沙特大幅减产石油

Saudi Arabia has cut oil output to its lowest level for a year as a combination of surging US crude production and weakening economic growth has sapped demand.

由于美国原油产量飙升，再加上经济增长走弱抑制需求，沙特阿拉伯已将石油产量降至一年来最低水平。

The sharp fall in Saudi production, details of which were published ahead of a meeting in Vienna of the Opec oil cartel, contrasts with surging US energy output as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking have unlocked vast quantities of shale oil and gas.

沙特大幅减产的细节在石油输出国组织(OPEC)在维也纳开会前夕得以公布。这与水力压裂释放大量页岩油和页岩气所带来的美国能源产量飙升形成对比。

US oil production rose by 760,000 barrels a day this year – the largest increase in annual output since crude oil started to be pumped commercially in the US in 1859 – according to fresh US government estimates released yesterday.

美国政府昨天公布的最新估测显示，今年美国石油日产量增加76万桶，这是美国1859年开始商业开采原油以来最大的年度产量增幅。

Adam Sieminski, head of the US Energy Information Administration, said increased drilling in the tight shale formations of North Dakota, Montana and Texas “will boost US crude oil production above 7m barrels per day next year for the first time since 1992.

美国能源情报署(US Energy Information Administration)负责人亚当·席明斯基(Adam Sieminski)表示，北达科他州、蒙大拿州以及德克萨斯州致密页岩层钻探增加，“将使得明年美国原油日产量自1992年以来首次突破700万桶。

Meanwhile, figures published on the eve of the Vienna meeting of Opec showed that Saudi Arabia pumped 9.5m barrels a day in November, the lowest level in a year and down from the 30-year high of 10.1m b/d set in June.

与此同时，欧佩克维也纳会议前一天发布的数据显示，11月份，沙特原油日产量为950万桶，为一年以来的最低水平，远低于今年6月份创下的30年最高产量——每天1010万桶的纪录。

The fall in Saudi production reduced overall Opec output to 30.78m b/d in November, the lowest in almost a year.

沙特减产使得欧佩克11月份的日产量降到3078万桶。

Opec is likely to keep its official output levels unchanged today. A year ago it agreed a 30m-barrel-a-day ceiling, but did not assign production quotas to individual members. That gave Saudi Arabia a free hand to moderate output, and is a policy that is likely to continue.

今天欧佩克可能决定维持其官方产量不变。一年前欧佩克曾达成协议，将每天的最高产量限定在3000万桶，但并没有向各成员国分配产量配额。这就使得沙特可以随意调整产量，这一政策很有可能继续下去。