Oil price slips on OPEC discord
VIENNA — OPEC and key ally Russia failed to agree Friday on a cut to oil production that would have contained the plunge in the price of crude caused by the new coronavirus outbreak’s massive disruption to world business.
The price of oil fell sharply in international markets as a result, with the international benchmark plunging 9.4%, down by a third since the start of the year.
While cheaper oil will translate into more affordable energy for consumers and businesses, it hurts producing countries and companies. Thousands of workers have already been laid off in the U.S. oil patch.
The unraveling of the talks in Vienna also underscores the limited power of the cartel to influence world energy markets, unlike its heyday in the 1970s. The United States recently became the world’s biggest oil producer and keeps on pumping at full capacity.
The 14 OPEC countries had wanted to cut output by 1.5 million barrels a day, or about 1.5% of world production. OPEC countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran say they need non-member allies like Russia to take 500,000 barrels of that cut on themselves.
Russia, however, proved reluctant and OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo of Nigeria said Friday that the meeting had been adjourned.
“At the end of the day, there was the general painful decision of the joint conference to adjourn the meeting,” Barkindo said. He said informal talks would continue because the situation was urgent.
“The numbers are clear: The demand destruction is real,” he said.