Saudi Aramco cut the price of its main oil grade to buyers in Asia after OPEC+ continued with its outsized output increases for a third month.
The Saudis led the producer group over the weekend in agreeing to raise production by 411,000 barrels a day in July, a third straight month of outsized hikes. In tandem with US President Donald Trump’s trade war, the supply increases have helped drive benchmark oil prices about 12% lower in London since early April.
Oil fell on signs Saudi Arabia wants another major production increase, raising expectations that a glut of crude will form this year.
West Texas Intermediate slid 0.9% to settle below $63 a barrel, paring losses of almost 2% after Bloomberg News reported that the de facto OPEC leader is open to additional significant output hikes in a bid for market share. The kingdom wants the group to add at least 411,000 barrels a day in August and potentially September, ideally as quickly as possible to take advantage of peak summer demand, according to people familiar with the matter.
The reason for these expectations is the decision by OPEC+ to keep returning supply to the market. OPEC+ is meeting later today and most observers appear to have assumed it will announce yet another monthly hike of 411,000 barrels daily for July. It is this expected hike that, according to the Reuters refining sources, will drive lower prices for Saudi oil.
Wafra Joint Operations is a 50-50 joint venture between Kuwait Gulf Oil Company and Saudi Arabian Chevron responsible for managing onshore activities in the Partitioned Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The company is involved in the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons in the region, with a focus on conventional oilfields.
Last week, eight OPEC+ countries unveiled plans to advance their planned phase-out of voluntary oil output cuts by ramping up output by 411,000 barrels per day in May–equivalent to three monthly increments. The announcement of the accelerated unwinding clip comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on trading partners, deepening the shock to oil markets. Brent crude for June delivery was up 0.1% to trade at $63.32 per barrel at 9.45 am ET on Friday while WTI crude was flat at $60.12 per barrel.
As Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with its ambitious Vision 2030 plan to build huge futuristic cities and resorts, the world’s top crude oil exporter will need to borrow more money on the debt markets as oil prices continue to linger at levels of about $20 per barrel lower than the Saudi fiscal breakeven oil price.
Orascom Construction and 50-50 joint venture partner Técnicas Reunidas have been awarded an EPC contract for the Qurayyah IPP Expansion Project in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, Orascom announced on Monday.
The contract is valued at more than USD 2.6 billion and the companies have already received the limited notice to proceed with execution. The commissioning consortium is comprised of ACWA Power, Saudi Electricity Company and industrial services company Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co.
Saudi Aramco has launched Saudi Arabia’s first carbon dioxide direct air capture (DAC) test unit, the company announced on Thursday.
The pilot plant has been developed in collaboration with Siemens Energy and is designed to remove up to 12 tonnes per year (tpy) of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Aramco intends to use the facility to test carbon capture materials and develop capture methods that can lower operational costs and accelerate the deployment of DAC in the region.
Operations at Saudi Arabia’s Jafurah shale gas field – the country’s largest unconventional non-oil associated gas site and arguably one of the biggest outside the U.S. – will begin this year, according to a comment last week from Saudi Aramco’s president and chief executive officer, Amin Nasser.
Pakistan has been experiencing an economic crisis since 2022, characterized by high inflation, high debt, job cuts, and a struggling fiscal position. At some point the country was facing a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves and risked defaulting on its debt obligations. Three years ago, Pakistan set a target for cheap Russian crude to make up two-thirds of its oil imports, but has been unable to achieve it hampered by a shortage of foreign currency and limitations at its refineries and ports. The cash-strapped South Asian nation became Russia’s latest customer after Russia started offering discounted urals following sanctions by the west.