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Letter from London: Twilight outside the desert
The dangers of a lack of oil and gas investment will leave the Middle East shouldering an even greater responsibility, with far-reaching implications for the energy landscape
The long road to African energy finance
The launch of the much-needed yet oft-delayed Africa Energy Bank remains shrouded in questions and funding constraints, but its potential is clear
Africa’s new producers struggle for financing
IOCs and Western lenders are reluctant to commit to new oil and gas projects in African frontier countries
Energy transition needs reset and refocus
While advanced economies debate peak fossil fuel demand, billions of people still lack access to reliable and affordable energy, especially in the Global South
Five trends that will shape oil, gas and energy in 2025
A renewed push for oil and gas production in the US combined with a continued focus on decarbonisation are just two of the trends to look out for in the coming year
Outlook 2025: IOC investment myths need debunking
With a raft of scare stories around peak demand and climate change, 2025 should be the year smart investors leave the Big Oil bogeyman to the stuff of child’s play
Outlook 2024: Libya ready for investment
New strategic plan includes significant investment in oil and gas
Outlook 2024: LNG investment - Hydrocarbon challenges or green opportunity?
Many LNG projects already incorporate emissions mitigation methods, hastening adoption for future projects
Yuan makes oil and gas trade inroads
But the dollar still remains overwhelmingly the favoured currency
Oil price of $80–95/bl could be new normal in 2024
OPEC+ is prepared to defend $80/bl, but economic weakness and potential supply kept off the market will likely limit any upside as consumers acclimatise to higher prices, says Saxo Bank’s Ole Hansen
Saudi Arabia has pressured smaller nations to accept production quota reductions
Finance
Philip K. Verleger
16 June 2023
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E&P investment becoming mission impossible

Oil price volatility and the high cost of hedging mean putting money into exploration and production is unaffordable for all but the largest players

The Opec+ members and central bankers from the EU, the US and the UK all announced key decisions in June 2023. Their actions vividly demonstrated why investors across the world will put money into building plants to produce everything from computer chips to batteries but will not back proposals to drill for oil. The central bankers, as usual, telegraphed their actions in advance in a concerted effort to warn investors and/or confirm market expectations. The policies adopted since the appointment of Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman as oil minister have made it more challenging for most companies to invest safely in oil exploration. These policies clearly result from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salma

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A bigger and longer crisis
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Attacks on key oil and LNG assets across the Gulf mean a prolonged supply disruption, with damage to Qatar’s export capacity undermining confidence in the global gas system

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