Platts Survey: OPEC Pumps 29.17 Million Barrels of Oil Per Day in October

LONDON, Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Platts – Crude oil production from the 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose by 140,000 barrels per day (b/d) to 29.17 million b/d in October due to higher volumes from Angola and Nigeria, a just-released Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts showed.

"With oil prices now brushing against $90 a barrel, this added supply is certainly good news for consumers," said John Kingston, Platts global director of news. "The question now is whether the Saudis, who hold the greatest amount of unused capacity, turn loose some of that oil into the market. If they believe that the price increase is a result of a declining dollar, then they may not believe that more oil supply is the remedy."

Excluding Iraq, which does not participate in OPEC production agreements, output from the 11 members bound by quotas (OPEC-11) increased by 150,000 b/d to 26.78 million b/d.

Smaller increases totalling 60,000 b/d came from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran and Qatar, but these boosts were offset by decreases totalling 70,000 b/d from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Venezuela.

The latest estimates leave the OPEC-11 overproducing their 24.845-million-b/d output target, in place since January 2009, by 1.935 million b/d. This suggests a compliance rate of approximately 54% with the 4 million b/d of output cuts agreed in late 2008.

Oil prices traded between $70 and $80 per barrel (/b) for much of this year, but recent weeks have seen steady price activity above this range. November 11 saw international crude benchmarks North Sea Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures trade at two-year highs of $89.70/b and $88.63/b respectively.

OPEC ministers will meet December 11 in Quito, Ecuador, but are not currently expected to make any adjustments to official targets.

For production numbers by country, view this table (you may be prompted for a cost-free one-time-only log in registration).

Please consult Platts Media Center if you are interested in scheduling an interview with a Platts OPEC expert. For other oil, energy and related information, visit www.platts.com.

About Platts:

Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading global provider of energy and commodities information. With a century of business experience, Platts serves customers across more than 150 countries. An independent provider, Platts serves the oil, natural gas, electricity, emissions, nuclear power, coal, petrochemicals, shipping, and metals markets from 17 offices worldwide. Platts' real-time news, pricing, analytical services and conferences help markets operate with transparency and efficiency. Traders, risk managers, analysts, and industry leaders depend upon Platts to help them make better business decisions. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a global information and education company providing knowledge, insights and analysis in the financial, education and business information sectors through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2009 were $5.95 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.  

SOURCE Platts

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