Yemen’s collapse as an energy producer
Conflict and unrest has hit the country’s oil output by more than 90% in just six years
Yemen is close to falling off the bottom of the list of global oil producers, with output declining from 424,000 barrels a day in 2004 to something close to 20,000 b/d today – the war and the collapse of state institutions mean that detailed figures are unavailable. A day when the country climbs back up that list seems distant, with no prospect of an early end to the conflict. The war has also halted Yemen’s liquefied natural gas-export industry, but the processing and export facilities at Balhaf on the Gulf of Aden coast are undamaged. A barrage of damaging blows has struck Yemen’s energy sector over recent years: a breakdown of law and order when the Arab Spring erupted in 2011; the war re
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
