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OPEC Output Cut
Saudi Arabia will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to prop up the sagging price of crude after two previous cuts to supply by major producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance failed to push oil higher. The Saudi cut of 1 million barrels per day, to start in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers agreed in a meeting in Vienna to extend earlier production cuts through next year. Calling the reduction a lollipop, Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said at a news conference that we wanted to ice the cake. He said the cut could be extended and that the group will do whatever is necessary to bring stability to this market. The new cut would likely push up oil prices in the short term, but the impact after that would depend on whether Saudi Arabia decides to extend it, said Jorge Leon, senior vice president of oil markets research at Rystad Energy. The move provides a price floor because the Saudis can play with the voluntary cut as mu
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday termed the decision of OPEC+ to cut oil production as "risky for the global economy", saying it may push up already high prices, leading to higher import bills for nations like India. Global oil markets were already set to tighten in the second half of 2023, with the potential for a substantial supply deficit to emerge, said Fatih Birol, head of the Paris-based energy watchdog. Talking to reporters after a bilateral meeting with India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal here, he said, "The cut of the additional production would mean that we have all the reasons to believe that there could be an upward pressure on the prices". "At this juncture of time when the global economy is still very fragile and many emerging countries have difficulties with economic performance, I found this decision risky for the global economy," he noted. Asked if oil prices could go past USD 100 per barrel again, he said, "I think we are all the da
The Biden administration said Friday it is buying 3 million barrels of oil to begin to replenish U.S. strategic reserves that officials drained earlier this year in a bid to stop gasoline prices from rising amid production cuts by OPEC and a ban on Russian oil imports. President Joe Biden withdrew 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve starting in March, bringing the stockpile to its lowest level since the 1980s. The purchase, to begin in January, will start to replenish the reserve and is likely to be followed by additional purchases, officials said. The Energy Department called the purchase "a good deal for American taxpayers'' since the price will be lower than the $96 per barrel average the U.S. oil was sold for. The replenishment also will strengthen U.S. energy security, the department said in a statement. The purchase price was not announced, but benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil was selling at $74.50 per barrel late Friday. Gasoline prices, ...
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates defended on Monday a decision by OPEC and its allies to cut oil production, even as an American envoy warned of economic uncertainty ahead for the world. While cordial, the comments at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference showed the stark divide between the United States and Gulf Arab countries it supports militarily in the wider Middle East. Saudi Arabia's energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, hinted at that in brief remarks to the event, noting that upcoming UN climate change summits will be held in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. We don't owe it to anybody but us, the prince said to applause. Emirati Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei echoed that defence. While saying that OPEC and its allies are "only a phone call away if the requirements are there to raise production, he offered no suggestion such a boost would be on its way anytime soon. I can assure you that we in the United Arab Emirates, as w