NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were up slightly on Thursday as a pipeline outage in Britain continued to lift Brent crude prices. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 16 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $56.76 a barrel. Brent crude futures were up 47 cents, or 0.8 percent, at $62.91 a barrel at 11:49 a.m. (1649 GMT). Prices have been supported by an outage on the Forties crude pipeline that was expected to last several weeks. Operator Ineos declared force majeure on crude oil, gas and [Read more]
Investors pour cash into U.S. shale despite questions on returns
HOUSTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Financiers keep pouring cash into the shale oil sector, providing producers with a path to keep U.S. output rising through the middle of the next decade. The United States is on track to deliver up to 80 percent of the world’s oil production gains through 2025, the International Energy Agency estimates, increases fueled in part by easy access to capital. Rising U.S. production is undermining OPEC’s attempts to curb global supply and boost prices, forcing the oil [Read more]
Brent eases as traders become sanguine about pipeline outage: Kemp
LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Brent futures for delivery in the first months of next year have given up much of their premium since the announcement on Monday that the Forties pipeline system would be shut for emergency repairs. The Forties pipeline system, which carries around 450,000 barrels per day and handles nearly a quarter of North Sea output, is likely to be shut for several weeks, according to owner Ineos. But traders have become much more sanguine about the impact on benchmark North [Read more]
North Sea oil deliveries halted in first force majeure in decades
LONDON (Reuters) - Deliveries of crude oil through the Forties pipeline in the North Sea are under force majeure for the first time in decades and operator INEOS said on Thursday there was no timeline yet for repair work that could last several weeks. The 169-km pipeline, which carries around a quarter of all North Sea crude output and around a third of Britain’s total offshore gas production, has been closed since Monday, following the discovery of a small crack in part of the system onshore [Read more]
Oil slips as U.S. gasoline stock build overshadows crude draw
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped for a second straight day on Wednesday, as a slump in U.S. crude stockpiles was offset by a larger-than-forecast rise in gasoline inventories and as U.S. crude output continued to grow to record highs. U.S. crude inventories last week dropped 5.1 million barrels, more than anticipated, and production hit another record high at 9.78 million barrels per day (bpd), government data showed. The U.S. peak, when records were only kept on a monthly basis, is [Read more]
Anti-pipeline group goes back to work against Keystone XL
Nebraska's main anti-pipeline group is trying to rally opposition to the TransCanada Keystone XL project's recently approved route through the state, tracking down landowners it says were not given a voice in the regulatory process. If it succeeds, Bold Nebraska could throw up new roadblocks to the controversial project to move Canadian oil to U.S. refineries, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, by pressing regulators to revisit TransCanada's application, or by suing if they [Read more]
U.S. crude stockpiles fall for fourth week on huge Cushing draw: EIA
(Reuters) - U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell for a fourth straight week with the biggest slump in supplies at the Cushing, Oklahoma, hub in eight years, even as crude output hit another weekly record, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Gasoline inventories, meanwhile, soared far more than expected, even as refining rates slipped. Crude inventories fell 5.1 million barrels in the week to Dec. 8, compared with analysts’ expectations for an decrease of 3.8 million barrels. [Read more]
TransCanada clashes with pipeline opponents at Nebraska hearing
Opponents of TransCanada Corp's proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline argued on Tuesday that regulators in Nebraska had no authority to approve the line's "alternative" path through the state and that the project should be considered dead. The Nebraska Public Service Commission issued an approval for the line to pass through the state in late November, removing what appeared to be the last big regulatory obstacle for the long-delayed project, which has been backed by President Donald [Read more]
Enbridge says Line 3 pipeline project operational date uncertain
The start date for Enbridge Inc's C$8.2 billion ($6.52 billion) Line 3 pipeline replacement project is uncertain and could be as late as November 2019, the company said on Tuesday. The Alberta-Wisconsin Line 3 and other North American energy infrastructure projects are facing increasing opposition from environmentalists, aboriginal groups and local governments. The company has said the new Line 3, which replaces an aging one, would start shipping oil in the second half of 2019. "Until [Read more]
Forties pipeline outage is a gift to U.S. oil exporters, others: Russell
The shutdown of Britain's largest crude oil pipeline is an early Christmas gift to U.S. exporters shipping to Asia, and a complication for Middle Eastern and African producers seeking to maintain market share in the world's top importing region. The Forties Pipeline System, which carries about 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the North Sea to Scotland, may be closed for several weeks for unscheduled repair work, operator Ineos said on Monday. Forties crude is the largest of the five [Read more]