1. Kuwait’s Economy: Major Surgery Needed

    ...ntral to Kuwait’s travails is a dependence on oil revenues that is high even by regional standards. Oil revenues account for nearly 90% of government revenues, and Kuwait has failed to increase non-oil revenues even since oil prices dropped in 2014. The amended 2020-21 budget (year ending 31 March 2021) en...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 52
    Published at Thu, 24 Dec 2020
  2. India Crude Imports: Long Covid

    ...r the first 11 months of 2020 as a whole crude imports averaged 3.81mn b/d, down 13.6% year-on-year, and the lowest figure since 2014.   *The latest official data for November shows India’s top suppliers continuing to turn in lacklustre performances. Number one Iraq with 821,000 b/d and nu...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 52
    Published at Thu, 24 Dec 2020
  3. Libya Devalues Currency

    ...18 in a bid to narrow the gap, effectively creating a third rate (MEES, 29 March 2019). Reflecting Libya’s political division, the CBL’s eastern and western branches have operated independently since October 2014. The board’s meeting comes on the back of a recent UN-led peace effort aimed at en...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  4. Jordan Gas Boost

    ...d ‘well-49’ brought online last December (MEES, 29 December 2019). Results from three other exploration wells are expected soon – but given the relatively small size of the field, which BP abandoned in 2014 (MEES, 24 January 2014), the country’s growing renewables sector remains its best hope of ac...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  5. Saudi Arabia Moves Towards 50:50 Oil, Non-Oil Revenue Split

    ...so drawing down heavily on its reserves at the central bank (SAMA). Having peaked at $354bn in 2014, these dropped to just $125bn in 2019 and are projected to fall to just $92bn by the end of this year (see chart 3). That implies a substantial Q4 drawdown given that the latest SAMA statistics show go...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  6. Saudi Crude Burn Tumbles In October

    ...cord 10.7bn cfd on 6 August 2020 (MEES, 6 November). When it comes to crude burn in particular, Saudi levels have remained well below record highs. While they did soar well above recent levels over summer, at 702,000 b/d in August the annual peak remained well below 2014-15 levels (see ch...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  7. Iraq’s Northern Oil Infrastructure Under Attack From Islamic State

    ...ll as their proximity to major assets. The small topping plant at Sainia lies just a few kilometers from the Baiji refining complex, which before its total destruction in 2014, was Iraq’s biggest producing 310,000 b/d. Rebuilding Baiji – which previously consisted of two 70,000 b/d crude distillation un...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  8. Opec, IEA Counter Market Euphoria With Demand Downgrades

    ...e price decline that started in 2014.” The authors assume a further 20% reduction in investment in 2021 and warn that “industry investment will have to rise over the next three years by at least 25% yearly from 2020 levels to stave off a crisis.” OPEC PRODUCTION BEGINS THE JOURNEY BACK FROM ITS CO...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  9. Sudan Looks To Reverse Upstream Decline With 2021 Bidding

    ...Sudan’s crude output is running at 64,000 b/d, down 44% on 2014 levels and some 86% below the 457,000 b/d produced before South Sudan seceded in July 2011, taking with it 75% of Sudan’s production. Acting Energy Minister Kheiri Abdelrahman says Sudan hopes to add 20,000 b/d next year. But he...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 51
    Published at Fri, 18 Dec 2020
  10. Korea Imports At 7-Yr Low

    ...pplier with 811,000 b/d for November. The kingdom has increased supplies to Korea by 6% year-on-year to 871,000 b/d for 11M 2020 for a market share of 32.8%. Not only is this well up on 2019’s 27.7%, but a bumper December could yet see Saudi top the annual record of 33.0% set in 2014.  ...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 50
    Published at Fri, 11 Dec 2020
  11. Italy Crude Imports: Q3 Bounceback, Libya Volumes Set To Soar In Q4

    ...rong rebound in Q3 volumes to leave 9M 2020 imports down just 3% year-on-year (MEES, 4 December). *With little sign of a buying upturn in Q4, 2020’s Italian imports are set to come in below 2014’s 1.09mn b/d as the lowest this century. *Imports from key supplier Saudi Arabia almost halved in Q3 to...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 50
    Published at Fri, 11 Dec 2020
  12. TransGlobe Egypt Deal: The Key To Reversing Oil Decline?

    ...covery techniques to eke out maximum production from mature fields. Investment (and output) collapsed along with oil prices from late 2014, but 2018 and early 2019 had been seeing something of a rebound. The turbulence of the past year has unsurprisingly caused a renewed slump. Glance at company fi...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 50
    Published at Fri, 11 Dec 2020
  13. Chevron’s Emerging Mena Portfolio

    ...tions.” While Chevron’s presence in Mena does indeed go back decades, recent years haven’t been bountiful. In 2014 the firm looked to the Middle East to play a pivotal role in planned upstream expansion, with a $3.2bn exploration and appraisal plan focusing on Iraqi Kurdistan, Morocco and Australia (MEES, 18...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 49
    Published at Fri, 04 Dec 2020
  14. Japan Imports: Still Rock Bottom

    ...utral Zone, the first such volumes since 2014. Kuwait volumes (excluding the PNZ) are down 9% at 233,000 b/d for 10M 2020 but may be set to rise next year with state firm KPC this week inking a deal to lease 3.14mn barrels of Japan storage capacity (see p17). JAPAN CRUDE IMPORTS REMAIN AT MULTI-DE...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 49
    Published at Fri, 04 Dec 2020