Since OPEC expanded challenges have become larger
Letter from London: OPEC’s new chapter
Scepticism, confusion and disdain over OPEC+’s extended and deeper supply cuts should give way to an appreciation of the new multi-speed producer alliance
It is easy to see the dysfunctional disconnect between OPEC+ members as a weakness as they once again haggled over quotas and output baselines, fudged reductions and put fresh spin on questionable cuts. But with an alliance made up of competitive producers held together by mutual self-interest, discord will often be part of the discourse. OPEC+ delivered, and oil watchers have their eyes wide shut on the alliance’s ability to balance the market. When the oil-producing pact announced in early December that it will deliver an extra 2.2m b/d in voluntary cuts during the first quarter of next year at least, industry participants looked on with a mixture of cynicism and uncertainty. But these rea
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions
