The market for floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) units almost brushed off the pandemic’s effect in 2021 and is likely to continue apace in 2022, with 10 new awards expected, according to a Rystad Energy report. Two lease contracts were awarded in the fourth quarter of 2021, bringing the total for the year to 10 – up from just three in 2020 – a strong rebound for the FPSO market.
International oilfield service companies are facing significant challenges winning contracts in Southeast Asia as local suppliers are increasingly securing available work.
The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 could cost the global oil market as much as 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of demand in the first quarter of 2022, bringing total expected demand down from 98.6 million bpd to 95.7 million bpd, if it triggers more lockdowns or restrictions, Rystad Energy projects.
Analysts at Rystad Energy believe Southeast Asia could become the largest floating solar photovoltaic (PV) market in the world with several significant projects planned this decade.
Malaysian national energy company Petronas is expected to accelerate final investment decisions (FIDs) for upstream oil and gas projects between 2022 and 2023 following a sharp decline over 2020-21, according to the latest research from Rystad Energy.
Australian junior Norwest Energy (ASX:NEW) recently announced a large gas discovery in the onshore Perth basin in Australia. The news bolsters recent analysis from consultancy Rystad Energy that suggests conditions are ripe for a significant development opportunity, with the basin potentially emerging as a key source of gas supply in Western Australia.
China’s national oil companies, CNPC, CNOOC, and Sinopec, are expected to spend over $120 billion on drilling and well services by 2025 to help meet rising domestic oil and gas demand. With 118,000 wells estimated to be drilled in China, analysts at Rystad Energy reckon there will be significant opportunities for innovative suppliers.
Japan’s recent revision to its strategic energy plan (SEP) lowers the targeted share of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the country’s power generation mix in 2030 to 20% from 27% previously, as a measure to cut emissions. However, analysis from Rystad Energy concludes that Japan’s targets are too ambitious and that the changes the new plan will bring will mostly be in the structure of commodities trading.
The diverse Asia Pacific regions offer a myriad of opportunities, ranging from decommissioning, late-life field rejuvenation, offshore wind, as well as carbon capture and storage (CCS), for adventurous UK companies.
Deep-water drilling activities are bouncing back in Southeast Asia following a lacklustre 2020 with overall spending expected to rise 51% this year to $504 million and almost back to 2019 levels, estimates from Rystad Energy show.
Deepwater upstream projects are increasingly important for Southeast Asia, where new investment in production is critical to meet rising demand for oil and gas, as economies continue to expand.
Santos is seeking buyers for a share in its $2 billion Dorado oil project offshore Western Australia and energy consultancy Rystad Energy expects BHP will be looking closely at the asset.
Australia is on the verge of its largest-ever wave of decommissioning as offshore development wells reach the end of their producing life. This is both adding headaches for producers and creating a multi-billion dollar opportunity for plugging and abandonment (P&A) suppliers.
Supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the expanding Asian market has become more expensive for US producers this year, a Rystad Energy report reveals. Even so, US exporters are unlikely to repeat last year’s cost-related shut-ins as global demand has rebounded to strong levels. Instead, US LNG exports climbed to a record monthly high of 6.5 million tonnes in May and may keep rising to new peaks, according to the energy consultancy.
South Asia, which includes India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, is slowly following the rest of the world in the transition towards cleaner energy systems. The subtle shift opens potentially large market opportunities for energy service suppliers.
Marathon Oil Corp. used to represent everything that was wrong with U.S. shale: enormous debtloads, lavish executive pay and a seeming willingness to spend whatever it took to boost output. The company hemorrhaged money, and the stock plunged 84% from a peak in 2014 through the end of last year.
South Korea will launch its largest-ever solar photovoltaic (PV) tender in July when it will offer 2 GW of capacity. An extra 2GW could also be offered later this year.
India, the world's third-largest oil importer, is the latest coronavirus hotspot. It has recently hit a record-breaking number of new daily coronavirus cases—a statistic that dented oil demand and pressured oil prices.
Student body presidents from eight top US universities came together recently to endorse a statement on fossil fuel divestment drawn up by Harvard University’s Undergraduate Council.
India’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand will rise from 25 million tonnes per year (mtpy) in 2020 to almost 45 mtpa in 2030. And it will surge to 85 mtpa by 2040, as domestic production falls sharply, data from Rystad Energy shows.
Even when the Covid-19 downturn is finally past us, operators will have to continue exploring new avenues for cost reductions to be better equipped to withstand future market declines. In a report that looked into the adoption of robotics across the petroleum industry, Rystad Energy found that existing solutions could replace hundreds of thousands of oil and gas jobs globally and reduce drilling labor costs by several billion dollars by 2030, if there is an industry push for such a transition.
Philippine business tycoons are eager to buy Shell’s stake in the deep-water Malampaya project. However, any potential suitors for the 45% interest, valued at between $250 million and $300 million by analysts at Rystad Energy, will need to bring strong technical skills to eek more gas out of the aging field.
Majors, such as BP, Total and Shell, as well as Asian national oil companies (NOCs), are stepping up their investments in India’s rapidly expanding gas and renewables markets.
News that South Korea aims to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm by 2030 follows moves by major exploration and production companies to establish a foothold in the nascent market.
The downturn brought by the Covid-19 pandemic and the accelerating energy transition has created a new reality for the world’s oil and gas industry, whose production will peak lower and earlier than expected before the 2020 market crisis, a Rystad Energy analysis shows.