Kuwait’s KUFPEC Signs Petroleum Concession Agreement in Pakistan

KUFPEC signs an exploration license and petroleum concession agreement in Pakistan. (KUNA)
KUFPEC signs an exploration license and petroleum concession agreement in Pakistan. (KUNA)
TT

Kuwait’s KUFPEC Signs Petroleum Concession Agreement in Pakistan

KUFPEC signs an exploration license and petroleum concession agreement in Pakistan. (KUNA)
KUFPEC signs an exploration license and petroleum concession agreement in Pakistan. (KUNA)

Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) announced Wednesday that its subsidiary, Kirthar Pakistan, has signed an exploration license and petroleum concession agreement in Makhad sector (3371-19) in Pakistan, covering an area of 1,560 square kilometers.

Speaking to the Kuwait news agency (KUNA), KUFPEC CEO Sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah said the concession is located in Mianwali District northwest of Punjab province of Pakistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

He hailed strong relations between KUFPEC and Pakistan, which were crystallized by its successful investments of over USD one billion since 1987.

Established in April 1981 by its parent company Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), KUFPEC is an
international upstream company, engaged in exploration, development and production of crude oil and
natural gas outside Kuwait.



Oil Edges Up on Strong US GDP Data

A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
TT

Oil Edges Up on Strong US GDP Data

A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Oil prices were up slightly on Friday on stronger-than-expected US economic data that raised investor expectations for increasing crude oil demand from the world's largest energy consumer.

But concerns about soft economic conditions in Asia's biggest economies, China and Japan, capped gains.

Brent crude futures for September rose 7 cents to $82.44 a barrel by 0014 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude for September increased 4 cents to $78.32 per barrel, Reuters reported.

In the second quarter, the US economy grew at a faster-than-expected annualised rate of 2.8% as consumers spent more and businesses increased investments, Commerce Department data showed. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted US gross domestic product would grow by 2.0% over the period.

At the same time, inflation pressures eased, which kept intact expectations that the Federal Reserve would move forward with a September interest rate cut. Lower interest rates tend to boost economic activity, which can spur oil demand.

Still, continued signs of trouble in parts of Asia limited oil price gains.

Core consumer prices in Japan's capital were up 2.2% in July from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, raising market expectations of an interest rate hike in the near term.

But an index that strips away energy costs, seen as a better gauge of underlying price trends, rose at the slowest annual pace in nearly two years, suggesting that price hikes are moderating due to soft consumption.

China, the world's biggest crude importer, surprised markets for a second time this week by conducting an unscheduled lending operation on Thursday at steeply lower rates, suggesting authorities are trying to provide heavier monetary stimulus to prop up the economy.