US majors target Permian cash cow
Lower 48 production in the Texas and New Mexico shale play is poised to generate a mountain of cash over the next half-decade
Oil and gas production from the Permian basin will drive a wall of free cash flow (FCF) over the next few years for the US majors and superindie ConocoPhillips, the companies are forecasting. “We can grow production from 600,000bl/d to 1mn bl/d,” says Pierre Breber, Chevron CEO. “If you think of the biggest growth that we have going forward, clearly it is in the Permian.” Chevron says the latest commodity price swing generated record quarterly FCF for the business in Q3 2021, higher than the strongest quarters in 2008 and 2011, when oil prices were well above $100/bl. The company is guiding more than $25bn in FCF over the next five years, driven by strong projected Permian performance. Che
Also in this section
19 March 2026
The regional crisis highlights the undervalued role of fixed pipelines in the age of tanker flexibility
18 March 2026
Rising LNG exports and AI-driven power demand have raised concerns that US gas prices could climb sharply, but analysts say abundant shale supply and continued productivity gains should keep Henry Hub within a range that preserves the competitiveness of US LNG
18 March 2026
Risks of shortages in oil products may cause world leaders to panic and make mistakes instead of letting the market do what it does best
17 March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East has put LNG’s ability to offer security and flexibility under uncomfortable scrutiny






