Kuwait says oil price to rise in few days

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) agreed last month to its deepest ever single supply cut of 2.2 million barrels per day to halt a plunge in oil prices of more than $100 from a peak last July that topped $147 a barrel.

Oil prices fell 2 per cent on Friday after a big rise in US unemployment deepened the gloomy outlook for the world's biggest oil consumer, with US crude settling at $40.83.

"A positive impact from Opec decisions to cut output, the winter season and the increase in demand will have the biggest impact on prices and its increase another time in the next few days," Al Seyassah newspaper quoted Emad Al Atiqi, a member of Kuwait's Supreme Oil Council, as saying.

The council is the country's top energy decision-making body.

Atiqi also confirmed Kuwait's target to boost production of non-associated gas to 1 billion cubic feet per day by 2015.

"Kuwait's current strategic gas reserves are estimated at 35 trillion cubic feet which makes it possible to reach the planned target by 2015," he said.

Opec-member Kuwait, which suffers a shortage in gas supplies, began production from some northern gas fields in June. Kuwait is the world's seventh-largest oil exporter.

He also said Kuwait's oil reserves stand at around 98 billion barrels.

The size of the reserves have been a topic of public debate since industry newsletter Petroleum Intelligence Weekly (PIW) reported in 2006 that reserves were just 48 billion barrels -- about half what was officially stated. 

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