Oil industry experienced multiple crude price swings over the last seven years
US drilling to climb as supply disruption continues
Although spending will decelerate in North America, the 2023 forecast for an 18pc increase follows a near-record 44pc in 2022. US drilling will increase by 8.2pc, with total footage forecast to climb 8.7pc, to 290mn ft³ of hole
The oil industry has experienced multiple crude price swings over the last seven years, from $100/bl in 2014 to minus $37/bl in 2020. However, today’s energy environment is significantly different from historical boom-bust cycles. Unrealistic clean energy goals, forced on producers by government officials and environmental groups, caused an unprecedented reduction in oil and gas investment at the start of the Covid pandemic. The pressure tactics compelled energy producers to commit to emission-reduction targets and increased investment in cleaner energy, even as they were struggling with massive losses caused by plunging demand. This, combined with supply issues exacerbated by the war in Ukr
Also in this section
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
17 February 2026
Eni’s chief operating officer for global natural resources, Guido Brusco, takes stock of the company’s key achievements over the past year, and what differentiates its strategy from those of its peers in the LNG sector and beyond
16 February 2026
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026
