OPEC members discuss oil production cuts at World Energy Congress

Global Business

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OPEC and non-OPEC member countries met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Energy Congress in Turkey to discuss a plan to limit daily oil production. Oil prices have dropped more than 50 percent over the last two years amid a global economic slowdown. A deal, if approved, would aim to stabilize the market.

CCTV’s Natalie Carney reports the story.
Follow Natalie Carney on Twitter @NatalieCarney77

The OPEC announcement to curb oil production was a sharp turn from a two-year-old policy of pumping without limits, which succeeded in hurting rival suppliers but also sent prices into free fall.

Global crude oil exports of OPEC countries from 2012 to 2015 (in 1,000 barrels per day)

This statistic depicts the export volume of oil producing countries that are OPEC members from 2012 to 2015, measured in thousand barrels per day. In 2013, the United Arab Emirates exported approximately 2.7 million barrels of crude oil per day all over the world. In 2015, the average annual OPEC crude oil price was some 49.49 U.S. dollars per barrel, while in 2014 the price was nearly double that amount at 96.29 U.S. dollars per barrel.

Russia was the first non-OPEC member to welcome the deal, agreeing to also limit its average daily production of just under 11 million barrels.

Brent crude surged to one-year highs on the news.

This is a welcome move for oil-producing nations, which have struggled under low oil prices.

According to recent reports from both the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the IMF, global growth in 2015 was the weakest since the end of the economic crisis in 2008. And the forecasts for next year are not promising.

Yet, OPEC member Saudi Arabia warned against drastic production cuts that could shock markets.

China, which produces around four and a half million barrels of oil per day, is also concerned about what sudden changes could mean to the global economy.

“China is also facing problems as the oil prices drop, but at the same time, China doesn’t want oil prices to rise too fast, as it could have some negative impacts on the global economic recovery,” said director general of Energy Research Institute China Han Wenke.

While many oil consumers have been enjoying cost savings, such as Turkey, which import roughly three-quarters of its energy needs, a drastic rise in prices could be a jolt.

There have also been differences within OPEC over this deal. Iran and Iraq refused to attend informal talks among OPEC members, here in Istanbul, saying they are instead looking to make up for lost revenue.


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