M&A: Oil majors jockey for position to ride an LNG boom
Firms are reshuffling their portfolios in favour of gas ahead of the looming energy inflection point
Although gas may not dominate energy supply for another 10-20 years or more, the industry is looking over the horizon. Following on from a series of liquefied-natural-gas-driven M&As that included ExxonMobil's acquisition of a 25% stake in Mozambique Area 4 and Shell's purchase of Chevron's position in Trinidad, Total and others have maintained the momentum. The latest round of deals reflects a continuing scramble for the whole working package-access to low-cost fields, transport, sales and purchase contracts, and regasification. In short, an investment that gets off to a quick and profitable start. Exxon, for instance, described its Mozambique acquisition as coming "at a cost of supp

Also in this section
10 April 2025
Technology, policy and narrative are the three biggest factors that could change the course of our 2050 outlook
10 April 2025
Latin America’s largest economy expects big uptick in crude this year with the imminent arrival of several FPSOs
9 April 2025
A rising global population and greater urbanisation will mean increasing demand for energy, but what will be up and down in the mix? Petroleum Economist looks out to 2050 again in the second part of our long-term outlook
9 April 2025
AI is powering the Middle East & North Africa’s digital transformation, but can the region meet soaring energy demand sustainably? Small modular reactors may hold the key