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Saudi Arabia Announces Rise in Oil, Gas Reserves

Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter | AFP
Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter | AFP
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Saudi Arabia Announces Rise in Oil, Gas Reserves

Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter | AFP
Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter | AFP

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that its huge oil reserves, already the second largest in the world behind only Venezuela, are even bigger than previously thought.

Saudi Arabia announcement came after an external audit was started as part of preparations for the initial public offering of state oil company Aramco.

The Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA that Saudi Arabia’s proven oil and gas reserves stood at around 268.5 billion barrels of oil and 325.1 trillion standard cubic feet of gas as of the end of 2017.

Natural gas reserves also grew from 8.56 trillion cubic meters (302.3 trillion cubic feet) to 9.2 trillion cubic meters (324.4 trillion cubic feet), the ministry said.

“The results point out that the kingdom’s reserves of oil and gas are bigger than what we have been announcing,” Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih told a news conference in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia said the new figures have been backed by an independent third-party certification by leading consultants DeGolyer and MacNaughton (D&M).

Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter. It is the third biggest producer after the United States and Russia with around 10.6 million barrels per day.

Falih said Saudi oil remains among the cheapest in the world to extract, at only $4 a barrel.

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Oil Nudges Up after Russia-Ukraine Tensions Escalate

A person walks past a working oil well in a residential neighbourhood in Signal Hill, California, US, November, 14, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
A person walks past a working oil well in a residential neighbourhood in Signal Hill, California, US, November, 14, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
TT
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Oil Nudges Up after Russia-Ukraine Tensions Escalate

A person walks past a working oil well in a residential neighbourhood in Signal Hill, California, US, November, 14, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
A person walks past a working oil well in a residential neighbourhood in Signal Hill, California, US, November, 14, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Oil prices edged up on Monday after fighting between Russia and Ukraine intensified over the weekend, although concerns about fuel demand in China, the world's second-largest consumer, and forecasts of a global oil surplus weighed on markets.
Brent crude futures gained 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $71.33 a barrel by 0502 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $67.20 a barrel, up 18 cents, or 0.3%.
Russia unleashed its largest air strike on Ukraine in almost three months on Sunday, causing severe damage to Ukraine's power system, reported Reuters.
In a significant reversal of Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, President Joe Biden's administration has allowed Ukraine to use the US-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, two US officials and a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday.
There was no immediate response from the Kremlin, which has warned that it would see a move to loosen the limits on Ukraine's use of US weapons as a major escalation.
"Biden allowing Ukraine to strike Russian forces around Kursk with long-range missiles might see a geopolitical bid come back into oil as it is an escalation of tensions there, in response to North Korean troops entering the fray," IG markets analyst Tony Sycamore said.
Saul Kavonic, an energy analyst at MST Marquee, said: "So far there has been little impact on Russian oil exports, but if Ukraine were to target more oil infrastructure that could see oil markets elevate further."
In Russia, at least three refineries have had to halt processing or cut runs due to heavy losses amid export curbs, rising crude prices and high borrowing costs, according to five industry sources.
Brent and WTI slid more than 3% last week on weak data from China and after the International Energy Agency forecasted that global oil supply will exceed demand by more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 even if cuts remain in place from OPEC+.
China's refinery throughput fell 4.6% in October from last year and as the country's factory output growth slowed last month, government data showed on Friday.
Investors also fretted over the pace and extent of interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve that has created uncertainty in global financial markets.
In the US, the number of operating oil rigs fell by one to 478 last week, the lowest since the week to July 19, Baker Hughes data showed.