US shale won’t be the only beneficiary of higher oil prices if the commitment of OPEC and its Russia-led allies to extend their oil production cuts into March 2020 manages to draw down excess global inventories and prop up prices. The UK North Sea as well could profit, as higher Brent Crude prices, possibly returning above $70 a barrel, could yield more cashflow to operators and the supply chain, industry experts told Energy Voice . Yet, they warned that containing costs as much as possible would be crucial to the North Sea remaining competitive in new investments with other, more attractive, oil and gas basins in the world. Although OPEC’s decision to roll over the cuts was widely expected, the nine-month extension to the end of March 2020—instead of the original idea to roll over until the end of 2019—suggests that the cartel is concerned that demand will weaken, […]