Oil Updates — Brent down; Saudi energy minister says OPEC+ decisions not politicized 

Brent crude was down $1, or 1.19 percent, at $83.07 a barrel at 08.37 a.m. Saudi time. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 21 February 2023
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Oil Updates — Brent down; Saudi energy minister says OPEC+ decisions not politicized 

RIYADH: Brent oil fell on Tuesday, reversing the previous day’s gain, as fears that a global economic slowdown, and drop in fuel demand, amid aggressive interest rate hikes by the US central bank prompted investors to take profits. 

Brent crude was down $1, or 1.19 percent, at $83.07 a barrel at 08.37 a.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude for March, which expires on Tuesday remained stable at $76.34.  

Kazakh oil decouples from Russian crude but risk weighs on price 

Kazakhstan has separated its oil exports from those of Russian crude by launching its own 'Kazakhstan Export Blend Crude Oil' brand, but sanctions against Moscow are still putting pressure on the price of Kazakh oil pumped through Russian pipelines, data shows. 

The Central Asian nation launched KEBCO last June to distance its exports from the Russian Urals blend amid Western sanctions. 

The export route via the Russian port of Ust-Luga has long been a secondary one for Kazakhstan which ships most of its crude through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, but it is an important option for many Kazakh producers. 

Although physically the Urals and KEBCO blends are the same, Urals now trades at a $30 discount to Brent, while KEBCO is about $20 more expensive than Urals. 

That still leaves a sizeable discount to Brent which market players say is due to a number of sanctions-related factors: traders are cautious about buying from Russian ports, some vessels avoid them altogether, and freight and insurance have become more expensive. 

Saudi energy minister says OPEC+ decisions not politicized 

Decisions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known as OPEC+, are not politicized and are based on market fundamentals, Saudi Arabian energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday, adding that the alliance of oil producers is sufficiently flexible to adjust policy as needed. 

Prince Abdulaziz was speaking at a media forum in the capital Riyadh about last October’s decision to cut the group’s production target by 2 million barrels per day. 

Earlier in December, OPEC+ agreed to maintain the status quo on output. 

In October, OPEC+ had agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels per day, which equals to about 2 percent of world demand, from November until the end of 2023. 

Prince Abdulaziz reiterated in an interview with Energy Aspects last week that the decision was locked in for the rest of the year. 

(With input from Reuters) 


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.