Petroleum Economist
Green is king
Wind and solar are leading a renewables revolution, but they'll need some help too along the way
Here comes the droids
Automated and autonomous vehicles are coming, but robot roughnecks are further out
Sea change for shipping sector
New rules are imminent and will have a big impact on the global fuel oil sector
February 2018
The February 2018 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
Greens take root
The momentum towards climate-change action is building, in defiance of White House policies
EVs reaching lift-off
The coming year will bring the arrival of new EVs and new infrastructure, fuelling the transition
The sluggish EV revolution
The switch to EVs will be slower than widely predicted—unless China takes the plunge
Oil's electric shock
More EVs will push their way onto the road as new affordable models are rolled out
Iran's brakes off
The Islamic Republic's ambitious oil and gas schemes will make progress against the background threat of more sanctions
Oil firms charging up for electric vehicles
Energy firms and car makers are preparing for the EV onslaught
More Iraqi oil
The federal government will put all output and exports under its control, while boosting capacity
Kuwait's big energy spending plans
The country is working towards raising crude oil production capacity by more than 1.5m barrels a day by 2040
Iraqi Kurdistan—back to square one
The independence vote heralded political and economic disaster. Existential uncertainty now faces the region's oil sector
Uneasy neighbours
Strains within the GCC and shifting external alliances will make for an unsettled year
Middle East's elusive olive branch
While diplomatic efforts to end conflicts may intensify, success will be in short supply
Volatile market conditions
Saudi Arabia wants Opec to keep cutting, despite the steady tightening of the market. It's a risky strategy
Diverse East Mediterranean outlook
Egypt will enjoy a gas boom, while Cyprus and Israel struggle to find export markets
Libya's high stakes
Freeing NOC of political interference is essential if the country and its oil sector are to prosper in 2018
More Libyan war
The civil conflict will continue, sabotaging efforts to stabilise oil output
Too light, too sweet
Trump's deregulations will only touch the margins of production, but he will generate plenty of geopolitical risk
The Gulf of Mexico's misty horizons
While production will rise in 2018, the longer-term prospects are less positive
Pumping the US brakes
Output will rise again in 2018, but less drilling and greater capital discipline will slow growth
Senegal's crunch year
With two major projects ready for sanctioning, 2018 will be pivotal for the country's upstream aspirations
Cashing in on green energy
The explosion in renewables projects is transforming the energy investment landscape
Mexico in full swing
A year of further energy liberalisation and continued upstream and midstream expansion lies ahead
Tullow seeks rapid FID for Kenya oil project
The London-based firm, which made an operating profit in 2017 for the first time in three years, says it is in talks with the government over a $1.1bn pipeline
Demand growth now the focus for oil market
Surging supply threatens to overwhelm balances, unless consumers come to the rescue
Calgary's hometown heroes
Grim headlines obscure the progress ahead in 2018 for the oil sands, unconventionals and LNG
Australian power play
Not all states are prepared to back the federal government's pledge to put reliability of power supply over green considerations
Charging ahead with renewables
The switch is gathering pace, despite resistance in some countries where NOCs are dominant
Venezuela—the sick man of Opec
Production will continue to collapse, while the spectre of default looms large in 2018
Brazil watches the polls
The South American country will choose a new president in 2018, with major ramifications for the oil industry
Australian LNG hotting up
Seaborne LNG-export capacity will jump nearly 20% in 2018 as new projects ramp up
Chinese bear trap
Oil demand is in for another good year, but gas will be the standout. And the country's oil majors are coming back to the market
West Africa—ready to blossom
The region looks forward to a year of intensified oil and natural gas activity
Senegal-Mauritania deal boosts LNG export project
BP and Kosmos Energy plan to give the Greater Tortue development the green light later this year
Uganda leading pipeline race
The country's oil-export pipeline will make progress. Tanzania's LNG plans probably won’t
Maputo's new partner
An American oil giant will take the lead in the Rovuma
Russia back to growth, of a kind
Petroleum supplies to the international market should rise in 2018
Russia's turf wars
Even as the country's gas sector thrives, its major companies face political battles at home and abroad
Jordan eyes Iraqi crude for expanded refinery
The country has approved in principle a plan for a pipeline to import Iraq's oil
The oil market has a forecasting problem
Predicting oil production growth is a perilous task at best. Surging US oil output isn’t helping
Central Asia on the move
States are looking for energy output, Central European ones for diversification and integration
North Sea's golden years
The region may be past its prime but is still running with the best
US gas galore
Returns have been more difficult to find than gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays. New pipelines opening up fresh markets and better wells could help improve things
Shale starts giving (a little bit) back
Producers are funneling more cash into share buybacks and dividends after months of pressure from shareholders to boost returns
Argentina's shale boom
The country's play is set to witness a quick rise in gas output as drillers look to lock in higher subsidised prices
Mexico stuck in neutral
The resources are there and the reforms have opened the door to investors, but shale gas can't yet compete
Shipping's waterline deadline
The clock is ticking for an industry that must conform with new sulphur rules. Not everyone will be ready in time
Shipping—let battle commence
Competition to provide ships with a low-sulphur alternative will hot up as the IMO deadline approaches. It's not clear which fuel will win
France's changing energy mix
The Macron government faces the difficult task in 2018 of juggling competing demands for France's energy cocktail
Senegal moves towards first oil
The Cairn-led SNE venture must now convert some of the world's largest recent discoveries into viable production
Senegal-Mauritania borderline development
A project straddling Senegal's northern maritime border could be signed off by the end of the year, despite its complexities
Senegal—the start of a beautiful friendship
A victory for Macky Sall in the presidential elections in 2019 would cement the future of his country's hydrocarbons industry and bring more exploration
Saudi Arabia: jobless on the rise
The kingdom is struggling to meet its private-sector job-creation targets
Shrinking Canadian expectations
The future of unconventional gas drilling in the western basins is uncertain because of the cancellation of several high-profile LNG projects
Australia's one man show
Queensland remains the country's capital of unconventional gas, with bans in force in some other states
China's teapot growth
The expansion has been boosted by bigger import quotas and a buying alliance
Canadian rocky road to recovery
Oil output is still ticking higher, but depressed prices and persistent pipeline problems are weighing on the industry
Australia all at sea
Australia is positioning itself to dominate liquefied natural gas-fuelled cargo shipping routes into Asia
Qatar rides the storm
Continuing LNG exports are boosting Qatar's economic resilience in the face of the Saudi-led blockade
Electrifying potential
The falling cost of storing energy is emerging as a key enabler of electric vehicle and renewables growth. The oil and gas industry is taking notice
Chasing Chinese gas dreams
Both the country's unconventional production and reserves are set to soar
Priced out of the Permian
M&A has slowed in the US' hottest shale basin as investors look elsewhere for cheaper growth opportunities
Is Amlo a threat to Mexico's oil opening?
The industry fears a López Obrador victory in July's presidential election could derail the country's reforms
Energy risk in all shapes, all sizes
Geopolitics may be bullish or bearish. But it will almost certainly bring volatility to the oil market