Energy economics

A price hike in household electricity consumption is expected in the upcoming months despite historically low oil prices because of currency fluctuation and the structural design of the Turkish electricity market, according to an expert.

Brent oil price dived below $30 per barrel on April 14 with rising oversupply in the global market due to low oil consumption around the world.

Price of the international benchmark hit $29.85 a barrel at 1548GMT for a daily loss of 5.95% after closing Monday at $31.74 per barrel.

OPEC and its allies agreed early on April 10 to lower their collective crude oil production by 10 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of the second quarter of 2020.

Saudi Arabia-led OPEC and Russia-led non-OPEC oil-producing nations started their 9th (Extraordinary) OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial meeting via webinar on April 9 at 1445GMT.

The low oil price environment in the global market is dragging the Middle Eastern oil-producing countries to collapse, whose economies are strongly dependent on crude oil production and exports.

Turkey's energy regulator EPDK has announced new measures for natural gas and electricity bills for the next three months amid the coronavirus break.

After Bulgaria declared a state of emergency because of the coronavirus, fuel consumption dropped by more than 40% in major cities and highways, and nearly 80% in small towns. The situation also creates great discomfort in fuel prices. This is commented on BGNES spokesman of the National Association of Traders and Transporters of Fuel Simo Simov.

Oil prices extended losses in Asian trade on March 30 and languished at 17-year lows, with the coronavirus crisis escalating around the world and no end in sight to a vicious price war.    

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell 5.3 percent to trade at $20 a barrel, while international benchmark Brent crude was off 6.5 percent at $23.    

Natural gas price will drop by more than 40% as of April 1, i.e by 17 BGN per megawatt compared to the previous quarter. This became clear on March 26 after a public discussion at Bulgaria's energy regulator. The meeting discussed the proposed by Bulgargas new price of gas for the second quarter of the year.

World oil prices continue to go down, with the WTI down to $ 23 a barrel - a price the market last saw on March 6, 2002.

As of 7:19 pm Bulgarian time, the price of the May futures of the Brent North Crude fell to 11.7% to $ 25.37 a barrel. The price of the May futures of WTI oil fell 17.23% to $ 22.62 a barrel.

The gasoline pump price is expected to decrease as low as 5.29 Turkish Liras per liter in Istanbul as of March 18, according to local media.

The Energy Petroleum Gas Refueling Station Employers Union announced on March 17 that the gasoline prices would be decreased 0.25 liras per liter at the end of the day.