Major offshore upstream investment has dwindled to such a level that we may be able to count the number of projects that reached a final investment decision (FID) on just one hand, according to Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst Angus Rodger.
The drop in spending will leave a US$200 billion hold in the industry's investment pipeline and some 50% of the projects deferred are deepwater projects, according to the firm.
Rodger says it is the dramatic fall in oil prices in 2014 and subsequent dismantling of 2015 company budgets that has, by mid-year, already resulted in over 45 major project FID deferrals.
"As a result, we estimate 20 billion boe of reserves has been pushed back from a diverse range of onshore, shallow-water and deepwater projects," he says.
Particularly vulnerable have been projects that are technically challenging, have significant upfront costs and/or low returns have proved vulnerable. For example, over 50% of the 20 billion boe identified by Wood Mackenzie is in deepwater projects, and nearly 30% in the Canadian oil sands.
Firms are deferring projects to release capital in response to the fall in oil prices and to give more time to develop enhanced designs, and allow for cost optimization and other measures to improve overall economics.
"Inflationary pressures have pushed many projects into economically marginal territory and operators are now reworking costs and development solutions to achieve their hurdle rates," says Rodger. "But it won’t be easy. We estimate that half of the new greenfield developments still produce sub-15% development IRRs, which is below most companies’ economic hurdle rate.
"For most operators, hoping a 10% reduction in capex is sufficient to reach FID won’t be enough, as only a handful have an NPV10 breakeven below $50/bbl. Given where we are in the corporate capex cycle, only those assets with the most robust economics can expect to make the grade.
"We estimate the majority of these projects are now targeting start-up between 2019 and 2023. However, if the major IOCs continue to focus on cutting future capital commitments – to the detriment of future production growth – then these dates will be pushed back further.
For some, aggressive re-phasing of capital spend and savings from cost deflation will enable them to have another run at FID over the next six to 12 months. But in a world of greater financial discipline and lower oil prices, others will require more radical changes to make them attractive investments."
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