Industry optimism is on the rise, but so are costs
The oil and gas sector feels better able to survive oil price volatility, DNV GL’s boss tells Petroleum Economist, as long as spending is kept under control
The boom days may be over, but the oil and gas industry has emerged from the oil-price slump leaner, fitter and in a better position to cope with future volatility in the sector, says Liv Hovem, chief executive of DNV GL's oil and gas business. As a provider of testing, certification and advisory services, the Oslo-headquartered company is well placed to take the pulse of the industry. The regular surveys it carries out across the sector, along with analysis of demand patterns for its own services, give a good idea of current trends. DNV GL's latest report, an annual outlook for the oil and gas industry, suggests optimism is returning for both operators and suppliers. A survey of 791 senior
Also in this section
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
13 April 2026
For GCC producers, the ceasefire may prove more destabilising than the war itself: exports remain constrained, and control over Hormuz has shifted in ways that could endure






