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Page added on March 31, 2020

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Saudi Arabia Lets Prices Collapse

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Saudi Arabia said on Monday it will raise its oil exports to a record 10.6 million barrels per day starting from May despite a global supply glut, escalating a price war with Russia. Oil prices are languishing at 17-year lows as the coronavirus pandemic threatens a painful global recession that could further sap demand.

US President Donald Trump, a close ally of the Saudi crown prince, on Monday said he would soon be talking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about plunging oil prices and the impact on US producers.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter which already announced a sharp production increase for April, said it would add additional supplies to the global market, deepening a glut.

“The kingdom plans to raise its petroleum exports by 600,000 bpd from May, so total exports will increase to 10.6 million bpd,” said an official at the energy ministry, cited by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi Arabia had been exporting around 7.0 million barrels per day under an output reduction agreement among a 24-member producers’ alliance known as OPEC+ which included Russia. Its Gulf neighbor the United Arab Emirates has also pledged to pump at least one million bpd more from next month.

Riyadh said earlier this month it was raising exports to 10 million bpd in April after a production cut agreement among top producers flopped in early March.

OPEC+ failed to reach an agreement on further production cuts to shore up sagging prices as the coronavirus hit the global economy hard.

In an effort to grab market share, Saudi Arabia immediately announced a substantial increase in its production to 12.3 million bpd and exports to 10 million bpd at the beginning of April.

The energy ministry said it would secure the increase from two sources, by using natural gas in the domestic market to free up oil for export and also as domestic consumption drops because of the coronavirus.

Saudi Arabia has shrugged off criticism that its aggressive strategy could bankrupt its oil-producing rivals, indicating it was no longer willing to play the role of “swing producer” that bears the burden of stabilizing the markets.

Despite the oil crash piling pressure on the Saudi economy, analysts say its latest moves are part of a deliberate long-term strategy to capture greater market share by decimating its high-cost rivals including US shale producers.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “has embarked on a policy of capturing market share rather than trying to set the price”, said Bernard Haykel, a Saudi expert at Princeton University.

“By keeping prices depressed, Saudi policy will not just drive more expensive forms of oil production out of the market; it will also make it harder for renewable energy to compete with fossil fuels – at least in the near term.”

The price of oil struck its lowest levels in more than 17 years on Monday, with Brent North Sea crude tumbling to US$22.58 per barrel at one point. There are warnings that oil could sink even further as storage tanks around the world approach full capacity.

MP



5 Comments on "Saudi Arabia Lets Prices Collapse"

  1. forbin on Wed, 1st Apr 2020 11:06 am 

    . There are warnings that oil could sink even further as storage tanks around the world approach full capacity.

    when they do then KSA will not be able to export what they say they want to

    Forbin

  2. Rick on Fri, 3rd Apr 2020 4:47 pm 

    Time to get off the oil- permanently.

  3. Rick on Fri, 3rd Apr 2020 4:50 pm 

    There are 3000 China virus cases in Miami. This virus ain’t shit right juanPee. We are holed up in a 5th story condo a widdle crazy.

  4. Robert on Tue, 14th Apr 2020 8:59 am 

    Saudi Arabia can afford to do that because of its abundance. https://armorservices.com/

  5. Brielle Luna on Thu, 16th Apr 2020 12:59 pm 

    Saudi has a lot. I think this is actually a great move to do during this pandemic.

    https://ebicyclesite.com/

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