OPEC chief says oil market may have upside potential in 2020

OPEC’s production of crude oil and other liquids is expected to decline to 32.8 million barrels per day by 2024. (AFP)
Updated 06 November 2019
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OPEC chief says oil market may have upside potential in 2020

  • Mohammed Barkindo appears to downplay the need to cut output more deeply

VIENNA: The oil market outlook for next year may have upside potential, the secretary-general of producer group OPEC said on Tuesday, appearing to downplay any need to cut output more deeply.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies led by Russia will meet in December. The so-called OPEC+ alliance, seeking to boost oil prices, has since January implemented a deal to cut output by 1.2 million barrels per day until March 2020.

OPEC’s Mohammed Barkindo said he was more optimistic about the market outlook for next year than he had been in October, when he had said all options were open including a deeper cut to oil output amid forecasts of oversupply.

“Based on the preliminary numbers, 2020 looks like it will have upside potential,” he told a briefing on Tuesday. “There are definitely brighter spots. The numbers are looking more refined and the picture is looking brighter.”

“The other nonfundamental factors like trade issues that have been impacting negatively on the global economy, the news coming out is more optimistic. We have seen the biggest economy in the world, the US, continuing to defy projections, racing ahead.”

OPEC’s figures suggest there will be excess supply next year due to rising production outside the group. This prospect and issues such as the US-China trade dispute have weighed on oil prices, which at around $62.70 a barrel are down from a 2019 high above $75.

On whether the market looked oversupplied for next year, Barkindo said: “We are not there yet. We will not be able to at this point preempt all the steps that we are working through.”

Those steps, he said, include upcoming meetings of OPEC technical committees, such as its Economic Commission Board, and the next OPEC monthly oil market report, which looks at global demand and supply, due on Nov. 14.

Earlier, Barkindo also said Brazil would be welcome to join the 14-country oil producer group but had not yet made an official request to do so.

“They would be most welcome to join,” he told reporters, adding that consultations had taken place in Riyadh.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said last month that he wants his country to join OPEC, a move that would add the most significant new producer to the oil cartel for years but met with skepticism in Brazil’s energy industry.

OPEC on Tuesday released its 2019 World Oil Outlook, in which the producer group said it would supply a diminishing amount of oil in the next 5 years as output of US shale and other rival sources expanded. 


Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production

Updated 05 March 2026
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Saudi Maaden reports 156% profit surge to $2bn on strong commodity prices, record production

RIYADH: Saudi mining and metals company Maaden has reported a 156 percent jump in its net profit attributable to shareholders for 2025, driven by higher commodity prices, record production volumes, and a one-off bargain purchase gain.

The state-backed giant posted a net profit of SR7.35 billion ($1.95 billion) for the full year 2025, an increase from SR2.87 billion in the previous year. The firm’s revenue surged by 19 percent to SR38.58 billion, up from SR32.55 billion in 2024.

This comes as Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to expand its mining sector as a pillar of economic diversification, encouraging international participation and private investment to unlock the Kingdom’s estimated $2.5 trillion in untapped mineral resources under Vision 2030.    

In a statement on Tadawul, the company said: “Performance was led by record phosphate production, near record aluminum production, an increase in all three of Maaden’s main output commodity prices.”

The performance was also fueled by a 60 percent increase in gross profit, which reached SR14.79 billion. In its annual results announcement, Maaden attributed the top-line growth to “higher commodity market prices for phosphate, aluminum and gold business units,” as well as increased sales volumes in its phosphate and aluminum segments. This was partially offset by slightly lower sales volume in the gold unit.

Maaden’s CEO, Bob Wilt, hailed 2025 as a transformative year for the company, marked by strategic growth and operational excellence. “This was a great year for Maaden’s strategic growth. We delivered strong financial results and sustained operational excellence across the business,” he said in a statement.

“This was driven by growth in production across all businesses, including record-breaking DAP (di-ammonium phosphatevolumes), disciplined cost control across and a clear commitment to our role as a cornerstone of the Saudi economy,” Wilt added.

Profitability was further bolstered by an increased share of net profit from joint ventures and an associate. This included a one-off bargain purchase gain of SR768 million related to Maaden’s investment in Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. The company also benefited from lower finance costs.

The fourth quarter of 2025 was strong, with Maaden swinging to a net profit of SR1.67 billion, compared to a loss of SR106 million in the same period of the prior year. Quarterly revenue rose 7 percent to SR10.64 billion.

The firm achieved record production of di-ammonium phosphate, reaching 6.72 million tonnes for the year, a 9 percent increase. Aluminum production remained near-record levels, while the company added a net 7.8 million ounces to its reportable gold mineral resources through discovery and resource development.

The phosphate division saw sales jump 17 percent to SR20.77 billion, with the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization margin expanding to 47 percent. The aluminum business reported a 9 percent increase in sales to SR10.99 billion, with EBITDA more than doubling in the fourth quarter.

Looking ahead, Wilt emphasized that the pace of growth will accelerate as the company advances key initiatives, including the Phosphate 3 Phase 1 and Ar Rjum projects, which remain on budget and schedule. Maaden has also secured a gas supply for its future Phosphate 4 project.

“This pace of growth will only accelerate. Not only as we advance projects and increase the scale of our exploration program, but as we continue to grow production and implement technology that will further modernize, streamline and unlock value,” Wilt added.

Earnings per share for the year rose sharply to SR1.91, up from SR0.78 in 2024. Total shareholders’ equity increased by 18.7 percent to SR61.59 billion.