REUTERS - Total capacity - including hydro and biomass as well as solar and wind - rose to 728 gigawatts (GW) by end-2018, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said during a briefing. That amounted to 38.3 percent of China’s total installed power capacity, up 1.7 percentage points on the year and around 7 percentage points higher than at the end of 2015.

REUTERS - U.S. crude oil futures were at $53.13 per barrel at 0543 GMT, down 56 cents, or 1 percent, from their last settlement. International Brent crude oil futures were at $61.03 a barrel, down 61 cents, or 1 percent.

U.S. DT - Over the first three quarters of 2018, the U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2 percent, the fastest pace for the first three quarters of a year since 2005. Initial data for the fourth quarter indicate the economy continued to perform well, although slowing global growth and the housing sector could present headwinds. Private forecasters in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators monthly survey now estimate that real GDP growth slowed to 2.7 percent in the fourth quarter, and will slow further to 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019.

WNN - President Emmanuel Macron announced last November that a total of 14 French power reactors of 900 MWe capacity will be shut down in order to reduce the share of nuclear in the country's electricity generation mix from the current 75% to 50% by 2035.

GAZPROM - Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the growing demand for gas supplied by Gazprom to Austria. In the period from January 1 through January 27, 2019, gas exports totaled an estimated 1.2 billion cubic meters, an increase of 35 per cent from the same period of last year.

ROSATOM - First Russian-made experimental nuclear fuel assemblies based on accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) have been loaded for testing into the water loops of MIR research reactor at the State Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region.

PLATTS - Russia's Gazprom Export believes that the record high gas sales of 200 Bcm in Europe and Turkey last year represented a "new reality" for Russian gas exports. Speaking Tuesday at the European Gas Conference in Vienna, CEO Elena Burmistrova also said she expected gas sales to remain at current levels over the next few years.

PLATTS - The Trump administration announced Monday that it will sanction PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, a move that could suspend roughly 500,000 b/d of Venezuelan crude exports to US Gulf Coast refineries and shut down US exports of diluents to the South American nation.

PLATTS - Libya's state National Oil Corp. is targeting a $60 billion overhaul of its oil and gas sector as it strives to reach a pre-civil war output level of around 1.6 million b/d by the end of this year.

BLOOMBERG - Investment in oil and gas production collapsed by about $350 billion, or more than 40 percent, from 2014 to 2016 -- the sharpest contraction since the 1980s -- after crude fell from over $120 a barrel to less than $30, according to the International Energy Agency. The number of new projects approved in 2017 dwindled to the lowest in 70 years, the Paris-based agency said.

IMF - Kuwait's growth is expected to strengthen. The mission has assumed an average oil price of US$57 per barrel in 2019–20, increasing to US$60 per barrel over the medium term. As capital project implementation accelerates, non-oil growth is projected to increase to about 3.5 percent in 2020. The recent OPEC decision to cut production is expected to hold oil output to 2 percent growth in 2019, which could rebound to 2.5 percent in 2020 given the spare capacity. Inflation is expected to rise in 2019–20 to about 2.5 percent as the deflationary factors in 2018 unwind.

OGJ - “The sanctions will affect refinery margins in the US. Now they will have to import heavy crude from the Middle East at a premium. US refiners will be amongst the biggest losers, as we have noted earlier,” Rodriguez-Masiu said.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $53.43 per barrel at 0644 GMT, up 12 cents, or 0.2 percent, above their last settlement. International Brent crude oil futures rose 21 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $61.53 per barrel.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - Заместитель Министра энергетики Российской Федерации Анатолий Яновский подчеркнул, что Россия является одной из крупнейших угольных держав мира, занимает третье место по экспорту угля и шестое – по объемам добычи.

SHELL - Compared with the fourth quarter 2017, CCS earnings attributable to shareholders excluding identified items of $5.7 billion mainly benefited from higher realised oil, gas and LNG prices as well as stronger contributions from crude oil and LNG trading, partly offset by movements in deferred tax positions. Full year earnings of $21.4 billion also reflected higher realised oil, gas and LNG prices, partly offset by movements in deferred tax positions.

SHELL - Royal Dutch Shell plc (the ‘company’) announces the commencement of trading in the third tranche of its share buyback programme previously announced on July 26, 2018. In the third tranche, the company has entered into an irrevocable, non-discretionary arrangement with a broker to enable the purchase of A ordinary shares and/or B ordinary shares for a period up to and including April 29, 2019.

U.S. FRB - Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 percent.

BHGE - “2018 marked BHGE’s first full year as a combined company and it was a year of significant change and progress for us. We moved beyond the initial integration phase into the next chapter for BHGE. In November, our majority shareholder, GE, reduced their ownership from approximately 62.5% to approximately 50.4%, and we reached critical commercial agreements with GE that position our company for the future. The market environment changed significantly as we progressed through the year. ” said Lorenzo Simonelli, BHGE Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.

МИНЭНЕРГО РОССИИ - «Алжир и Россия являются крупными игроками на мировых энергетических рынках. Российские компании проявили интерес к участию в проектах по добыче газа и газового конденсата на территории Алжира. На примере успешного взаимодействия двух государственных компаний - российской «Транснефти» и алжирского «Сонатрака» - мы также видим, что в энергетической сфере наше сотрудничество динамично развивается», - заключил Александр Новак.

PLATTS- Germany added almost 3 GW of solar capacity last year, the highest annual figure since 2013 and 68% more than 2017, German solar association BSW said Thursday. Total installed solar PV capacity was 45.929 GW by end-2018, with 377 MW added in December alone.