Oil companies running hard to stand still

DURING a previous oil price crisis in the United States, a jovial service station attendant may have remarked to customers that “We’ve run out of $2 gas, but we’ve got plenty of $5 gas”. Attendants on the trading floors might today observe that we’ve got plenty of $80 (US) barrels, but we’re running short of $50 barrels.

Last Friday, the US Energy Information Administration released oil production data to the end of last year. Crude oil production was nearly 200,000 barrels a day lower than in 2005. Total liquid supply was flat. That’s gripping news and should be enough to rattle any economist’s confidence.


Despite a calm hurricane season, record prices and a forecast consensus from energy agencies that supply would continue to grow, oil production stalled last year. Were the oil companies not trying hard enough?

Chris Skrebowski, editor of the British oil industry journal Petroleum Review, would not agree. He has just published his annual Megaprojects report. The numbers show the global oil industry implemented oilfield projects providing an extra 3.2 million barrels a day to the market last year.

The Age