U.S. Rig Count, Peru Gas Crisis, Druzhba Oil Pipeline: Your Daily Energy News

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News highlights gathered by Industrial Info and IIR Energy (Sugar Land, Texas) dealing with the energy markets.

PRODUCTION: U.S.
U.S. Oil Rig Count Up, Gas Rigs Down - U.S. energy firms last week added net rigs for the first time in four weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes said on Friday, although the increase was not by much. The oil and gas rig count rose by one to 551 in the week ending March 6. Baker ⁠Hughes said oil rigs rose by four to 411 last week, their highest since early February, while gas rigs fell by two to 132, their lowest since early February. In North Dakota, the rig count fell by one to 25, the lowest since November 2021. (Reuters)

NATURAL GAS: SOUTH AMERICA
Peru Faces Gas Crisis - Following a pipeline rupture at the country's largest gas field last week, Peru suspended natural gas exports, facing its worst energy crisis in two decades. Pipeline operator Transportadora de Gas del Peru (TGP) shut down a section of the pipeline in the Megantoni district to isolate the leak. The company implemented temporary restrictions ⁠on gas supplies to industrial and electricity sector users to prioritize residential and essential services. The government will urge public and private sector employees to work remotely while shifting schools to online learning to help curb consumption. The outage forced energy firm Pluspetrol to ⁠suspend production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at its Pisco fractionation plant, which accounts for approximately 70% of Peru's LPG consumption. (Reuters)

PIPELINES: EUROPE
Druzhba Oil Pipeline Could Restart in Month and Half, Zelenskiy Says - The Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by a Russian strike in January may be ready for operation in a month and a half, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last Thursday. The pipeline carries oil to Hungary and Slovakia, which are exempt from European Union (EU) sanctions on Russian oil because of the difficulties of finding alternatives. Both countries accuse Ukraine of dragging its feet on repairs--an allegation Kyiv rejects--and Hungary has moved to obstruct EU support for Ukraine in response. For more on the topic, see February 25 article - Tensions Brew Between Ukraine and Hungary, Slovakia Over Disabled Oil Pipeline. (Reuters)

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About IIR Energy
Energy asset information on power plants, oil refineries and natural gas infrastructure is now more important than ever. A unit of Industrial Info Resources, IIR Energy provides infrastructure information on these assets, as well as real-time tracking of planned and unplanned interruptions affecting the commodity-trading community. We are the number one source for information about power plant outages, refinery turnarounds and midstream natural gas disruptions.

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).