our counteragents, the buyers of our gas.”

Bob Dudley said: “In six years we have fundamentally reshaped and built a very different BP. We are now stronger and more focused - fully competitive and fit for a fast-changing future. “We have proven financial discipline, clear plans in action and have built a distinctive portfolio which gives us a strong platform for growth, now and into the future. Striking a balance between short and long-term value, our recent acquisitions and agreements have strengthened this even further. “We can see growth ahead right across the Group. While always maintaining our discipline on costs and capital, BP is now getting back to growth – today, over the medium term and over the very long term.”

Benchmark Brent crude oil was down 50 cents a barrel at $55.86 by 1125 GMT. U.S. light crude was 50 cents lower at $53.33.

The LUKOIL Group oil production for the fourth quarter and twelve months of 2016 was 22.7 and 92.0 million tonnes, respectively. Production for the fourth quarter excluding compensation crude oil from West Qurna-2 project in Iraq increased by 2.5% compared to the third quarter of 2016.

Exports in January expanded 13.6 percent from a year earlier, the biggest gain since October 2015, but just missing the 15.0 percent increase forecast. In December, exports rose 10.7 percent. Data from the International Trade and Industry Ministry showed exports of mining goods increased 18.8 percent on stronger demand for crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

Средняя цена нефти марки Urals по итогам января – февраля 2017 года составила $ 53,32 за баррель.

Directors commended the authorities for achieving an impressive recovery in economic growth after the lifting of nuclear sanctions in 2016, maintaining inflation in single digits, and stabilizing the foreign exchange market. Given the renewed uncertainty, Directors emphasized the importance of maintaining prudent macroeconomic policies and building buffers, strengthening the financial sector, and advancing reforms to lessen Iran’s reliance on oil and develop the private sector. They welcomed the authorities’ commitment in this regard and the thrust of their reform plans.

Crude oil production increased 1.0 percent from December 2016, but was down by 2.5 percent from January 2016 to average almost 9.0 million barrels per day in January 2017. This was the third highest January since 1986. Natural gas liquids (NGL) production, a co-product of natural gas production, was up from both the prior month and prior year. NGL production in January averaged 3.5 million barrels per day, up 1.9 percent from last month and was 6.6 percent higher than last year. This was the highest January output level on record.

Crude oil flows from the Kirkuk fields in northern Iraq were briefly disrupted on Thursday after a Kurdish faction seized a pumping facility in protest at the policies of Baghdad and Erbil, adding a new threat to Iraq’s attempts to comply with Opec’s agreed cuts.

The group was forced in August to abandon plans to split the cost of the 1,200km Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea with the project’s European partners Engie, OMV, Wintershall, Shell and Uniper.