Shale oil's new calculus
Will producers chase growth or profits?
It didn't take long for the tight oil industry's new value-over-volume mantra to face its first test. Shale executives spent much of late 2017 trying to convince investors that they had received the message on capital discipline. Growth at all cost was out and free cash-flow was in. That was before the oil price surge. From October to mid-February, prices jumped 30% to $65 a barrel, a level that makes just about any shale well look enticing. Oil's rally, then, will prove a tempting diversion on the path to a new, more sustainable, business model. Executives would be wise to resist the temptation to restart the drilling frenzy. The industry is at something of a crossroads. After proving its m
Also in this section
18 November 2024
The company is on track to boost import terminal capacity by 40% in three years, CEO Akshay Kumar Singh tells Petroleum Economist
15 November 2024
With Chevron and AIM-listed Challenger Energy having completed their Uruguayan farm-out deal, Challenger CEO Eytan Uliel updates Petroleum Economist on the firm's progress in the frontier basin
14 November 2024
The country is seeking to secure its position as a major global refiner and meet rising domestic requirements
13 November 2024
IOCs are focused on the next wave of exploration activity in Namibia and are keen to learn from one another’s results
