OPEC Cracks Down on “Paper Barrels” With Independent Review

OPEC Cracks Down on “Paper Barrels” With Independent Review

OPEC will bring in an independent consultant to evaluate the production capacity of its member states, Kuwait’s Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak said Wednesday, in what marks a rare external audit of the group’s internal metrics as quota negotiations intensify ahead of 2026. Speaking to reporters in Kuwait City, Al Barrak said the consultant would provide a “technical, neutral assessment” of each producer’s sustainable output, a process designed to e…