Oil industry

IEEFA Research

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers

December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]

, and December 17, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Frackers cut capex to $5.8 billion during third quarter, lowest level in a decade

IEEFA U.S.: Frackers cut capex to $5.8 billion during third quarter, lowest level in a decade

Free cash flow surges as capital reductions may mark beginning of end for shale boom

December 8, 2020 (IEEFA) —Facing low prices and weak demand, a cross-section of 33 shale-focused oil and gas producers cut their capital expenditures (capex) to their lowest level in more than a decade, according to an analysis released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Thirty-two of the 33 companies cut capex […]

, , and December 8, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Appalachian frackers report $504M in negative free cash flow despite capex slashing

IEEFA U.S.: Appalachian frackers report $504M in negative free cash flow despite capex slashing

Tide of red ink shows little sign of ebbing any time soon for shale-focused regional gas producers

December 3, 2020 (IEEFA)—Even after cutting their capital expenditures (capex) by more than one-third from the previous year, nine shale-focused gas producers in Appalachia spent a half-billion dollars more during the third quarter on drilling and building projects than they earned from selling oil and gas. Capex investments during the third quarter were the lowest […]

, , and December 4, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA update: ExxonMobil’s financials indicate slide under CEO Darren Woods’s leadership

IEEFA update: ExxonMobil’s financials indicate slide under CEO Darren Woods’s leadership

Profits, cash and shareholder return slip compared with rivals using company’s own performance metrics

October 28, 2020 (IEEFA) — A close look at ExxonMobil’s financial performance metrics compared with its peers reveals significant slippage during Chairman & CEO Darren Woods’s tenure (2017-2019) even before the coronavirus pandemic, according to a briefing note released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). IEEFA analysts found that the […]

, and October 28, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Plummeting oil and gas prices leave New Mexico’s budget short by hundreds of millions of dollars

IEEFA U.S.: Plummeting oil and gas prices leave New Mexico’s budget short by hundreds of millions of dollars

Industry problems hit before the pandemic, were made worse by it and will persist even after the economy improves

October 20, 2020 (IEEFA) — After years of benefitting from record oil and gas revenues, global markets are signaling the beginning of the end of New Mexico’s financial reliance on fossil fuels. Leases, royalty payments and taxes from the oil and gas industry have directly accounted for as much as 30 percent of the state’s […]

and October 20, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA: From zero to fifty, global financial corporations get cracking on major oil/gas lending exits

IEEFA: From zero to fifty, global financial corporations get cracking on major oil/gas lending exits

Accelerating divestment from oil and gas shows similar early trends to global financial institution’s exit from coal

20 October 2020 (IEEFA): Fifty globally significant financial institutions have introduced policies restricting oil sands and/or oil and gas drilling in the Arctic including 23 to date this year, highlighting global capital continues to flee fossil fuels, according to a new tracker developed by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). “Momentum is […]

, and October 19, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA: ExxonMobil financial performance slides from industry leader to laggard

IEEFA: ExxonMobil financial performance slides from industry leader to laggard

Company’s own metrics reveal slippage compared with oil major peers

October 15, 2020 – An analysis released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reveals lagging performance by ExxonMobil under the leadership of Chairman & CEO Darren Woods. IEEFA analysts detail how the company racked up deeper or more rapid declines based on three critical financial metrics it has long used […]

and October 15, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Weakness of fracking accentuated by plunging cash flows during pandemic quarter

IEEFA U.S.: Weakness of fracking accentuated by plunging cash flows during pandemic quarter

Amid increasing bankruptcies, companies outspent cash flows by more than $3 billion

September 15, 2020 (IEEFA)— A cross-section of 34 North American shale-focused producers continued a long-term losing streak in the second quarter of 2020, spending $3.3 billion more on drilling and other capital projects during the quarter than they generated from selling oil and gas. Low prices and declining sales volumes slashed revenues, leaving the fracking […]

, , and September 15, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: Capex cuts fail to stem gusher of red ink for Appalachian frackers

IEEFA U.S.: Capex cuts fail to stem gusher of red ink for Appalachian frackers

Nine major E&P companies collectively lost more than $1 billion over past year

September 10, 2020 (IEEFA) — Even after cutting capital expenditures to their lowest quarterly point in more than six years, nine Appalachian shale-focused gas producers continued to hemorrhage money, reporting more $134 million negative free cash flows in the second quarter of 2020.  Together, they have spilled $1.1 billion in red ink over the past […]

, , and September 10, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA brief: Second quarter results show that shareholder dividends pushed oil supermajors deep into red

IEEFA brief: Second quarter results show that shareholder dividends pushed oil supermajors deep into red

ExxonMobil, recently kicked out of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, posted the worst performance among supermajors in Q2

August 25, 2020 (IEEFA)— One day after ExxonMobil was kicked out of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a new analysis shows that the company suffered through one of its worst quarters in years, characterized by sharply negative free cash flows and massive borrowing to sustain its shareholder dividends. Overall, the five global oil and gas […]

, and August 25, 2020 Read More →

More News and Commentary

IEEFA: Is oil giant Total an emerging leader of the energy transition?

Shows how to pivot from an oil company to an energy company

Last summer, French oil and gas giant Total SE announced a $7 billion impairment charge for two Canadian oil sands projects. This might have seemed like an innocuous move, merely an acknowledgement that the projects hadn’t worked out as planned.  Yet it opened a Pandora’s box that could change the way the industry thinks about […]

January 19, 2021 Read More →

French central bank to exit coal sector, limit gas and oil investments

Reuters: The French central bank said on Monday it would exit from coal and limit exposure to gas and oil in its investment portfolio by 2024 as part of a shift towards more environmentally friendly assets. Many central banks have committed to green up their investment portfolios as part of a push to encourage the […]

January 19, 2021 Read More →

Equinor considering sale of money-losing U.S. shale operations

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): Equinor ASA is considering selling its holdings in the Bakken play of North Dakota and Montana, part of a comprehensive review of its international oil and gas portfolio as the Norwegian state-controlled company pivots away from oil and toward the energy transition. “We now have a different strategy for onshore […]

January 15, 2021 Read More →
IEEFA: After a terrible 2020, the oil industry’s story has turned political
and

IEEFA: After a terrible 2020, the oil industry’s story has turned political

For 2021, expect conflict and infighting to further muddy the industry’s prospects

It was a dismal year for oil and gas. As the pandemic sucked the wind from the sails of the global economy, oil demand slumped, stockpiles swelled, prices sagged, capital spending collapsed, debt ballooned, profits evaporated, and bankruptcies skyrocketed. After this torrent of bad news, the energy sector ended the year in last place in […]

and January 8, 2021 Read More →

IEEFA: NYS Comptroller DiNapoli’s bold divestment plan may inspire investors to follow suit

Divestment option should be emulated by other major funds

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, who heads one of the largest public pension funds in the U.S., concluded 2020 with a bold investment decision on fossil fuels. He will hold the entire industry to higher standards regarding climate change and establish broader scrutiny of a pension portfolio with holdings that span the entire economy in a […]

January 7, 2021 Read More →

Special event: Guyana debates offshore oil contracts with ExxonMobil-led consortium

Experts see economic drawbacks and risks for revenues and sovereign wealth fund

Kaieteur News in collaboration with Kaieteur Radio will host a live-streamed end-of-year debate in Guyana on December 31 at 11:00 AM GYT (10:00 AM EST). Panelists will explore Guyana’s first year as an oil-producing state, what went right, what went wrong, the global outlook for oil and gas, and the steps needed to ensure transparency […]

December 23, 2020 Read More →

Shell plans $3.5-$4.5 billion writedown, raising yearly total to more than $22 billion

Reuters: Royal Dutch Shell on Monday said it will write down the value of oil and gas assets by $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion following a string of impairments this year as it adjusts to a weaker outlook. In an update ahead of its fourth quarter results on February 4, Shell said the post-tax charge […]

December 21, 2020 Read More →

Rockefeller Foundation to divest fossil fuel holdings from $5 billion endowment

CNN: The Rockefeller Foundation, a 107-year-old philanthropy built by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, is breaking up with fossil fuels in an effort to save the planet. Beyond pledging to dump its fossil fuel holdings, the $5 billion endowment is also promising not to make any new investments in the beleaguered sector. The moves make […]

December 18, 2020 Read More →
IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs
, and

IEEFA U.S.: FERC gives blank check approval to pipeline builders, while investors and consumers pick up costs

Commission’s 21-year-old pipeline policy puts contracts ahead of utility customers

December 17, 2020 (IEEFA) — The federal agency responsible for approving interstate gas pipeline projects is basing its decisions on contracts rather than on today’s consumer energy needs or the public interest, according to a report released today by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The report—FERC’s Failure to Analyze Energy Market Forces—details […]

, and December 17, 2020 Read More →

Lloyd’s of London to stop issuing new insurance for coal projects, oil sands and Arctic energy exploration

Reuters: Lloyd’s of London is scaling back its exposure to coal and oil sands, the commercial insurance market said in its first sustainability report on Wednesday, in a reversal of its traditional hands-off approach to climate change strategy. Lloyd’s acts as regulator for around 100 syndicate members, and leaves decisions on underwriting and investment strategy […]

December 17, 2020 Read More →
more entries