Big oil eyes South Korean offshore wind
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.
Rystad
Big oil incurred record loss in 2020 – Rystad
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.
Coal use set to surge in India despite renewables boom
Coal-fired power generation is projected to surge in India as the expanding wave of renewable energy capacity cannot keep up with electrification growth in the South Asian country, home to the world’s second biggest population.
Rystad expects $15bn of Australasia upstream projects to get nod
New upstream oil and gas projects worth about $15 billion will be sanctioned in Australasia this year, according to Rystad Energy’s forecast, marking a huge boost compared to the $1.2 billion committed to new projects in 2020.
IOCs eye $12 billion worth of mergers and acquisition deals in the Asia Pacific region
Upstream merger and acquisitions (M&A) deals are expected to rebound in Asia Pacific this year after plunging to their lowest level this century in 2020, when the pandemic and collapse in oil and gas prices killed activity.
Electrification could have role to play in UKCS net zero future
With pressure from net-zero obligations now mounting, coupled with a growing awareness that it has a valuable energy transition role to play, the North Sea oil and gas industry would at last appear to be taking electrification of UKCS infrastructure seriously.
Showcasing game-changing energy technologies
The rapid transition under way in energy means that now more than ever the sector must grasp the opportunities presented by technology.
Showstopping costs make offshore wind and hydrogen ‘good ingredients but bad cocktail’ – Rystad
Offshore wind and hydrogen are “good ingredients but a bad cocktail” according to Rystad Energy, with high costs remaining a “showstopper”.
Oil price direction an ‘open question’ as Covid mutation weighs down Brent
A top petro-economist said today that the Covid-19 mutation had left an “open question” about the direction of Brent crude prices in the coming weeks.
A stack more floaters are headed for the chop
The direction of travel appears clear; around a quarter of the current offshore floater rig fleet - ships and semi-submersibles - will be sent to the scrapyard near-term.
Updated: Union estimates 12,000 North Sea jobs lost and warns of worse to come
A trade union boss has warned predictions that 8,000 jobs have been lost in the oil and gas sector due to the latest downturn are likely to be very conservative.
Updated: Brent nears $50 as Opec+ agrees more moderate production increase
Brent crude neared $50 per barrel this morning after the Opec cartel and its allies agreed to a more gradual easing of production cuts next month.
Europe’s CCS projects boosted by increased funding
Increased funding from the EU and national governments have boosted the prospects for carbon capture technologies in Europe. Three projects in the Netherlands, Norway and UK could be operational by 2024.
Oil project approvals to recover and exceed pre-Covid levels from 2022
The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated global oil and gas project sanctioning this year and will cause total committed spending to drop to around $53 billion from 2019’s $190 billion, Rystad Energy says.
Top North Sea emitter UK needs to electrify its rising oil and gas output to reach climate goals
The UK Government has set a goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Updated: Oil extends losses after first sub-$40 close since mid-June
Oil extended losses after its biggest one-day drop in more than two months as growing doubts over the strength of the global demand recovery along with continued weakness in stocks soured market sentiment.
Latin America’s renewable energy capacity set to skyrocket to 123 GW by 2025
Latin America is emerging as a green powerhouse, with some of the strongest renewable capacity growth expected globally in the coming years.
Oil companies wonder if it’s worth looking for oil anymore
A few dots near the bottom corner of the world map in the southern Atlantic, the Falkland Islands were once at the forefront of a new era for the oil industry as companies scoured the planet for resources.
Covid-19 pushes oilfield services headcount to lowest level in over a decade – Rystad
The oil market turmoil brought on by Covid-19 has led to lower-than-anticipated activity and delayed projects, forcing the industry to deploy cost-cutting measures. A Rystad Energy analysis of the top 50 oilfield service (OFS) firms shows that staffing is set to reach its lowest level in more than 10 years, with the anticipated revenue per employee also declining towards the previous downturn’s level.
Oil firms urged to reach for those digital heights
Oil firms must seize the opportunity presented by the Covid-19 pandemic to grasp the nettle and embrace digital technology and data analysis, industry experts have said.
‘Relief’ for some as oil rises past $40, but North Sea activity to remain depressed
Oil prices rose past $40 per barrel mark on Wednesday amid speculation that quotas for international production cuts could be kept higher for longer.
UK North Sea to dominate global decommissioning spend over next five years
The UK is poised to lead the way as operators increase spending on North Sea decommissioning work amid low oil prices, according to a new report.
UK maintenance spending to reach lowest on record, Rystad says
Western Europe’s maintenance, modification and operations (MMO) market will likely take a major hit in 2020 a Rystad Energy impact analysis has revealed, thanks to severe spending cuts and Covid-19 transportation restrictions. Spending in Norway is expected to fall to $3.4 billion this year – an 18-year low – while UK spending is on track to fall to $2.9 billion, the lowest level seen since at least 1990.
Global E&P revenues to fall by $1 trillion in 2020, Rystad says
The devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on global oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) companies is better understood by looking at the industry’s expected total annual revenues for 2020.
A barrel of Brent oil could become ‘cheaper than a latte’, Rystad says
A barrel of Brent crude could cost less than a cup of coffee before long as fears about dwindling storage space sink in, an analyst has said.