EXPLORATION NEWS
ONGC Videsh output may fall in FY21 on natural decline, OPEC+ supply cut
NEW DELHi: Output at ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of the state-run explorer, will likely fall in the current financial year after rising for seven straight years due to a natural decline in fields and production cut commitments by key producers such as Russia and the UAE. ONGC Videsh produced about 15 million metric tonnes Read more
Government extends oil block bid deadline to June 30
NEW DELHI: The government on Monday extended the last date of bidding for the 11 oil and gas blocks on offer in the fifth exploration bid round to June 30 in view of the COVID-19 lockdown in the country. The fifth bid round under Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) opened in January and was to Read more
IOC seeks up to 24 million barrels of US crude to diversify imports
NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE: Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country’s top refiner, is seeking to buy up to 24 million barrels of US oil for delivery between October 2020 and March 2021, tender documents showed, as part of its efforts to diversify supply. The move will help IOC to hedge against unpredictable pricing moves by Middle East Read more
BPCL stake sale to attract oil majors looking to head out of China
A top executive at a PSU Refiner (under Public Offering) said that the thriving negative outlook on China could mean India getting good investments from Oil Majors preparing to head out of China. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s Finance Director N. Vijayagopal said, “The choices of investing in the oil sector will be limited when the Read more
SC agrees to hear plea by Oil ministry against recovery of $499 mn by Vedanta
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the petition seeking stay on Delhi High court order allowing the enforcement of the arbitrations award allowing Vedanta Ltd. and Videocon Industries Ltd. to recover $499 million instead of $198 million capped by the government for development of Ravva oil and gas fields in the state of Read more
Oman Oil not to raise stake in BPCL’s Bina refinery
MUMBAI: Oman Oil Company will not increase its stake in the Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd (BORL), a joint venture between state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and the Oman company, according to two officials from BORL. “Oman has not shown interest and thus we converted our warrants into shares. This has increased our stake in Read more
Brent crude closes at $41, hitting a three-month high
Brent crude hit a three-month high, as it gained about 5% which pushed it above $40 per barrel. This was mostly based on the impressive Job data results coming from the U.S. Brent crude gained to settle at $41.91. Earlier, it had hit a session peak of $42.45, its highest point since early March 2020.  Read more
Oil surges 5 per cent in 6th straight weekly gain on US job data, OPEC+ meet
Both US and UK crude rallied on Friday following a flabbergasting US employment data that revealed the US economy had added 2.5 million jobs in May, leading to a decline of unemployment rate to 13.3 per cent from a record 14.7 per cent a month earlier and insanely beating an analysts’ estimate of a drop Read more
Tanker Demand Looking to Return to Normalcy Soon
The tanker market has gone through some major shifts in demand and fundamentals in the past few months, as a result of the pandemic and its effect on crude oil demand. However, as the contango plays which emanated from this, start to fade, a return to the market’s fundamentals is bound to shift tanker demand Read more
Mediterranean Oil Tensions Are Boiling Over
Under pressure in Libya–where it’s gone head-to-head with General Haftar in an ongoing battle to decide who gets to ultimately control the country’s oil revenues–and floundering in Syria, Turkey is once again upping the ante in the Mediterranean, this time preparing to issue new oil and gas exploration licenses in direct confrontation with the European Read more
OPEC, Russia meet to extend record oil cuts, push for compliance
OPEC, Russia and their allies hold talks on Saturday on extending record oil production cuts that have doubled oil prices since April and will push countries such as Iraq and Nigeria to deliver better compliance with the curbs. Nigeria’s oil minister said he expected an extension deal, which already has the backing of Russia and Read more
Production at Libya’s Sharara oilfield restarts, engineers say
BENGHAZI, Libya, Production at Libya’s giant Sharara oilfield was gradually restarting on Saturday after a blockade closed the 300,000 barrels-per-day field for more than four months, two engineers from the field said. The restart at the field in southwest Libya followed a rapid military retreat by forces loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar, whose allies Read more
Liberia auctions oil blocks online due to Coronavirus outbreak
The Liberian Government is seeking interest from companies on participating in the offshore license round, which was open since April 10, 2020. But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has decided to move the bidding rounds online in order to restrict coronavirus transmission. Early this year, President Dr. George M. Weah announced the opening Read more
Petrol, diesel price increased all over India for first time in 80 days
NEW DELHI : With fuel demand recovering due to the easing of lockdown restrictions and Brent crude oil trading above $40, state-run fuel retailers today increased the price of petrol and diesel by 60 paise a litre each. This is the first time in around 80 days that oil marketing companies have changed the base Read more
IOC says Unlock 1.0 to revive fuel sales soon
New Delhi, Weeks after the coronavirus lockdown led to fuel sales nosediving to record lows, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation”s largest oil firm, sees demand returning with the resumption of economic activities. The company said though it is on track to spend the approved capital expenditure for 2020-21, it has “critically examined all capex Read more