Oil & Gas

Oil Lobby Warns Biden About Anti-Oil Policies

API President: “American voters are watching.”.
The Biden administration had indeed been busy trying to curb oil and gas exploration as much as possible, with the culmination coming late last year when the federal government held the last oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico for the next two years.
At the same time, however, the White House gave the go-ahead to the Willow oil project in Alaska.

Norway To Boost Oil and Gas Exploration 

Norway has been betting on the continued development of its oil and gas resources and has raised its natural gas production over the past year.
Overall, Norway’s oil and gas production was slightly lower than expected in 2023, largely due to unplanned and extended maintenance shutdowns at multiple fields.
Investments in 2023 and 2024 are rising more than expected at this time last year due to high activity, a weaker Norwegian currency, and growing cost.

Barclays cuts 2024 Brent price forecasts on higher supply

Barclays lowered its Brent crude prices forecast for this year by $8 to $85 per barrel due to higher supply, but noted that oil looks undervalued.

Barclays in a note on Thursday said the cut in forecasts is primarily due to “a higher starting point for inventories and a potentially longer path to OPEC spare capacity normalization.”

Decision time for oil and gas companies in 2024

The corporate oil and gas sector faces a year of big decisions in 2024. Consolidation will remain in the spotlight as companies position to build scale and strengthen sustainability through the energy transition. Growth will make a comeback. But companies will not put their financial strength at risk in what threatens to be a turbulent year.

China Reports Record Oil and Natural Gas Production in 2023

China achieved record-breaking crude oil and natural gas production in 2023, with unconventional gas contributing significantly to the overall figures.
Despite fluctuations in demand and some disappointment among analysts, both domestic production and imports of energy commodities reached historic highs.
While Chinese oil demand growth may slow in the future, its natural gas demand growth is likely to remain robust as it increases the use of natural gas in power generation

Surging Tanker Rates Make U.S Oil Too Expensive for Asia

U.S. crude can’t compete now in Asia because freight rates have made it too expensive.
Due to the higher freight costs, WTI Crude is now $1 a barrel more expensive than Abu Dhabi’s Murban, versus small discounts or parity in prices last week.
For example, India is looking to buy more term supplies from Saudi Arabia and from West African producers as the world’s third-largest crude oil importer is always on the hunt for bargains for its crude supply.