UK's benchmark oilfield Buzzard, once unreliable, pumps more in 2016

By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's North Sea Buzzard oilfield, which helps price global crude exports and in the past was beset by unplanned outages, has had a smooth year, industry sources said, boosting supply of crude that underpins the Brent benchmark. Unplanned shutdowns at the British field can boost Brent prices and lead to higher premiums of Brent futures for immediate delivery - leading to price volatility. Buzzard is operated by Nexen, a unit of Chinese state company CNOOC.