Colombia’s oil industry is yet again under considerable pressure, despite the national government in Bogota attempting to reactivate the economically crucial sector. The March 2020 oil price crash, COVID-19 pandemic, rising security risk and now significant political turmoil are weighing heavily on the oil industry’s performance. After a rough 2020 where Colombia’s five-month long quarantine lockdown sharply impacted operational activity and crude oil production, there are signs that the Andean country’s oil industry is struggling to recover. This comes after a moment of optimism in late-2020 where it appeared that Colombia’s hydrocarbon sector was on track to return to a pre-pandemic tempo of operations. The latest data from the energy ministry for Latin America’s fourth largest economy indicates that is not the case. During March 2020, Colombia pumped a daily average of 744,715 barrels of crude oil and 1.2 million cubic feet of natural gas, which is a 0.14% and 5% less than a month earlier.
2021/05/19 10:42
After having a year to forget in 2020, the energy sector has this year emerged as the best-performing of all 11 U.S. market sectors. Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA:XLE) is up 41% in the year-to-date, making the broader market S&P 500’s 11% gain appear downright anemic. Oil prices appear to have stabilized in the upper 60s, with WTI price finding support around $63 per barrel while Brent is seeing support around $65 per barrel.
2021/05/18 10:58
The year 2020 was a watershed moment for the fossil fuel sector. Faced with a global pandemic, severe demand shocks, and a shift towards renewable energy, experts warned that nearly $900 billion worth of reserves--or about one-third of the value of big oil and gas companies--were at risk of becoming worthless.
2021/05/18 10:33
OPEC’s oil exports have jumped by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in May, while the OPEC+ group started easing the production cuts by 350,000 bpd this month, tanker tracker Petro-Logistics said on Monday.
2021/05/18 10:20
The US. Enerey Information Administration (EIA)released it short-term Energy outlook for May 2021. The study remains subject to heightened levels of uncertainty because responses to C0VID-19 continue to evolve. Economic activity has increased significantly after reaching multiyear lows in the second quarter of 2020.
2021/05/17 10:26
Russia’s oil reserves will last until 2080 at the current pace of annual production, Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov told Russian outlet RBC in an interview this week.
2021/05/15 16:13
Canada has recently increased its climate commitment by announcing a more ambitious mid-term target for 2030 on its path to net-zero by 2050. Still, the federal government expects crude oil production to continue growing and peak only a decade before 2050.
2021/05/15 16:07
Within the last month, Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco has announced the sale of a minority—but large—stake in its pipeline business, the possibility to sell another 1 percent of its stock, and intentions to put up for sale stakes in some oil fields.
Neighbor, ally, and fellow OPEC member UAE in the meantime, has announced plans to list its state oil firm’s drilling business and has launched its own oil futures in a bid to change the face of Middle Eastern oil.
2021/05/13 18:37
The most important point of agenda, of course, is the political unity of Libya – without it the Libyan NOC will not be able to breathe new life into exploration drilling and to allocate new acreage, not to speak of even more delicate tasks
2021/05/12 17:21
OPEC’s crude oil production is estimated to have increased to a three-month high of 24.96 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, thanks to a major jump in Iran’s output, the latest survey by Argus showed.
2021/05/11 18:20
President Biden is coming under fire for his attack on oil and gas once again as Canada pleads to keep the cross-border Great Lakes oil pipeline open. Canada is battling against the state of Michigan to keep the cross-border pipeline open as calls to enhance the joint response to climate change seem to be at odds with the two countries’ oil industries. To create meaningful policy change towards clean energy the U.S. and Canada must work together to support their oil and gas sectors while establishing a clear strategy for the eventual movement away from fossil fuels.
2021/05/10 11:47
When writing the article on this year’s Top Oil Wildcats, one of the hottest candidates had to be dropped out of the list. Not because the prospect turned out to be sub-commercial, far from it, it remains one of Africa’s most interesting untapped plays, potentially opening up a new country with no previous exposure to the world of energy. As Senegal and Mauritania started to break their way onto the energy maps of Western Africa, Guinea Bissau has remained a relative outlier. At the same time it needs to be pointed out that lack of officially recognized discoveries does not necessarily mean lack of hydrocarbons, as can be attested by the Atum prospect. Atum remains one of the hottest plays in offshore Africa, an overlooked gem that would only need a little bit of political stability to shine.
2021/05/08 15:17
Colombia’s oil industry is yet again under considerable pressure, despite the national government in Bogota attempting to reactivate the economically crucial sector. The March 2020 oil price crash, COVID-19 pandemic, rising security risk and now significant political turmoil are weighing heavily on the oil industry’s performance. After a rough 2020 where Colombia’s five-month long quarantine lockdown sharply impacted operational activity and crude oil production, there are signs that the Andean country’s oil industry is struggling to recover. This comes after a moment of optimism in late-2020 where it appeared that Colombia’s hydrocarbon sector was on track to return to a pre-pandemic tempo of operations. The latest data from the energy ministry for Latin America’s fourth largest economy indicates that is not the case. During March 2020, Colombia pumped a daily average of 744,715 barrels of crude oil and 1.2 million cubic feet of natural gas, which is a 0.14% and 5% less than a month earlier.
After having a year to forget in 2020, the energy sector has this year emerged as the best-performing of all 11 U.S. market sectors. Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA:XLE) is up 41% in the year-to-date, making the broader market S&P 500’s 11% gain appear downright anemic. Oil prices appear to have stabilized in the upper 60s, with WTI price finding support around $63 per barrel while Brent is seeing support around $65 per barrel.
The year 2020 was a watershed moment for the fossil fuel sector. Faced with a global pandemic, severe demand shocks, and a shift towards renewable energy, experts warned that nearly $900 billion worth of reserves--or about one-third of the value of big oil and gas companies--were at risk of becoming worthless.
OPEC’s oil exports have jumped by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in May, while the OPEC+ group started easing the production cuts by 350,000 bpd this month, tanker tracker Petro-Logistics said on Monday.
The US. Enerey Information Administration (EIA)released it short-term Energy outlook for May 2021. The study remains subject to heightened levels of uncertainty because responses to C0VID-19 continue to evolve. Economic activity has increased significantly after reaching multiyear lows in the second quarter of 2020.
Russia’s oil reserves will last until 2080 at the current pace of annual production, Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov told Russian outlet RBC in an interview this week.
Canada has recently increased its climate commitment by announcing a more ambitious mid-term target for 2030 on its path to net-zero by 2050. Still, the federal government expects crude oil production to continue growing and peak only a decade before 2050.
Within the last month, Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco has announced the sale of a minority—but large—stake in its pipeline business, the possibility to sell another 1 percent of its stock, and intentions to put up for sale stakes in some oil fields.
Neighbor, ally, and fellow OPEC member UAE in the meantime, has announced plans to list its state oil firm’s drilling business and has launched its own oil futures in a bid to change the face of Middle Eastern oil.
The most important point of agenda, of course, is the political unity of Libya – without it the Libyan NOC will not be able to breathe new life into exploration drilling and to allocate new acreage, not to speak of even more delicate tasks
OPEC’s crude oil production is estimated to have increased to a three-month high of 24.96 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, thanks to a major jump in Iran’s output, the latest survey by Argus showed.
President Biden is coming under fire for his attack on oil and gas once again as Canada pleads to keep the cross-border Great Lakes oil pipeline open. Canada is battling against the state of Michigan to keep the cross-border pipeline open as calls to enhance the joint response to climate change seem to be at odds with the two countries’ oil industries. To create meaningful policy change towards clean energy the U.S. and Canada must work together to support their oil and gas sectors while establishing a clear strategy for the eventual movement away from fossil fuels.
When writing the article on this year’s Top Oil Wildcats, one of the hottest candidates had to be dropped out of the list. Not because the prospect turned out to be sub-commercial, far from it, it remains one of Africa’s most interesting untapped plays, potentially opening up a new country with no previous exposure to the world of energy. As Senegal and Mauritania started to break their way onto the energy maps of Western Africa, Guinea Bissau has remained a relative outlier. At the same time it needs to be pointed out that lack of officially recognized discoveries does not necessarily mean lack of hydrocarbons, as can be attested by the Atum prospect. Atum remains one of the hottest plays in offshore Africa, an overlooked gem that would only need a little bit of political stability to shine.

Oil And Gas Companies Set For Record Free Cash Flow This Summer

2021/06/25 15:28
Oil And Gas Companies Set For Record Free Cash Flow This Summer

With oil trading above $70 per barrel while investment activity remains low, the world’s publicly traded exploration and production (E&P) companies are set to generate record-breaking free cash flows (FCF) in 2021, a Rystad Energy report projects. Their combined FCF is expected to surge to $348 billion this year, with the previous high being $311 billion back in 2008.

Rystad Energy estimates that total gross revenue for all public upstream companies is expected to increase by almost $500 billion in 2021, or 55% compared to last year (excluding hedging effects). At the same time, the investment level of these companies is only expected to grow by around 2% in 2021, resulting in significantly higher profits.

A key reason for the all-time-high FCF is the turnaround in the US tight oil industry. Historically, this industry has struggled to generate positive returns, but this could change in 2021. We estimate that all public tight oil companies will to make close to $60 billion in FCF this year, before hedging effects.

The conventional onshore supply segment is in line to earn the highest level of FCF this year at close to $160 billion – but is still behind the record touched in 2011. Both deepwater and offshore shelf are recovering this year, each ending up with close to $60 billion in FCF. However, tight oil is expected to surpass both these offshore segments in 2021.

“Oil demand has gradually increased after the initial shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, and OPEC+ continues to hold back volumes from the market. The consequent high price movement has been further supported by a slow ramp-up in US tight oil activity. In conjunction with the persisting low investment environment, E&Ps are enjoying super-profits,” says Espen Erlingsen, head of upstream research at Rystad Energy.

The FCF comeback means more surplus cash for E&P companies and historically there has been a strong link between FCF and activity levels. Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has recovered in 2021, with transaction values increasing by around 30% compared to 2020. New projects are also making a comeback: The amount of greenfield investment that has been sanctioned as of June has already matched the full year 2020 total, and we expect the full 2021 level to be double that of last year.