The Gulf of Mexico's misty horizons
While production will rise in 2018, the longer-term prospects are less positive
Not much has changed over the past 12 months to lessen the misery in the US Gulf of Mexico (GoM), where low commodity prices pushed E&P activity to historic lows. As we predicted a year ago, the string of deep-water oil projects coming to completion raised the Gulf's share of US oil production from 17% in 2016 to 19% in 2017. Conversely, the Gulf's contribution to US natural gas output has shrunk from 5% to roughly 4.5%. Drilling activity hasn't improved, with the Baker Hughes Rotary Rig Count listing an average 20 units working in the Gulf during the first 10 months of 2017, compared with an average 22 rigs during 2016. A mixed picture can be found in the number of drilling permits appr
Also in this section
21 February 2025
While large-scale planned LNG schemes in sub-Saharan Africa have faced fresh problems, FLNG projects are stepping into that space
20 February 2025
Greater social mobility means increased global demand for refined fuels and petrochemical products, with Asia leading the way in the expansion of refining capacity
19 February 2025
The EU would do well to ease its gas storage requirements to avoid heavy purchase costs this summer, with the targets having created market distortion while giving sellers a significant advantage over buyers
18 February 2025
Deliveries to China decline by around 1m b/d from move to curb crude exports to Shandong port, putting Iran under further economic pressure
