US wants to increase offshore oil drilling through easing of pressure rules
The U.S. Interior Department announced on Thursday that it had implemented new guidelines regarding pressure differentials allowed in certain types of oil drilling, in part of Gulf of Mexico. The department expects the changes to boost U.S. output of oil. The Energy Dominance Council, led by Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary to President Donald Trump, is seeking ways to reduce costs for oil and natural gas producers, lower regulations, and increase oil production, which was at record levels during the tenure of former President Joe Biden.
African energy exploration company Rhino Resources discovers light oil offshore Namibia
Namibia got a boost Thursday after Rhino Resources found "high-quality" light oil at its latest well. U.S. oil company Chevron also announced that it is considering a drilling campaign for 2026 or 2027. The southern African nation, a global hotspot for exploration, aims to produce its oil by the end of the decade, following a series of recent discoveries by Shell, TotalEnergies, and Galp Energia. The African energy explorer Rhino Resource found light oil in Capricornus 1X, its second successful exploration, which was drilled off the coast of Namibia in the prolific Orange Basin.
REFILE-ConocoPhillips plans layoffs as part of broad restructuring
ConocoPhillips plans to reduce staff. The company announced this on Tuesday. This is part of a broader effort to control costs and streamline operations following its $23 billion purchase of Marathon Oil. Job cuts are a sign of the pain that the oil and gas sector is experiencing as it faces higher costs and lower revenue due to prices hovering around $63 per barrel. Many companies claim they can't drill profitably at oil prices below $65 per barrel. Chevron, SLB and other oil giants announced their own layoffs in the first half of this year.
Chevron announces the first oil production at Ballymore Project in US Gulf
Chevron announced on Monday that it had begun oil and gas production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This brings the company closer to its goal of increasing production by 50% from the ocean basin this year. Ballymore is a $1.6 billion project located 160 miles south of New Orleans. It consists of three wells and is expected to yield up to 75,000 barrels equivalents per day (boepd). Chevron wants to increase oil and gas production in the Gulf region to 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) by 2026. At the same time, the company is cutting costs up to $3 billion across its business.
Chevron, other companies withdraw from Egypt's Red Sea concessions and redirect resources
The Egyptian petroleum ministry reported that a number of multinational oil companies, including Chevron, have left their Red Sea oil concession blocks without finding any oil or gas and have instead channeled their resources to other parts of the country. In 2019, Egypt, as part of its effort to become a hub for energy, awarded the first oil and gas exploration concessions on the Red Sea to Chevron and Shell, and the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala Investment Company. Moataz Aef…
BP discovers oil off US Gulf Coast
BP announced on Monday that it had made an oil find at the Far South Field in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The energy giant is seeking to increase production as part of a new strategy, which was announced earlier this summer. Green Canyon Block 584 is located about 120 miles (203.12 km) from the coast of Louisiana. The initial well as well as a sidetrack both encountered oil. The company stated that preliminary data indicated a potential commercial volume of gas and oil. The company also announced that it would increase its output in the Gulf of Mexico by 400…
FTC moves to reverse Chevron and Exxon board restrictions
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has taken a step towards potentially reversing the bans that were placed by the Biden Administration on the joining of the boards at Exxon Mobil and Chevron as a condition for allowing them to acquire two other oil companies. Exxon had agreed to remove former Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott Sheffield from the board of its company. Chevron which purchased Hess also consented to an order that kept John Hess off the board. The FTC announced on Friday it is seeking public comments on petitions filed on behalf of Sheffield…
Follow This, a group of climate activist shareholders, pauses the big oil campaign
Follow This, a climate activist shareholder group, said that a lack in investor interest has forced them to suspend their campaign to get major oil and gas companies to commit to reducing emissions. The campaign had been going on for nearly ten years. In 2016, the Dutch group began submitting climate resolutions to shareholder meetings. By 2017, it had achieved shareholder support of 80% for Phillips 66 and 60% for Chevron. The surge in oil prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine…
US lawmakers block IMF Central Africa Support over Oil Fund Dispute
U.S. legislators have introduced legislation to block International Monetary Fund assistance for certain Central African countries in order to protect billions of dollars oil companies are required by law set aside for environmental restoration. The bill highlights the standoff between foreign investment on one hand and Central African monetary authority on the other, who are trying to tighten capital controls in extractive industries so as to replenish depleted reserves. The bill, introduced by U.S. Republican Reps.
US lawmakers block IMF Central Africa Support over Oil Fund Dispute
U.S. legislators have introduced legislation to block the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) assistance for certain Central African countries. This is in order to protect billions of dollars which oil companies are required by law set aside for environmental restoration. The bill highlights the standoff between foreign investment on one hand, and Central African monetary authority trying to tighten capital controls on extractive industry to shore up depleted reserve on the other. The bill, introduced by U.S. Republican Reps.
US refiners are unlikely to spend large amounts to process more domestic crude oil
It can be expensive and time-consuming to change refinery configuration. The margins and yields of refineries can be affected by using different types of crude. By Arathy S. Analysts and industry sources said that U.S. refiners do not plan to invest heavily to process more crude oil domestically and less oil imported from Canada and Mexico. This is a major obstacle to President Trump’s plan to increase oil production. Trump's pledge of unleashing U.S. production and lowering prices for consumers focused on increasing domestic drilling.
Oil below $60 puts US producers in a tough position regarding growth and capital returns
Analysts have warned that a drop in oil prices to below $60 per barrel as a result of an intensifying trade war could cause anxiety throughout the U.S. Oil Patch, forcing companies to take additional measures, including reducing share buybacks or capital expenditures. Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate futures (WTI) fell to their lowest levels since February 2021 as tariffs introduced by U.S. president Donald Trump raised fears of a possible recession due to signs of increased supply from major producers.
Chevron will triple-frac half of Permian wells by 2025 in order to reduce costs and time
HOUSTON, 9 April - U.S. Oil Major Chevron plans on increasing the use of a method that allows it fracture subterranean rocks in three wells simultaneously in the Permian Basin, according to the company. This is in an attempt to reduce the time and costs of oil production. Chevron, the second largest U.S. producer of oil, is expanding the triple-frac technique as it expects to increase production in the Permian oilfield - the largest U.S. field - even though the company has begun to reduce spending. The United States' shale revolution has been driven by technology.
Occidental’s 1PointFive is granted permits to sequester carbon dioxide at a Texas facility
1PointFive, a unit of Occidental Petroleum, announced on Monday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved its request to sequester CO2 captured at its direct air capture facility (DAC) in Texas. Stratos is a joint-venture between BlackRock, a global asset manager, and the carbon capture and storage unit of the U.S. shale company. Stratos, one of the largest DAC plants in the world, is expected to begin commercial operations by later this year. Oil companies like Chevron and TotalEnergies are adopting carbon capture…
Chevron will pay $740 Million to restore Louisiana's coastline, reports AP
The Associated Press reported that Chevron had been ordered to pay $740m to repair damages caused by the oil and gas giant to the coastal wetlands of southeast Louisiana. Report: The jury's verdict awarded $575,000,000 for compensation for land losses, $161,000,000 for contamination, and $8,000,000 for abandoned equipment. The original lawsuit was filed in 2013 by the Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana. The AP reported that jurors determined that Texaco, a company purchased by Chevron back in 2001…
Stocks of tech and bank companies plummet as China's retaliation fuels fears of a wider trade war
U.S. tech giants, banks, and oil majors all fell on Friday, after China responded to Trump's new tariffs by imposing steep duties. This heightened fears of an economic recession around the world. China has imposed additional duties of 34 percent on U.S. products, which will take effect on April 10. China also announced a ban on the export of certain rare-earths, and added a number of U.S. companies to its "unreliable entity" list. This allows Beijing to take punitive measures. On Wednesday, U.S.
Gas giants claim that Australia's opposition plan to reserve supplies may worsen the shortage
Gas giants around the world said that a proposal made by Australia's coalition of opposition to force producers to divert more gas from exports into the domestic market in an attempt to win votes would discourage investment and not solve the looming gas shortages. The conservative Liberal-National Coalition has pledged to lower power bills by implementing a gas reservations scheme. The center-left Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has introduced a cap on wholesale…
Tokyo Gas, Japan expands its US shale-gas business with Chevron
TG Natural Resources LLC, co-owned by Tokyo Gas, Castleton Commodities International and Castleton Commodities, announced on Tuesday that it had purchased a 70% stake of east Texas gas assets for $525m from Chevron, in order to expand its U.S. Gas business. TGNR, which is the fourth largest producer in the Haynesville shale region, will be able to benefit from synergies worth over $170m during the development of the asset, according to Craig Jarchow. Haynesville, located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas and Louisiana, is a great location for LNG exports.
Shell plans to deliver gas from Venezuela to Trinidad by 2026, according to sources
Shell Plc aims to start producing natural gas in Venezuela's Dragon field and export it to Trinidad and Tobago, an hour earlier than the initial 2027 start date. The project demonstrates the industry's hope that sanctions against Venezuela will remain in place despite recent tighter enforcement. The people stated that the partners intend to begin survey work in January and decide to drill three wells. They will also need to renew their U.S. licence later this year. U.S. sanctions are aimed at virtually the entire Venezuelan gas and oil industry which is controlled and owned by PDVSA…
Trump hosts top US oil executives as trade wars threaten
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, will be hosting top oil executives in the White House this Wednesday to discuss plans for boosting domestic energy production amid falling crude prices and trade wars. This will be Trump's first meeting with oil and gas executives since he returned to the White House in January for his second term. According to a source familiar with planning the event, it will include members of American Petroleum Institute (API)'s executive committee. According to public bios…
