Tight oil's surge poses a familiar dilemma for Opec
The rebalancing effort is on shaky ground. To keep cutting is a problem but to stop might be just as bad
American tight oil growth has surprised Opec again. The group's own forecasts for non-Opec supply have been well short of the reality. When Opec's secretariat publishes its market report next week expect another upgrade. But a change of policy is unlikely. Each option is fraught. The latest forecast, from February, predicted non-Opec supply would rise by 1.4m barrels a day in 2018. It was wishful thinking. The Energy Information Administration says US supply on its own will rise by that much, to say nothing of Brazil, Canada, Kazakhstan and others. In Houston for CERAWeek, the International Energy Agency's chief Fatih Birol said non-Opec would meet most of the world's extra demand needs over
Also in this section
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy






