1. Egypt Gets Much-Needed IMF Cash

    ...URCE: ECB, IMF, MEES.   EGYPT: PRICES AT THE PUMP RESERVES SLUMP         Egypt’s net international reserves fell to $37.0bn at the end of April, the lowest end-monthly figure since November 2017 when reserves were on the opposite trajectory with the influx of IMF cash. Reserves rose to...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 20
    Published at Fri, 15 May 2020
  2. Egypt Lines Up Ammonia Project

    ...ll provide feedstock for a 350,000 t/y ammonium nitrate plant that EHC started up at Ain Sukhna in 2017. Tecnimont says the project will take 36 months from the contract effective date, which “will be triggered by financial closing of the project.” Tecnimont says EHC is negotiating with Italy’s Sace an...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 20
    Published at Fri, 15 May 2020
  3. QP Wades Further Into Mexico’s Offshore

    ...ocks 15 and 33 – are operated by Total, while Block 34 is operated by BP. BP’s involvement may yet prove a major hurdle, given the firm’s self-described “long and checkered relationship with Qatar” (MEES, 17 November 2017). BP has been notably absent since QP rejuvenated its international portfolio in...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 19
    Published at Fri, 08 May 2020
  4. Rabigh Record Loss

    ...e Saudi Red Sea coast comprises a 400,000 b/d refinery and 4.97mn t/y petrochemicals complex. The petchems plants were built in two stages, with the 2.57mn t/y Rabigh-2 complex reaching mechanical completion in 2017 but only reaching full commercial operation in October 2019 (MEES, 8 November 2019) wi...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 19
    Published at Fri, 08 May 2020
  5. Qatar Slumps Into Recession

    ...ha, with total exports of $16.4bn over Q1 the lowest level since 3Q 2017. Within this, gas and condensate revenues of $10.8bn were the lowest since 4Q 2017. It appears all but inevitable that revenues will fall further this quarter. ...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 19
    Published at Fri, 08 May 2020
  6. Qatar: Record Q1 Power Output

    ...Qatar’s state generator QEWC delivered record Q1 output of 8.64TWh for the first three months of 2020 (see chart 1). This follows a record 48.6TWh for 2019, up 23% on 2018 and 11% above the previous record of 43.9TWh in 2017. But it remains to be seen if the monthly record of 5.65TWh set la...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 19
    Published at Fri, 08 May 2020
  7. Lebanon Gas Ambitions In Limbo As Virgin Well Falls Flat

    ...ploration well in Block 9 by May 2021 (MEES, 16 February 2018). Lebanon struggled with political crises and instability for the better half of the last decade, which pushed back its first bid round from 2012 until 2017 (MEES, 24 January). But following the block awards in late 2017 facilitated by the (te...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 18
    Published at Fri, 01 May 2020
  8. Fujairah Storage Hub Set For Industry Boost

    ...erational. The largest of which is Vitol’s 82,000 b/d refinery, located close to Uniper’s 67,000 b/d topping plant. The Uniper facility began commercial operations in 2017 and consists of two identical units. Uniper says the plant has “the capacity to produce about 3.6mtpa of marine fuels with sulphur co...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 18
    Published at Fri, 01 May 2020
  9. Qatar Export Revenue Drop

    ...Qatar’s export revenues tumbled to their lowest levels since 2017 in Q1 with worse on the way. The petrostate’s export slate is dominated by oil and even more importantly gas. Q1 export revenues came in at $16.4bn. Of this 85% was from hydrocarbons, the lowest figure since 3Q 2017. Ov...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 18
    Published at Fri, 01 May 2020
  10. Adnoc’s Ruwais At 46% Capacity

    ...alysts’ call that “we see a ramp-up in the next two months.” Mr Seele noted that there have been problems with the residue fluid catalytic cracker at 417,000 b/d Ruwais West and that he was optimistic the shutdown would be used to improve RFCC reliability. The refinery was shut down in January 2017 af...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 18
    Published at Fri, 01 May 2020
  11. Baghdad-KRG Talks Raise Prospect Of Gas Development Deal

    ...northern provinces of Kirkuk, Salahuddin, Nineveh, Diyala and potentially further south. But politics – such as the fallout from the KRG’s contentious September 2017 independence referendum (MEES, 29 September 2017) – has always intervened. Still, energy-sector cooperation has continued de...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 17
    Published at Fri, 24 Apr 2020
  12. Services Firms Eye Mena Resilience Amid US Shale Collapse: Is This Realistic?

    ...quentially. Schlumberger is the most regionally diversified of the three firms. Q1 was the second straight quarter that ‘Mideast & Asia’ revenue has been ahead of that for North America – the first occasion this has been the case since 1H 2017 (see chart). The Mideast & Asia share of overall Schlumberger re...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 17
    Published at Fri, 24 Apr 2020
  13. Israel Orders Noble & Delek To Play Fair

    ...ecial purpose vehicle set-up to sell off those interests, which itself has 16.75% (MEES, 30 June 2017). By delaying the sale of its stakes it has managed to retain its veto rights and ensure Leviathan, where it will keep 45.34%, has been hitherto able to usurp Tamar in gas sales negotiations. Karish is...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 17
    Published at Fri, 24 Apr 2020
  14. UAE, Egypt Lead Mena Renewables Expansion

    ...rdan took its total wind capacity to 374MW at the end of 2019 with completion of the 89MW Fujeij wind farm 150km south of Amman (MEES, 20 January 2017). EBRD’s $1.7bn investment in Jordan since 2012 means it can now generate 10-15% of electricity from locally-developed renewables capacity (MEES, 28 Fe...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 17
    Published at Fri, 24 Apr 2020
  15. Saudi Arabia Announces Borrowing, Reserves Draw-down Plan

    ...ditional $32bn from its foreign reserves. Foreign reserves exited 2019 at $500bn, up slightly on 2017 and 2018 levels. The kingdom was already planning to run a massive $49.9bn budget deficit in 2020, the highest deficit since 2017, as it seeks to stimulate private-sector economic activity (MEES, 13 De...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 17
    Published at Fri, 24 Apr 2020
  16. Kuwait Economy: Turbulent Times

    ...Kuwait’s economy is set to contract for the first time since 2017 as its core oil-sector is ravaged by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy. Kuwait’s economy was already slowing prior to the onset of the pandemic, as a weak global oil sector weighed heavily. Preliminary go...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 17
    Published at Fri, 24 Apr 2020
  17. Iran Eyes Key Project Start-Ups For 2020-21

    ...d Chinese state firm CNPC in 2017 under a high-profile $4.8bn contract. Phase-11 is meant to add 2bn cfd of gas and 80,000 b/d condensate, with the two firms having intended to achieve first-gas by March 2021 (MEES, 7 July 2017) until the 2018-sanctions derailed the project. Total in particular was br...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 16
    Published at Fri, 17 Apr 2020
  18. Low-Cost Middle East Reserves Aid IOCs In Price Slump

    ...ayed there since, with Total overtaking Exxon’s output in 2017. As such, while Exxon’s expansion focus has been on the US onshore, it shouldn’t be forgotten that it is still the Mena region’s second largest oil producer.  TOTAL: MOST MENA BARRELS, LOWEST PRODUCTION COSTS  Total is the Mena re...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 16
    Published at Fri, 17 Apr 2020
  19. Israel’s Oil Sector: Inching Towards Supply Security

    ...ESUMES OIL DEMAND STEADY AT 2017-19 LEVEL OF 230,000 B/D. SOURCE: NOBLE, DELEK, ENERGEAN, MEES.   3. CRUDE IMPORTS (‘000 B/D): KRG TOP FOR PAST FIVE YEARS, BUT DOWN FROM RECORD 84% IN 2015 AS ISRAEL DIVERSIFIES (‘000 B/D) SOURCE: KPLER. Q4 RUNS DOWN, OUTPUT DOWN     Israel’s re...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 16
    Published at Fri, 17 Apr 2020
  20. Saudi Solar Gains Momentum, But Hydrocarbons Still Dominate Project Pipeline

    ...nstruction contracts for the PP13 and PP14 plants near Riyadh in 2015, while SEC and state petroleum firm Aramco awarded the Fadhili cogeneration project in early 2017, to provide electricity and process heat for the Fadhili gas processing plant, which started up in late 2019. The two solar projects on...

    Volume: 63
    Issue: 16
    Published at Fri, 17 Apr 2020