Locator: 47073B.
WTI: $78.76.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024: 8 for the month; 72 for the quarter, 271 for the year
37106, conf, BR, Carlsbad 3A UTFH,
Monday, May 6, 2024: 7 for the month; 71 for the quarter, 270 for the year
39348, conf, Hess, TI-T Lalim-157-95-0214H-3,
Sunday, May 5, 2024: 6 for the month; 70 for the quarter, 269 for the year
40277, conf, BR, Carlsbad 1B UTFH,
Saturday, May 4, 2024: 5 for the month; 69 for the quarter, 268 for the year
39465,
conf, Hess, EN-Bakke-157-93-1522H-6,
RBN Energy: E&Ps' 2023 organic reserve replacement metrics weaken, spurring M&A consolidation. Archived.
U.S. E&Ps’ dramatic strategic shift from prioritizing growth to
focusing on cash flow generation and shareholder returns has resulted in
more earnings-call talk about dividends and share buybacks and less
discussion about efforts to replenish and build their proven oil and gas
reserves — a critically important factor in establishing company value.
The emphasis on financial results has largely masked a sizable increase
in the costs E&Ps are incurring to organically replace their
reserves and a significant decrease in the volumes replaced. In today’s
RBN blog, we’ll analyze the weakening in reserve replacement metrics
over the last two years, a trend that has led many producers to grow
their reserves through M&A.
First, let’s define oil and gas reserves and review how they are reported by producers. As we explained in an earlier blog on reserve replacement,
proved reserves are quantities of crude oil, natural gas and NGLs
assumed to have at least a 90% chance of eventual recovery under
existing economic and operating conditions. Oil and gas companies are
mandated to report their proved reserves annually in their 10-Ks. The
changes result from several factors:
- Extensions and discoveries, the most impactful, are
reserves unlocked through the development of existing fields and
successful exploration of new properties. These additions are funded by
the company’s annual organic — or “finding and development” — capital
spending. The level and effectiveness of this investment is critical to
the long-term sustainability of an E&P.
- Revisions of previous estimates primarily result
from changes in commodity prices — lower prices can make certain volumes
uneconomic to produce, while higher realizations nudge volumes into the
proved category. Poor well performance can also reduce estimates of
future recoverable volumes from a field.
- Purchases and divestitures reflect the net result of M&A activity.
- Production volumes are subtracted from
beginning-of-year reserves and current-year reserve additions to arrive
at current year-end reserves.