US drilling to climb as supply disruption continues
Although spending will decelerate in North America, the 2023 forecast for an 18pc increase follows a near-record 44pc in 2022. US drilling will increase by 8.2pc, with total footage forecast to climb 8.7pc, to 290mn ft³ of hole
The oil industry has experienced multiple crude price swings over the last seven years, from $100/bl in 2014 to minus $37/bl in 2020. However, today’s energy environment is significantly different from historical boom-bust cycles. Unrealistic clean energy goals, forced on producers by government officials and environmental groups, caused an unprecedented reduction in oil and gas investment at the start of the Covid pandemic. The pressure tactics compelled energy producers to commit to emission-reduction targets and increased investment in cleaner energy, even as they were struggling with massive losses caused by plunging demand. This, combined with supply issues exacerbated by the war in Ukr
Also in this section
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis
2 March 2026
A potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the escalating US-Iran conflict risks disrupting Qatari LNG exports that underpin global gas markets, exposing Asia and other markets to sharp price spikes, cargo shortages and renewed reliance on dirtier fuels






