Trying to keep “black gold” prices high, OPEC members are forced to constantly reduce oil production. However, this is also actively used by other countries that are not members of the cartel, especially the USA, with their shale gas projects. writes about this RIA News.
According to OPEC, oil exports from Russia and Central Asia in January decreased by 0.2% compared to January 2023, and by 4.6% through the Transneft pipeline system. At the same time, supplies from the Druzhba oil pipeline fell by 22%.
“OPEC+’s goal is to earn more, but this benefits countries outside the alliance. “They are like freeloaders who are taking advantage of this situation, expanding production and bringing in new capacities,” said Igor Yushkov, the National Security Fund’s leading expert on the fuel and energy complex.
Analysts state that OPEC+ may increase the volumes of the US shale oil sector due to high oil export prices. This threatens Russia’s income from the sale of energy resources necessary to replenish the budget.
According to First Deputy Minister of Energy Pavel Sorokin, thanks to the OPEC + agreement, Russia received about 30 trillion rubles in eight years, which covered two-thirds of its social expenses during this period.
Before that, OPEC encountered There are problems in the implementation of the agreement due to Iraq.
Previously in Europe collapsed industrial production.