TASS - Accident-tolerant nuclear fuel Rosatom specialists created in 2018 will considerably enhance the safety of nuclear power plants, the A.A. Bochvar High Technology Research Institute for Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) said in a news release.

ASAHI - At least 1.9 trillion yen ($17.12 billion) will be needed for the planned scrapping of 79 nuclear facilities, including the failed Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor, according to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).

PLATTS - German wind power output rose to a new annual record in 2018, up 5.4% or 5.7 TWh year on year at 111.4 TWh, TSO data aggregated by think tank Fraunhofer ISE show.

WNN - Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous nation, has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The World Bank is forecasting GDP growth of about 5% this year and next, and 5.5% in 2020. Current projections indicate that, to match these trends and consumer demand, we will need to double electricity output by 2030.

IMF - The oil endowment allowed Angola to rebuild critical infrastructure, and progress has also been achieved in reducing poverty. Still, much remains to be done to reduce the economy’s dependence on oil and its vulnerability to oil price fluctuations so that enough resources can be made available to improve living standards for all the Angolan people.

PLATTS - The US has long opposed the Nord Stream expansion, arguing that Europe should not be so dependent on Moscow for energy. The government has recently been touting US LNG exports as an alternative to Russian gas, in addition to supporting the Southern Gas Corridor from the Caspian region to the EU.

API - The U.S. produced a record 11.6 million barrels of oil per day (mb/d) and a record 4.8 mb/d of NGLs in November. Crude exports also hit a record high at 2.4 million barrels per day last month, and U.S. petroleum net imports fell at their lowest monthly level in more than 50 years at 2.2 million barrels per day.

U.S. EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 134,000 b/d month-over-month in January from 8,032 to 8,166 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 1,127 million cubic feet/day from 75,789 to 76,916 million cubic feet/day .

MEOG - In the oil and gas industry, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IOT), machine learning and big data can serve operators by increasing productivity and streamlining processes, all while helping them attract and retain talent, and remain secure and compliant.

OPEC - In 2019, world oil demand is anticipated to rise by 1.29 mb/d. As a result, total world oil demand is anticipated to reach 100.08 mb/d. Oil demand growth is projected to originate from Other Asia, led by India, followed China, then OECD Americas. OECD countries will rise by 0.25 mb/d, while non-OECD countries will drive oil demand growth by adding an estimated 1.04 mb/d in 2019.

PLATTS - "The UAE is investing because we feel there is a requirement for this production, but we are not going to put that production into the market unless we feel there is a need for it," Mazrouei said after last week's OPEC meeting in Vienna.

EBRD - the Bank will no longer finance thermal coal mining or coal-fired electricity generation. The Bank will also stop funding any upstream oil exploration, and will not finance upstream oil development projects except in rare and exceptional circumstances, where such investments reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

IMF - The Malaysian economy has shown resilience. Real GDP growth is projected at 4.7 percent for 2018, underpinned by domestic demand.

IMF - Bolivia's real GDP growth is projected at 4.5 percent in 2018, one of the highest rates in the region. Growth is supported by continued accommodative policies, a second economy-wide wage bonus, and strong agriculture output.

OPEC - Accordingly, the 5th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, following deliberations on the immediate oil market prospects and in view of a growing imbalance between global oil supply and demand in 2019, hereby decided to adjust the overall production by 1.2 mb/d, effective as of January 2019 for an initial period of six months. The contributions from OPEC and the voluntary contributions from non-OPEC participating countries of the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’ will correspond to 0.8 mb/d (2.5%), and 0.4 mb/d (2.0%), respectively.