Saudi Oil Min Says U.S. Shale Oil Helps Keep Oil Markets Stable

Shale oil remains much more costly to produce than most Middle East crude.

Empower

Empower Buys Cooling Firm For $500m From Dubai World Unit

Acquiring Palm Utilities will give Empower about 70 per cent of the UAE’s district cooling market.

Shell And UAE’s Mubadala Swap Malaysian Offshore Field Stakes

Mubadala has taken a 20 per cent interest in Block 2B and Shell has taken a 20 per cent interest in Block SK320.

Abu Dhabi Plans Aviation Biofuel Project With Boeing And Total

The venture is looking at various raw materials to produce biofuel including agricultural waste and date palm leaves.

SABIC’s Q4 Profit Up 5.7%, Below Forecasts

SABIC earned 6.16 billion riyals in the quarter, not the 6.58 billion analysts predicted.

Israeli Minister To Lead Delegation To Abu Dhabi Energy Summit

The Israeli delegation will be the first at government level to visit the UAE since the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

OPEC Outages Cut Its Oil Output To Below 2014 Demand

OPEC sees fast growth in 2014 of 3.5 per cent, up from 2.9 per cent in 2013 as monetary stimulus continues.

MENA Green Energy On The Rise

With local energy demand surging, green power is rapidly gaining traction.

Middle East Faces Oil Challenges From Shale And Within – BP

Middle East energy use will grow by 77 per cent by 2035, double the increase in production.

GCC Oil Subsidies Removal Could Cause ‘Stagflation’

Experts say that subsidies should be gradually removed to avoid sudden short-term economic shocks.

First Jubail Diesel Cargo Adds To Pain For Europe’s Refiners

Saudi Aramco is set to ship the first cargo of diesel to the Mediterranean for January 23 loading.

ADNOC Cuts Prices Of LPG Cylinders In Northern Emirates

The price of a 25 lbs capacity cylinder has been reduced to Dhs54 from Dhs61.

UAE Sees Keen Interest For Largest Oilfields On Revised Terms

Several companies are interested in joining the project with revised terms, UAE’s oil minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui said.

GCC Mulls Common Water, Power Policy

Authorities are looking to reduce power and water consumption rates in the GCC, which are the highest in the world.

Saudi’s Yansab Q4 Profit Drops 31% On Plant Shutdown

The firm made a net profit of $117.9 million in the three-month period to December 31.

Kuwait Says Oil Mkt Balance Takes Precedence Over Price Issue

Kuwait’s oil minister Ali al-Omair said the OPEC member targets 3.5 million barrels per day capacity by 2015.

Alcoa Pays $384m To Settle Alba Bribery Charges

Criminal and civil allegations claimed officials were bribed for years to accept the supply of raw materials from Alcoa.

Uncertainty Over Future Running Of Abu Dhabi’s Big Oilfields

A 75-year partnership with ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and BP expired on Friday.

Saudi Arabia Raises December Oil Output Slightly, Pumps 9.8m bpd

The Kingdom kept production in November at steady levels from October when it cut output.

UAE Takes Charge Of ADCO Oilfields

A current deal with ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and BP expires on January 11.

Saudi Aramco To Skip Diesel Term Imports On Delivered Basis

The Saudi firm might instead focus on tying up term contracts on a free-on-board basis with sellers like India’s Reliance Industries.

Kuwait Appoints Islamist MP As Oil Minister In Reshuffle

Anas al-Saleh, a former minister for commerce and industry, was selected to head the Finance Ministry, replacing Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz al-Sabah.

Dubai’s Gulf Navigation Wins Approval For Turnaround Measures

Shareholders agreed to a motion at a board meeting on January 5 that the business would not be dissolved.

Saudi Electricity Co To Sell Local Currency Sukuk, Names Arrangers

The Kingdom’s monopoly utility said it would offer the sukuk to investors between Jan. 9 and Feb. 27.

Bahrain Fuel Price Hike In Doubt As MPs Boycott Debate

Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) announced plans on Dec. 23 to raise the price of diesel from Jan. 15.

Saudi Arabia Seeks Bids To Build Integrated Gas/Solar Plant

The 550-megawatt integrated solar combined cycle plant will be located near Tabuk on the Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia Needs $85 Brent To Balance 2014 Budget

Brent is forecast to average $104 next year, down from about $110 in 2013, Jadwa said.

UAE’s Dana Gas Receives $53m From Egypt Government

Including the latest payment, Dana Gas has received a total of $130 million from the Egyptian authorities this year, it said.

Dubai Energy Firm Secures Dhs1bn Funding For India Power Project

Coal & Oil will use the amount to complete its 1200mw thermal power plant under construction in Tamilnadu, India.

Qatar Offers To Help Iran Develop World’s Biggest Gas Field

According to the IEA, the South Pars field holds around 51 trillion cubic metres of gas and some 50 billion barrels of condensate.