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  • #16
    Re: Peak Expensive Oil

    Originally posted by aaron View Post
    As mentioned, there WAS somebody who saw the collapse
    http://www.itulip.com/forums/showthr...new-oil/page11
    While not making a specific bet like GRG did with his brother I did expect an oil price fall in May of last year in the paid subscriber section.

    I posted this:



    Whenever you see the above kind of chart with the exponential increase in any "commodity or asset" it usually means the rapid decline is fast approaching.

    And this:

    An indicator of the end?

    Mark Hiduke just raised $100 million to build his three-week-old company. This 27-year-old isn’t a Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur. He’s a Texas oilman.

    The oil and gas industry is suddenly brimming with upstart millennials like Hiduke after decades of failing to attract and retain new entrants. Now that a breakthrough in drilling technology has U.S. oil and gas production surging, an aging workforce is welcoming a new generation of wildcatters, landmen, engineers, investors, entrepreneurs and aspiring oil barons.

    “I’ve never seen an industry do what the oil and gas industry has done in the last 10 years,” T. Boone Pickens, the 85-year-old billionaire oilman, said in an April 25 phone interview from his Dallas office. “Ten years ago I could not have made this statement that you have picked the right career.”

    Hiduke’s company, Dallas-based PetroCore LLC, received the $100 million commitment from a local private-equity firm in May. He and his three partners plan to buy underdeveloped land and drill shale wells, he said. They’ll draw on the expertise of their engineer, who, at 57, is old enough to be his father.

    The shale boom has “created a lot of opportunity for young professionals to jump in and be given enormous responsibility,” Hiduke said by telephone May 6. “It’s pretty much tech and then energy.”


    Young Professionals

    As oil and gas producers change their focus from grabbing land to drilling, young entrepreneurs are forming companies to trade everything from minerals to leases and wells to equities. They’re competing against, and sometimes collaborating with, industry veterans twice their age.

    “These guys are going to be the poster children of self-made oil and gas tycoons,” Nathen McEown, a 33-year-old accountant at Whitley Penn LLP in Dallas who organizes networking dinners, said in an e-mail April 1. “Or they could be the poster children of how too much money is chasing deals.”

    Since the generational shift coincides with a technological breakthrough, the younger crop only knows the shale boom and knowledge of conventional drilling might retire with the baby boomers, Kimberly Lacher said by phone May 8. The 38-year-old studied to be a chemical engineer and was reassigned by her employer to petroleum just when the shale boom was starting.

    Watering Holes

    Now she and her 31-year-old business partner, Wood Brookshire, head Vendera Resources, which has invested a total of more than $50 million in about 1,200 wells. The Dallas-based duo turned their first fund of a few hundred thousand dollars between the two of them into $4 million today, Brookshire said.

    The new dynamic is on display at the oil patch’s venerable watering holes: members-only, jackets-required institutions such as the Dallas Petroleum Club and the Park City Club. Fresh-faced young professionals gather there to sip bourbon, saw through $49 steaks and swap stories. The rest of the patrons are mostly gray-haired. Some lean on walkers.

    This phenomenon is known in the industry as “the great crew change.” About 71 percent of the oil industry’s workforce is age 50 and up, according to a survey by the Washington-based Independent Petroleum Association of America. At the other end, the ranks of the Dallas chapter of Young Professionals in Energy surged 60 percent to 4,000 since 2009, most of them under age 37. In between there’s a gap left from when oil averaged less than $25 a barrel in each of the years between 1986 and 1999.

    Stay Away

    “Everyone who had kids said don’t get into this business,” Patrick Collins, a 34-year-old third-generation landman, a salesman who collects leases in resource-rich areas, said in an interview April 28. “I tried to get away, but I love this industry.”

    Collins’s father warned him as a kid to stay away from oil because the U.S. was running out. The Midland, Texas, native went off to New York to study history at Columbia University. He interned in marketing, then went to business school and worked for a hedge fund research firm before deciding to retrace his father’s footsteps.

    He became a landman just as the shale boom was getting hot in the mid-2000s. Companies had figured out how to extract oil and gas from shale formations more than a mile deep and previously impermeable by drilling horizontally across the rock layers and cracking them up with blasts of sand, water and chemicals.

    New Opportunity

    That was the breakthrough that London-based BP Plc says is putting the U.S. on course to meet all its own energy needs by 2035. It propelled the U.S. to overtake Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest combined producer of oil and gas last year, according to Energy Department projections. Domestic fields are pumping the most oil since 1986 and natural gas output set new highs in each of the past seven years, government data show.

    Collins saw an opening to use his knowledge of the terrain to scoop up neglected properties, sell them to new drillers and keep a stake. In 2008 he founded Dallas-based Cortez Resources LLC, which now has sold acreage valued at more than $100 million. At one of their first meetings, Collins and his business partner were dealing with two men who were each more than 80 years old, he said.

    One of Collins’s friends, Ryan Watts, graduated from the energy management program at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, in 2004 when there were about 100 students enrolled. Today the program has more than 600, according to the university’s website.

    $6 Billion

    “The shale revolution changed everything,” Watts, 34, said in an April 30 interview. His Dallas-based company, Addax Minerals LLC, has raised about $35 million from wealthy individuals and family investors to buy stakes in potential hot spots, gain a slice of the revenue from drilling and sometimes consolidate and resell the positions.

    PetroCore’s founding partners have participated in oil and gas transactions valued at more than $6 billion, the company said in a statement. Hiduke, who graduated in 2009 from Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, with a degree in finance and economics, was previously a financial analyst at TD Securities and a supervisor at Pioneer Natural Resources Co., he said.

    Matt Miller, 30, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant, teamed up with Griffin Perry, an ex-banker and the 30-year-old son of Texas Governor Rick Perry, to start Grey Rock Energy Partners, which buys minority stakes in wells. They brought in Kirk Lazarine, a 60-year-old veteran of San Ramon, California-based Chevron Corp.

    ‘So Tormented’

    “What you had was an industry that went up, went down, there were constantly people getting laid off, and people got to the point where they just didn’t want to be in the oil industry,” Lazarine said by phone May 1 from Houston. “That’s why you see that 20-year gap, because the industry was so tormented until 2005.”

    Their year-old, Dallas-based firm has raised $40 million so far, Miller said in a May 1 interview. Perry will grow a mustache if they haven’t made it to $200 million by August, according to the pledge scrawled on the conference room whiteboard.

    “What’s going to happen when the older folks retire, we don’t know,” Miller said. “You’re going to see a lot of volatility. You’re going to see young people making decisions that were handled by predecessors who had more experience.”

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Peak Expensive Oil

      Originally posted by Master Shake View Post
      That may be, but 2014 is over and oil fell below $80 and the economy didn't collapse.
      I've said this a couple of times but maybe not outside the paywall. iTulip is a community with lots of smart people. I try to read and understand as many of their posts as possible. The collapse of oil was predicted by the person everyone here trusts when it comes to the oil patch. EJ congratulated him on the call. As with any other part of life, if you expect someone to be right 100% of the time, you'll be disappointed. EJ did make a brilliant call on bonds at the beginning of 2014. That one was so non-intuitive to me I didn't follow the advice but I know others did. EJ doesn't make a lot of specific, actionable investing calls but when he does, they're dead on.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Peak Expensive Oil

        Originally posted by santafe2 View Post
        ....As with any other part of life, if you expect someone to be right 100% of the time, you'll be disappointed. EJ did make a brilliant call on bonds at the beginning of 2014. That one was so non-intuitive to me I didn't follow the advice but I know others did.

        EJ doesn't make a lot of specific, actionable investing calls but when he does, they're dead on.
        the silver call was certainly in that category...

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Peak Expensive Oil

          Originally posted by gnk View Post
          Point taken, sort of... I see it as Russia is not on the defensive. Both the US and Russia are on the offensive, just in different ways.

          Anyway, my point was that the oil price is being used as a weapon, and many of us are merely unintended beneficiaries, for the time being.
          The price of oil was going to fall regardless of anything that happened in Ukraine. It wasn't a guess. There were waaay too many factors lining up that it was almost impossible to avoid that outcome.
          Last edited by GRG55; February 26, 2015, 11:03 PM.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Peak Expensive Oil

            Originally posted by GRG55 View Post
            The price of oil was going to fall regardless of anything that happened in Ukraine. It wasn't a guess. There were waaay too many factors lining up that it was almost impossible to avoid that outcome.
            You have extremely valuable experience and knowledge of the energy sector, and I appreciate your views. They are very reasonable and based on solid observations only someone in your industry would have.

            I on the other hand, like to follow geopolitics, which right off the bat, makes me look like I wear a tinfoil hat (lol). So here goes my more detailed theory... please bear with me...

            I think only geopolitics could explain such a massive drop in such a short time. I can't prove it, so I'm merely speculating, and time will tell. I really do think there is collusion between the US and Saudi Arabia and speculators are also riding the momentum further down. Ukraine/Crimea is a mere symptom of something larger. The Crimean annexation served as a flashpoint of the escalation of conflict.

            There's a sea change going on in the world right now toward super-regionalism, for lack of a better word. The EU and US are in the midst of creating the greatest trading block in the history of the world. Russia, in defense of this, or to counter this, is trying to mimic the EU to create its own "EU" style super region focusing on oil rich areas that coincidentally cover the old USSR. That would be a very strong concentration of energy power/leverage over Europe.

            The Middle East? Well that's been a working project for decades and yet again, Russia stands in the way via Syria and Iran - enemies of Saudi Arabia.

            And so there is this alignment of powers, the EU, US, and Saudi Arabia, versus Russia, Iran, and Syria. They have different goals but common enemy(ies).

            I think we're witnessing the re-destruction of the USSR. And the oil price, inter alia, is being used by two of the top oil producers as an economically deadly weapon for their own goals. Russia would prefer to keep its oil leverage and be its own regional power rather than join the EU. But Russia needs a high oil price to benefit.

            I think this "in the works" trade pact between the EU and the US in effect is the only way the West can re-balance the global imbalances caused by the last couple decades between East and West, creditor and debtor, producer and consumer.

            Putin is stranding in the way by trying to exert energy leverage. I think he's fighting for his political life right now.

            I don't know why Russia doesn't just join the EU, which would benefit its people tremendously. I guess Putin likes to play the emperor and doesn't want to share the spotlight with Germany and France.

            To summarize, yes there were market factors leading to a softening of the oil price to say $70 a barrel, but recent geopolitical developments collapsed the oil price in a very short period of time. I don't think we can discount these developments when analyzing this recent oil price collapse. The biggest loser of this oil price collapse? Russia. I don't think sanctions alone would affect Russia to a high degree. Russia is being squeezed hard by the West and Saudi Arabia.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Peak Expensive Oil

              Originally posted by gnk View Post
              Predicting a price event is one thing, predicting the reason behind a price event is another.
              exactly right.

              There are few people on here who didnt have a negative short term outlook on oil. I certainly did. But it wasn't for the correct reasons. I could have asked anyone at the start of 2014 if they thought oil was going down on here, and most would have likely said yes, but not for the reasons why it actually went down in 2014. What is happening to oil at the moment isn't organic. It's a pre-programmed crash assisted by Saudi Arabia, partly against Russia for reasons mentioned, and partly against the U.S. itself to wash out competition that can't survive with oil prices this low. These are decisions that partly happen on a dime, and partly happen behind closed doors. One thing i'm sure about though is that this isn't peak high oil prices. Its peak delusion in the world's (USA, the Saudis, and others) ability to artificially maintain oil prices to the down side for an extended period of time. It reminds me of what is happening in the gold market at the moment. The cheerleaders only come out when the team is winning. The moment you get a significant dip, maximum pessimism steps in, and everyone believes that low prices are there to stay. When it comes to oil, I don't believe that will be the case
              Last edited by verdo; March 01, 2015, 11:50 AM.


              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                Originally posted by verdo View Post
                ..... What is happening to oil at the moment isn't organic. It's a pre-programmed crash assisted by Saudi Arabia, partly against Russia for reasons mentioned, and partly against the U.S. itself to wash out competition that can't survive with oil prices this low. These are decisions that partly happen on a dime, and partly happen behind closed doors. One thing i'm sure about though is that this isn't peak high oil prices. Its peak delusion in the world's (USA, the Saudis, and others) ability to artificially maintain oil prices to the down side for an extended period of time.
                altho - hows that one about commodities go?

                'the cure for high prices = high prices'

                so dunno how 'artificial' this all is...

                nears i can tell, what was going on thru the aughts/2000's - at least up thru the summer of 2008 anyway ??
                was EXTREMELY artificial.

                dont suppose this has anything to do with it?

                but.. 'as they say' - dont listen to what they SAY, watch what they DO...
                seems to ring quite true, esp in oil?

                It reminds me of what is happening in the gold market at the moment. The cheerleaders only come out when the team is winning. The moment you get a significant dip, maximum pessimism steps in, and everyone believes that low prices are there to stay. When it comes to oil, I don't believe that will be the case
                +1

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                  According to AP, a supply shortage has caused gasoline prices in California to jump $0.60 in February, up $0.24 this past Thursday alone. One refinery is down due to an explosion, another due to a labor dispute.

                  Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                    Originally posted by shiny! View Post
                    According to AP, a supply shortage has caused gasoline prices in California to jump $0.60 in February, up $0.24 this past Thursday alone. One refinery is down due to an explosion, another due to a labor dispute.
                    one way or another... somewhat hilarious that TWO refineries go down and all of a sudden?
                    'shortages' suddenly develop

                    the lowest eye saw was 1.58 (costco) at xmas -
                    now.. street price: 1.95 to 2bux; a few pennies less at costco/sams
                    (at xmas the spread tween costco and the street was .30 or more, so kinda suggests that the retailers were expecting this, so didnt chase costco down - either that or costco cut their margin as a 'holiday gift' ?
                    or maybe to goose their year-end numbers...)

                    which coincides with the move on the comex
                    (read: still a ways to go yet, on the way back up, for street price)

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                      Originally posted by verdo View Post
                      exactly right.

                      There are few people on here who didnt have a negative short term outlook on oil. I certainly did. But it wasn't for the correct reasons. I could have asked anyone at the start of 2014 if they thought oil was going down on here, and most would have likely said yes, but not for the reasons why it actually went down in 2014. What is happening to oil at the moment isn't organic. It's a pre-programmed crash assisted by Saudi Arabia, partly against Russia for reasons mentioned, and partly against the U.S. itself to wash out competition that can't survive with oil prices this low. These are decisions that partly happen on a dime, and partly happen behind closed doors. One thing i'm sure about though is that this isn't peak high oil prices. Its peak delusion in the world's (USA, the Saudis, and others) ability to artificially maintain oil prices to the down side for an extended period of time. It reminds me of what is happening in the gold market at the moment. The cheerleaders only come out when the team is winning. The moment you get a significant dip, maximum pessimism steps in, and everyone believes that low prices are there to stay. When it comes to oil, I don't believe that will be the case
                      As I have posted before, oil is the most political of commodities. And it is absurd to suggest anybody can actually consistently forecast global political events (one might be better off believing in the Tooth Fairy)...hence one of the reasons predicting oil prices movements is a mugs game.

                      However, there are times when politics are not the dominant factor in the major directional changes of oil prices, and fundamentals re-assert themselves. This was one of those times. And that is why it was a reasonable proposition to expect that directional change well in advance, in spite of the fact that half the Middle East is in flames. The Saudi reaction to it was also predictable if one cuts through the hype surrounding OPEC and looks at its actual multi-decade track record and member behavours.

                      The price movements have been exacerbated by some of the factors you list, but there was no orchestration and none of what you suggest "caused" the price of oil to start collapsing.

                      As to what happens next? Oil is still rather expensive to find and develop...but F&D costs were falling in all the important plays, including the North American shale trends, before the oil price fell out of bed. Unless and until we see a strengthening of global growth rates a quick and sustained rebound in oil prices is highly unlikely.

                      The overthrow and ousting of the House of Saud might be the one political outlier event that could pump prices, but I am skeptical that even that will be able to sustain a significantly higher price in the current circumstances.
                      Last edited by GRG55; March 01, 2015, 10:23 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                        Originally posted by GRG55 View Post
                        As I have posted before, oil is the most political of commodities. And it is absurd to suggest anybody can actually consistently forecast global political events (one might be better off believing in the Tooth Fairy)...hence one of the reasons predicting oil prices movements is a mugs game.

                        However, there are times when politics are not the dominant factor in the major directional changes of oil prices, and fundamentals re-assert themselves. This was one of those times. And that is why it was a reasonable proposition to expect that directional change well in advance, in spite of the fact that half the Middle East is in flames. The Saudi reaction to it was also predictable if one cuts through the hype surrounding OPEC and looks at its actual multi-decade track record and member behavours.

                        The price movements have been exacerbated by some of the factors you list, but there was no orchestration and none of what you suggest "caused" the price of oil to start collapsing.

                        As to what happens next? Oil is still rather expensive to find and develop...but F&D costs were falling in all the important plays, including the North American shale trends, before the oil price fell out of bed. Unless and until we see a strengthening of global growth rates a quick and sustained rebound in oil prices is highly unlikely.

                        The overthrow and ousting of the House of Saud might be the one political outlier event that could pump prices, but I am skeptical that even that will be able to sustain a significantly higher price in the current circumstances.

                        https://rbnenergy.com/all-about-that...e-and-peak-oil

                        It’s All About that (Resource) Base
                        If such a market dynamic has developed, the significance to world energy markets will be profound. This would say that the resource base stands ready – at a price – to cap crude prices and restore balance to the supply/demand equation, at least within some reasonably plausible range of demand. And because U.S. shale producers can respond quickly to prices, the historical supply inelasticity in crude oil markets could be a thing of the past – at least for a while.
                        This is potentially such a big deal that we feel compelled to offer our own alternative to Hubbert’s Peak Oil theory. Shale seems to have put a bullet in that hypothesis. We suggest a new Base Oil theory – the theory of a resource base overhang that will adjust supply to meet demand in response to price changes. What would the Base Oil theory look like for the U.S.? Consider Figure #5. In periods of demand growth, prices increase and volumes respond. When demand for U.S oil declines – either because actual demand is lower or supplies from other countries have increased, prices decline and volumes fall. It is just one peak after another (cycles inside the dashed oval).


                        Dear Mr. GRG55,

                        Is this theory valid that the fniding and development costs in the shale areas will fall enough that there will be a large enough resource of oil to be tapped whenever the price of oil goes over a threshold. In other words, is it back to a pre 1999 oil spike and find more oil to reduce price scenario vs pco oil price scenario from here.

                        Appreciate your insight.

                        Thank you.
                        AKT
                        If you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                          Originally posted by GRG55 View Post
                          As I have posted before, oil is the most political of commodities. And it is absurd to suggest anybody can actually consistently forecast global political events (one might be better off believing in the Tooth Fairy)...hence one of the reasons predicting oil prices movements is a mugs game.

                          However, there are times when politics are not the dominant factor in the major directional changes of oil prices, and fundamentals re-assert themselves. This was one of those times. And that is why it was a reasonable proposition to expect that directional change well in advance, in spite of the fact that half the Middle East is in flames. The Saudi reaction to it was also predictable if one cuts through the hype surrounding OPEC and looks at its actual multi-decade track record and member behavours.

                          The price movements have been exacerbated by some of the factors you list, but there was no orchestration and none of what you suggest "caused" the price of oil to start collapsing.

                          As to what happens next? Oil is still rather expensive to find and develop...but F&D costs were falling in all the important plays, including the North American shale trends, before the oil price fell out of bed. Unless and until we see a strengthening of global growth rates a quick and sustained rebound in oil prices is highly unlikely.

                          The overthrow and ousting of the House of Saud might be the one political outlier event that could pump prices, but I am skeptical that even that will be able to sustain a significantly higher price in the current circumstances.

                          https://rbnenergy.com/all-about-that...e-and-peak-oil

                          It’s All About that (Resource) Base
                          If such a market dynamic has developed, the significance to world energy markets will be profound. This would say that the resource base stands ready – at a price – to cap crude prices and restore balance to the supply/demand equation, at least within some reasonably plausible range of demand. And because U.S. shale producers can respond quickly to prices, the historical supply inelasticity in crude oil markets could be a thing of the past – at least for a while.
                          This is potentially such a big deal that we feel compelled to offer our own alternative to Hubbert’s Peak Oil theory. Shale seems to have put a bullet in that hypothesis. We suggest a new Base Oil theory – the theory of a resource base overhang that will adjust supply to meet demand in response to price changes. What would the Base Oil theory look like for the U.S.? Consider Figure #5. In periods of demand growth, prices increase and volumes respond. When demand for U.S oil declines – either because actual demand is lower or supplies from other countries have increased, prices decline and volumes fall. It is just one peak after another (cycles inside the dashed oval).


                          Dear Mr. GRG55,

                          Is this theory valid that the fniding and development costs in the shale areas will fall enough that there will be a large enough resource of oil to be tapped whenever the price of oil goes over a threshold. In other words, is it back to a pre 1999 oil spike and find more oil to reduce price scenario vs pco oil price scenario from here.

                          Appreciate your insight.

                          Thank you.
                          AKT
                          If you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                            i think another way to put this question is to ask where we are on the peak $50-$90 shale oil curve. i've seen so many different estimates of u.s. shale oil reserves i've given up on having an answer of my own, but perhaps grg55 will have a view.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                              Originally posted by akt View Post
                              https://rbnenergy.com/all-about-that...e-and-peak-oil

                              It’s All About that (Resource) Base
                              If such a market dynamic has developed, the significance to world energy markets will be profound. This would say that the resource base stands ready – at a price – to cap crude prices and restore balance to the supply/demand equation, at least within some reasonably plausible range of demand. And because U.S. shale producers can respond quickly to prices, the historical supply inelasticity in crude oil markets could be a thing of the past – at least for a while.
                              This is potentially such a big deal that we feel compelled to offer our own alternative to Hubbert’s Peak Oil theory. Shale seems to have put a bullet in that hypothesis. We suggest a new Base Oil theory – the theory of a resource base overhang that will adjust supply to meet demand in response to price changes. What would the Base Oil theory look like for the U.S.? Consider Figure #5. In periods of demand growth, prices increase and volumes respond. When demand for U.S oil declines – either because actual demand is lower or supplies from other countries have increased, prices decline and volumes fall. It is just one peak after another (cycles inside the dashed oval).


                              Dear Mr. GRG55,

                              Is this theory valid that the fniding and development costs in the shale areas will fall enough that there will be a large enough resource of oil to be tapped whenever the price of oil goes over a threshold. In other words, is it back to a pre 1999 oil spike and find more oil to reduce price scenario vs pco oil price scenario from here.

                              Appreciate your insight.

                              Thank you.
                              AKT
                              Originally posted by jk View Post
                              i think another way to put this question is to ask where we are on the peak $50-$90 shale oil curve. i've seen so many different estimates of u.s. shale oil reserves i've given up on having an answer of my own, but perhaps grg55 will have a view.

                              Let me start with "this time is different", as it truly is.

                              There are a LOT of moving parts that determine the state of the global crude oil business and markets. The "analysis" that I see invariably slices out a subset and generally attempts to examine things from a necessarily simplified view. I seriously doubt I can do much better in one post.

                              The multi-year secular trends in oil price are predominantly driven by fundamentals. The short term perturbations around the secular trend, and the invariable overshoots whenever the trend changes, are largely political event driven (the 1979 Iranian Revolution peak, the 1991 Gulf War I spike and the present OPEC/Saudi inspired downslide are some examples). Layered on top of this, to make it even more complex, are the antics of the US Government and the Federal Reserve in respect to the comparative exchange value of the Reserve Currency in which commodities, including oil, are popularly priced (Others here may have quite a different view from the above and I respect that. However, I don't wish to debate it.)

                              So what is different this time? And why might it matter? Shale resources have changed things considerably.

                              • During the last secular oil price decline (1980-1999) the physical supply pipeline could not react quickly to the price change. Projects were huge, some of the largest were offshore (the massive Prudhoe Bay anticline and the prolific North Sea fields among those developments), international in scope, and often governed by comparatively rigid contracts with host governments that stipulated development expenditure commitments to hold the assets (and fund their expected tax take). Combined with the psychological residue of two shortage events (1973 and 1979) the capital spending taps were difficult to turn down. Hence the oil price started its secular decline in 1980, collapsed when Saudi Arabia opened the spigots in 1986, and continued to grind down even further into the low of 1999 (the year North Sea oil production peaked).
                              • Although major field developments in Saudi Arabia and the opening up to capital investment in Iraq and Russia contributed material supply increases during the most recent secular price increase (1999 to 2014), the largest production increase by far was in the continental USA. And those increases came from the "unconventional resource" base which is not burdened with international megaproject contract negotiations, investment & project timelines or legal agreement spending obligations.
                              • In the USA the "short-cycle" unconventional resource plays allow the industry to turn the capital spending tap on and off almost instantly. The USA rig count drop in this downturn is faster than any other decline in 30 years (1985, 1997, 2001, 2008).
                              • Similarly the speed and amplitude of capital spending reductions by the industry is unprecedented.
                              • Unconventional resource development has collapsed the time between capital investment and first production. This is not confined to the shale oil plays. The shift from Canadian oil sands mining megaprojects to in-situ steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) exploitation has had a similar effect.
                              • However, it works the other way around too. The steep decline rates for unconventional resources mean that production will adjust more quickly to the downside as well when the capital investment rate is throttled back,as it has been recently. We will not see a 19 year grinding decline in oil prices this time.
                              • This is the closest thing to "just in time" inventory (supply) management the oil industry has ever enjoyed.
                              • The dramatic domestic unconventional resource F&D (finding and development) cost improvements, which will be furthered by the present squeeze in the over supplied North American oil services sector, means the "equilibrium" price for profitable unconventional resource exploitation is going to be lower, much lower, than most observers (and "analysts") currently expect.
                              • For some years after the financial crisis crude oil prices held above $80 in the belief that the marginal cost of remote and offshore developments (Brazil, deepwater US Gulf Coast, West Africa, South China Sea, Siberia & the Russian Arctic, and even troubled Kashagan in the Caspian Sea) required high prices to provide future supply. These projects are now largely uneconomic (although severe currency declines like the BRL, NGN and RUB offset part of this disadvantage) as long as developing onshore conventional resources remains the dominant supply source at the margin. That will be another driver for unconventional onshore resource owners to rationalize, restructure and further lower their costs to remain competitive...the salad days of oil being priced based on remote regions or deepwater offshore F&D are gone.


                              This time it IS different.
                              Last edited by GRG55; March 08, 2015, 11:55 PM.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Peak Expensive Oil

                                Originally posted by GRG55 View Post
                                Let me start with "this time is different", as it truly is.

                                There are a LOT of moving parts that determine the state of the global crude oil business and markets. The "analysis" that I see invariably slices out a subset and generally attempts to examine things from a necessarily simplified view. I seriously doubt I can do much better in one post.


                                So what is different this time? And why might it matter? Shale resources have changed things considerably.

                                • For some years after the financial crisis crude oil prices held above $80 in the belief that the marginal cost of remote and offshore developments (Brazil, deepwater US Gulf Coast, West Africa, South China Sea, Siberia & the Russian Arctic, and even troubled Kashagan in the Caspian Sea) required high prices to provide future supply. These projects are now largely uneconomic (although severe currency declines like the BRL, NGN and RUB offset part of this disadvantage) as long as developing onshore conventional resources remains the dominant supply source at the margin. That will be another driver for unconventional onshore resource owners to rationalize, restructure and further lower their costs to remain competitive...the salad days of oil being priced based on remote regions or deepwater offshore F&D are gone.


                                This time it IS different.

                                Thank you very much. Mr. GRG55.

                                Just one follow up. If shale oil can be found in the USA and the technology will be exported around the world, could it not be found elsewhere too.

                                An example from wikipedia.
                                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_sha...cal_allocation

                                Could that change the game in our lifetime. Enough oil to last us until conservation takes out some of the demand side forever combined with declining population in areas of the world that can demand (europe, japan, not as much growth in north america).

                                Cheers,
                                AKT
                                If you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance.

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