World's Top 23 Crude Oil Producers, November 2011 (including OPEC production) -- EIA

by David Rachovich

Production of Crude Oil including Lease Condensate (Thousand Barrels Per Day), November 2011 - EIA

Rank	Country	Nov 2011	Share of total
1.	Saudi Arabia*	9,840	13.1%
2.	Russia	9,595	12.8%
3.	United States	5,842	7.8%
4.	China	4,006	5.3%
5.	Iran*	4,000	5.3%
6.	Canada	2,974	4.0%
7.	Iraq*	2,725	3.6%
8.	United Arab Emirates*	2,720	3.6%
9.	Kuwait*	2,600	3.5%
10.	Mexico	2,573	3.4%
11.	Nigeria*	2,500	3.3%
12.	Venezuela*	2,240	3.0%
13.	Brazil	2,188	2.9%
14.	Angola*	1,940	2.6%
15.	Norway	1,764	2.4%
16.	Algeria*	1,731	2.3%
17.	Kazakhstan	1,528	2.0%
18.	Qatar*	1,300	1.7%
19.	United Kingdom	1,022	1.4%
20.	Azerbaijan	986	1.3%
21.	Colombia	965	1.3%
22.	Oman	871	1.2%
23.	Indonesia	854	1.1%
Top 23 countries		66,764	89%
OPEC**		32,650	43.6%
All Countries (World)		74,954	100.0%

 *OPEC member. Data for Kuwait and for Saudi Arabia each include one-half of the production in the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone.

**OPEC total includes also Libya's production of 550,000 barrels of crude per day and Ecuador's production of 504,118 barrels of crude per day.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), International Energy Statistics, here 

(Figures above may be updated at any time by EIA. Please compare to: "World's Top 20 Crude Oil Producers, Nov. 2010 – EIA." Please see my post "OPEC's Top Crude Oil Producers, 2011-Jan. 2012." Also, please see "World's Top 22 Oil Producers, Full Year 2010, including OPEC and plus 2009 production," here. And "Africa's Top 8 Oil Producers, 2006-2010," here. Plus "Top 8 Oil Producers in Asia & Oceania, 2006-2010," here. Moreover, please see Aaron and David Rachovich, "OPEC's Top Crude Oil Producers, 2010-Jan.2011," here. And "World's Top 22 Proven Oil Reserves Holders," here, "World's Top 23 Proven Oil Reserves Holders, Jan 1, 2012 – OGJ" and "World's Top 15 Oil Net Exporters in 2011 vis-à-vis 2009 -- EIA."  For Colombia's production, please see my post "Colombia's Oil Production at Highest Level since 1999." Update: "World's Top 25 Crude Oil Producers, 2010-2012 -- EIA," -- D.R.)

Eurogas: EU 27 Gas Consumption Rises 7.2% in 2010

by Doris Leblond, Paris, OGJ, Mar 9, 2011
Preliminary figures from Eurogas indicate that total gas consumption for the European Union 27 [...] increased by 7.2% to 522 billion cu m in 2010 vs. 2009. In 2009, the economic crisis had pulled down consumption to its lowest level since 2002.

The growth was due to a combination of severe weather conditions, which strongly pushed up demand from the residential sector, and economic recovery illustrated by the 1.8% real GDP growth and the 6.6% [sic] increase in the EU 27 average production index for 2010.

Higher electricity demand due to economic recovery combined with the switch to gas from other fuels for electric power generation, which significantly contributed to total demand growth.

Indigenous gas production fell by 4% to 176 bcm in 2010, mainly because of the decline in mature production basins. However, with a 34% share [of the total net supplies -- D.R], it is still the largest source of gas for the EU 27. Main external sources were Russia, 23%; Norway, 19%; Algeria, 10%; and Qatar, 6%; the latter two countries showed an increasing role as LNG suppliers to Europe.

The UK was the largest gas consumer in 2010 with 99.8 bcm. [Estonia] [...] was the smallest with [0.5] bcm ... of gas consumed. Other countries’ gas consumption numbers were, [in order]: Germany, 87 bcm; Italy, 81.1 bcm; France, 50.7 bcm; the Netherland, 46.8 bcm; Spain, 37 bcm; [Belgium, 19.9 bcm] and [Poland, 15.5 bcm] [...].

(Cyprus and Malta are the only two EU member states that do not consume natural gas. However, the US' Noble Energy plans to start work on an exploration well in block 12 offshore Cyprus at end-2011 in an attempt to prove the country's gas potential. Both Cyprus and Malta have been oil import-dependent countries. Among the Baltic States (in the narrower sense), Lithuania was the largest consumer of natural gas with 3 bcm in 2010, followed by Latvia, 1.7 bcm and Estonia, 0.5 bcm---please see Eurogas original report -- Natural Gas Consumption in the EU27 and Switzerland in 2010, Mar 7, 2011, here. For information on EU plans to import gas from Azerbaijan, please see my post here. -- D.R.)

Azerbaijan to Double Gas Output to 54 Bcm/Year by 2020: Official

Platts, Feb 15, 2011
Azerbaijan plans to double its natural gas output to some 54 billion cubic meters/year by 2020, a senior energy ministry official said Tuesday, with Europe expected to benefit most from the increased volumes.

Azerbaijan's deputy [industry and] energy minister Natig Abbasov told the Azerbaijan Press Agency following a session of an Azerbaijan-EU working group the country has confirmed gas reserves of 2.2 trillion cubic meters, [mostly in Shah Deniz II and the Umid fields.]

"In 2006 Azerbaijan produced 9 Bcm of gas and already in 2010 produced 27 Bcm," Abbasov said.

"By 2020 the volume of gas produced in Azerbaijan will double," he said.

In January, Azerbaijan agreed to supply enough gas to the EU to open up the so-called "Southern Gas Corridor."

Securing supplies from Azerbaijan has been seen as key to Europe's plans to diversify its gas imports away from Russia and other traditional suppliers.

Competition for Azerbaijan's future gas has been fierce, with Russia and Iran also interested in increasing supplies.

The January declaration was the first time Azerbaijan had agreed in writing to export large volumes of gas to Europe, though it has said verbally in the past it was prepared to supply countries in Europe.

Abbasov said that as recently as 2006, Azerbaijan had to import gas, but it now exports gas to Russia, Iran, Turkey and Georgia [please see my remarks below -- D.R.].

Abbasov said Azerbaijan plans to supply 2 Bcm of gas to Russia in 2011.

The main sources of Baku's gas production growth will come from the second phase of the Shah Deniz gas field and the Umid field, Abbasov said.

Umid's recoverable reserves are estimated at 200 Bcm, and Azerbaijan also has a number of other high-profile gas fields in the exploration phase, including the Total-led Absheron project, where drilling has just started.

EU PIPELINE PROJECTS

Although Russia has publicly said it could buy all of Azerbaijan's export gas, the EU is expected to receive large volumes of Azeri gas in the future.

There are currently three gas pipeline projects competing for new gas from Azerbaijan, with a decision on which is to be favored by Baku due soon.

The projected 31 Bcm/year Nabucco and the planned 11 Bcm/year ITGI lines are competing with a third project, the proposed 20 Bcm/year Trans-Adriatic Pipeline between Greece, Albania and Italy, for the role of principal carrier of Azeri gas to Europe.

Azerbaijan has also pledged gas to the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI) venture.

The energy ministers of the three countries, plus Hungary, signed a declaration on the project in the Romanian capital Bucharest Monday.

The AGRI project, created last September, envisions 7 Bcm/year of Azeri gas transported from the Sangachal terminal via existing pipelines to the port of Kulevi, Georgia.

There it would be converted to LNG in a newly built terminal and shipped to the port of Constanta, Romania, across the Black Sea, and on to Hungary via pipeline.

Hungary, which already took part in last September's AGRI talks as an observer, will be represented in the project company by state-owned power holding MVM.

The four partner companies -- Romgaz (Romania), Socar (Azerbaijan), GOGC (Georgia) and MVM -- will each control 25% of the AGRI project company.

The four parties hope to complete a feasibility study of the project by April 1, 2012.

Hungary's participation in the project is made possible by a recently opened Hungary-Romania gas interconnector.

Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian gas imports transported via Ukraine, and is also part of the Nabucco project.

"AGRI, too, could be a realistic solution for easing Hungary's one-sided gas import dependence, both in terms of gas sources and supply routes," Hungary's energy minister [Minister of National Development] Tamas Fellegi was quoted as saying. "We believe AGRI is a feasible project." [Full story]

(Azerbaijan became a net exporter of natural gas in 2007 with the startup of the Shah Deniz natural gas and condensate field in late 2006; in prior years it had been importing natural gas from Russia. Prior to 2007, the Kazi Magomed-Mozdok pipeline used to transport natural gas from Russia to Azerbaijan, but the agreement allowed for the pipeline flow to be reversed, making Azerbaijan an exporter of natural gas to Russia. The Shah Deniz field was discovered in 1999. It is one of the world's largest gas-condensate fields, with over 30 trillion cubic feet---1 trillion cubic meters---of gas in place. It lies in water depths between 50 meters and 600 meters, i.e. 1969 ft, some 70 kilometers, i.e. 43 mi, southeast of Baku---please see map below. BP operates Shah Deniz on behalf of its parners in the Shah Deniz Production Sharing Agreement. The country is also a significant oil producer. Azerbaijan produced some 51 million tons of oil, i.e., about 1 million barrels of oil per day, in 2010. -- D.R.)

                        Source: Rigzone, here (Azerbaijan's northern land border with Russia is missing -- D.R.)

World Energy Outlook 2010 (Presentation to the Press)

by the International Energy Agency (IEA), London, November 9, 2010
WEO-2010 projects global energy production and consumption out to 2035. Here are some of the highlights [my emphases, D.R.] of the IEA report/forecast:

• Oil production becomes less crude - Global oil production reaches 96 mb/d in 2035 on the back of rising output of natural gas liquids & unconventional oil, as crude oil production plateaus.
• More oil from fewer producers - Production rises most in Saudi Arabia & Iraq, helping to push OPEC's market share from 41% today to 52% by 2035, a level last seen prior to the first oil shock of 1973-1974.
• Caspian energy riches could enhance global energy security - Kazakhstan drives an increase in Caspian oil production to 5.2 mb/d by 2035, while Turkmenistan & Azerbaijan push up gas production to over 310 bcm.
• International oil price assumptions - The age of cheap oil is over, though policy action could bring lower international prices than would otherwise be the case. More