OPEC+ is likely to stick to its existing deal to cut oil output at a meeting on April 3, five delegates from the producer group told Reuters, after oil prices recovered following a drop to 15-month lows.
Oil has recovered towards $80/bbl for Brent crude after falling to near $70/bbl on March 20, as fears ease about a global banking crisis and as a halt in exports from Iraq's Kurdistan region curbs supplies.
OPEC+, which comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, is due to hold a virtual meeting of its ministerial monitoring panel, which includes Russia and Saudi Arabia, on April 3.
"It is hard to expect any new development," one of the delegates said of April 3 talks. Another said the Kurdistan curbs and recent price drops were not sufficiently important to affect the overall OPEC+ policy path for 2023.
Three other OPEC+ delegates also said any policy changes were unlikely on April 3. After those talks, the next full OPEC+ meeting is not until June.
Falling oil prices are a problem for most OPEC+ members because their economies rely heavily on oil revenue.
Even so, OPEC+ delegates did not raise any suggestion of further action to support the market after the recent price drop and predicted prices would stabilize - which they have since shown signs of doing.
Last November, OPEC+ reduced its output target by 2 MMbbl/d - the largest cut since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The same reduction applies for the whole of 2023.
Saudi Arabia's energy minister has said OPEC+ will stick to the reduced target until the end of the year.
Recommended Reading
Baytex Brings Production Back Online Following Wildfires
2023-05-30 - Baytex Energy estimated that approximately 12,500 boe/d was curtailed for the month of May.
B3 Insight Releases Louisiana Oilfield Water Management Dataset
2023-05-05 - B3 Insight’s new oilfield water management dataset for Louisiana complements the company’s existing datasets for other states, including Texas and New Mexico.
Southwestern Energy Plans Oil, NGL Growth as Gas Prices Slump
2023-04-05 - With U.S. natural gas prices down more than 50% from last year, Southwestern Energy is pivoting capital to its liquids-rich footprint in Appalachia.
Saudi Arabia Crude Exports Slip in February
2023-04-17 - Saudi Arabia's energy ministry is also voluntarily cutting oil production by 500,000 bbl/d from May until the end of 2023.
Alberta Wildfires Force E&Ps to Halt Production
2023-05-15 - Baytex Energy, Pipestone Energy and Pembina Pipeline Corp. have reported various problems, including shut-in wells, since Alberta wildfires began to threaten oil and gas operations earlier this month.