Does Repsol point the way again for European peers?
The Spanish firm has form for leading where other firms swiftly follow
Spain’s Repsol was the first large-scale oil and gas firm out of the blocks in December 2019 in announcing a 2050 net-zero pledge. Eyebrows were publicly raised, while Petroleum Economist understands the firm was privately subject to irate lobbying from other companies to rethink a strategy they felt unnecessarily increased scrutiny on the industry more widely. Fast forward almost three years and even many NOCs have net-zero targets, while IOCs without them are a vanishing breed. With that in mind, Repsol’s September announcement that it will spin out its oil and gas production into a standalone company—albeit one in which it retains a 75pc stake and operational control—could foreshadow more
Also in this section
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
8 January 2026
The region’s access to versatile feedstock, combined with policy support, is setting it up to meet growing demand both at home and abroad
7 January 2026
No longer can the energy source be considered a sidekick to oil in the Middle East and neither should it step aside for less convincing alternatives






