Eagle Ford’s oil and gas industry has continued to rise in importance since 2008 when it became the world’s most active shale play, transforming the US’s position in the global energy mix. Since then, production has grown significantly. Eagle Ford accounts for a large share of Texas’ production along with producing fields on the state’s Permian Basin. Texas is the top oil and gas producer in the US, traditionally accounting for just under half of its oil production and a quarter of its natural gas production. The state is also the US’ highest consumer of petroleum products, with its industrial sector taking the lion’s share.
The Eagle Ford shale formation is located in Texas and forms an arc from the Mexican border to around 640 kilometres northeast of Houston and Austin. The 51,800-square-kilometre play is divided into three windows, with the northern section containing mostly crude oil, the central section containing mostly gas liquids such as ethane, propane and butane, and the southern section holding mostly natural gas deposits.
The region has attracted many E&P operators taking advantage of opportunities, with the largest players on the Eagle Ford formation being EOG Resources, ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Chesapeake Energy and China National Offshore Oil Corporation. Players have taken advantage of new horizontal drilling technologies to tap previously untouched plays, with more recoverable resources still untapped in the region.
Production from the Eagle Ford basin has given rise to the US’ largest cluster of oil refineries, predominantly located in ports along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, consisting of around a quarter of the nation’s oil refining capacity. Gas production has also seen a huge rise in LNG terminals in Texas, accounting for more than half of the country’s LNG export capacity and rising. Despite being a net LNG importer in the past, a large rise in LNG production has seen the US join the ranks as a top global LNG exporter along with Qatar and Australia.
Alongside its coastal marine exports, Texas also boasts a considerable gas pipeline network that pumps the resource across the state, into Mexico and towards the rest of the US. While gas enters Texas’ pipeline system from other states, a larger part of gas is exported, with almost three times more natural gas departing the state than entering.
Tanzania’s oil and gas industry has grown significantly since major offshore natural gas was discovered at the Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay fields in 2004. The country now exports natural gas and has used revenues to diversify its energy offerings and create more economic stability. The government has also ratified its oil and gas policies to create a more conducive environment for international investors and growth of local industry and talent. Tanzania is currently working under its Natural Gas Utilization Masterplan 2016-2045 that looks to organise the industry and pinpoint and develop further gas-related projects.
In March 2016, Dubai-headquartered Dodsal Group made Tanzania’s first large onshore gas discovery with a 76.4 bcm (2.7 tcf) find in the country’s Ruvu Basin region. Potential reserves are estimated around 107.6 bcm (3.8 tcf). Ultimately, the discovery could represent between USD 8 billion-11 billion worth of natural gas.
NOC Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation is the sole licence holder for upstream plays. The state-owned player has created subsidiaries TANOIL to deal with downstream operations and Gas Company Tanzania to deal with both midstream and downstream activities. The Tanzanian government has maintained a favourable attitude towards foreign investment and managed to attract large IOCs to explore the country’s hydrocarbons reserves, including Norway’s Equinor, US’ ExxonMobil, UK’s Shell and Ophir Energy, the latter of which was later acquired by Indonesia’s MedcoEnergi.
The country’s economy has suffered amid sluggish global economic growth and depressed commodity prices. However, the current government is pushing for the development of Tanzania’s yet untapped offshore gas reserves to generate new streams of revenues for the state and boost economic growth. Investment opportunities also exist in the country’s active diversification schemes, including export pipelines and LNG terminal projects.
The lack of resources in the ground might initially suggest a country with a fairly stagnant hydrocarbons industry, but Singapore is anything but. A major trading centre and a hub for oilfield technology, the city-state plays a pivotal role in the Southeast Asian energy landscape.
Due to its favourable tax regime, strategic location, transportation infrastructure and stable political climate, Singapore has come to serve as a base for oil and gas companies involved in exploration and production activities in Southeast Asia. The diminutive city-state has become a magnet for international oil companies.
India’s oil and gas industry has long been a rising pillar in the country’s economic development. While India is a net importer of hydrocarbons, with the International Energy Agency forecasting dependence on oil imports to rise to 90% by 2040, E&P activities have grown considerably to match the country’s growing energy consumption. The government has made successful revisions of its policies and pricing to incentivise exploration, production and downstream activities, including early production royalty concessions and allowance of 100% FDI participation in many areas of the energy industry.
Most of India’s oil reserves are located in the west of the country, in particular in the western offshore region near Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Assam-Arakan basin in India’s northeast is also an important oil-bearing area. These regions contain mature fields where production is currently declining. EOR and redevelopment projects are underway to minimise production decline, with new technologies raising interest for investors looking to participate in brownfield projects. The country’s upstream sector is dominated by India’s NOC ONGC and its subsidiaries, with massive participation from local and foreign independents.
Outside of its upstream sector, India’s downstream sector has grown considerably to match raised production and petroleum imports. Local players Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Reliance Industries have traditionally taken up more than 60% of the local refining market. LNG terminals have also grown around India’s coastline, with more penned for further development. The nation is also actively looking to increase its gas pipeline infrastructure to increase industrial development in regional areas and support economic equality between its states and union territories.
Indonesia’s oil and gas industry is a key element in the country’s historic economic development. First oil was discovered in North Sumatra in 1883, which led to the establishment of super-major Royal Dutch Shell in 1890. Production of hydrocarbons continues to be a crucial part of the economy and is increasing in significance as reserves are gradually lowered and local consumption rises. Despite being Southeast Asia’s second largest economy, the government has struggled with making its upstream plays attractive to foreign investors in the modern era due to what are seen as protectionist policies and a history of corruption.
The OPEC member’s upstream and natural gas activities are overseen by SKK Migas. The task force has initiated an ambitious roadmap to shake up the industry and recoup its losses, attract investment and bring the industry back to its former peak in the 1990s. NOC Pertamina is the dominant player in the upstream sector, and has been joined by international players such as China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Total E&P Indonesia, ConocoPhillips, BP Tangguh and ExxonMobil Indonesia. The island nation’s prospective gas plays are mainly found on offshore basins that are not associated with its crude production. E&P operations on its coal bed methane and shale gas are being pushed by the state as a key economic lifeline for the nation.
Indonesia is a large player in the global LNG export market. In the 1990’s it accounted for one-third of international trade of the resource. However it has lost it market dominance due to a rise in LNG exports from competitors such as Qatar, Australia and the US. The country remains a significant regional supplier of LNG, with Japan, South Korea and China among its top buyers.
The Asian nation is also seeking investment in its downstream and midstream sectors. Indonesia boasts a large array of refineries. However, the country’s refining capacities are inefficient for its demand. Indonesia relies on imports to fulfil its petroleum usage. Pertamina owns and operates most of the country’s refining capacity. The country has no international pipelines for petroleum trade and maritime transport remains a crucial component of its energy value chain. State-run Perusahaan Gas Negara manages more than 90% of the country’s midstream infrastructure.
Ghana’s oil and gas industry rose into significance upon the discovery of massive deposits in its offshore Jubilee field, which began production in 2010. Since then, satellite discoveries have been made on Ghana’s five sedimentary basins, significantly increasing the small African country’s importance among the continent’s oil and gas producers. However, Ghana remains less reliant on its hydrocarbons production than its Sub-Saharan African neighbours such as Nigeria, Angola and Gabon, with gold as its largest export and its services sector representing around half of the country’s GDP.
The hydrocarbons industry is supervised by the Petroleum Commission, which oversees upstream bid rounds and enforces state guidelines surrounding oil and gas production. The sector is dominated by state-run Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, created in 1983 to champion activities in the upstream sector. International E&P companies have joined the country in developing its upstream assets, including Tullow Oil, ExxonMobil and Aker Energy. The market is seen as attractive due to low lifting prices and a stable political environment.
The government set up the privately run Ghana Gas Company in 2011 to build, own and operate infrastructure required for gathering, processing, transporting and marketing the nation’s gas resources. The company has actively developed Ghana’s successful downstream sector, which now looks to supply gas to rural areas, lower the use of diesel and heavy fuel oils in power generation and electrify the entire country. Ghana aims to become a gas trading hub for West Africa through its LNG terminal in Tenma and related infrastructure but is met with stiff competition from the region.
“Since the discovery of commercial quantities of oil in Ghana, the government has tried to expand Ghanaians’ participation in the oil industry, in both the upstream and downstream sectors,” Ghanaian Minister of Energy Matthew Opoku Prempeh told The Energy Year. “There’s been a huge agenda on capacity building for Ghanaians, including localisation of contracts and subcontracts, where local contractors participate in various fields. It’s not just about IOCs coming in to explore and produce.”
Gabon’s oil and gas industry is older than the country itself. Oil was first discovered near the African nation’s capital of Libreville in 1931 when it was still a French colony. During the 1960s the nation saw a flurry of exploration and production activity, which led to a dramatic increase in production. In 1996, the country saw record production of 365,000 bopd. However, maturing fields and lack of major new finds has led to a significant decrease in output. Nevertheless, Gabon remains in the top five oil producers in Sub-Saharan Africa and a member of OPEC.
The sector is overseen by Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum and Hydrocarbons, which runs its upstream bid rounds and enforces state policies. In 2011, the country created its own NOC, Gabon Oil, to increase the state’s participation in equity stakes, production earnings and downstream activities. IOCs have been quick to join local operations, particularly in offshore E&P activities, including TotalEnergies, Assala Energy, Perenco and Vaalco Energy.
The government is now looking to attract investment in exploration operations to stabilise its economy, which traditionally accounts for less than 50% of Gabon’s GDP and 75% of the country’s export earnings. Gabon’s deep offshore region has geological formations reminiscent of Brazil’s successful deepwater pre-salt plays. The government harbours hopes of sparking a similar pre-salt boom in Gabon.
“We are driven by one major goal: capturing value in a responsible manner while respecting our values of performance, solidarity, integrity and good governance,” ex-administrator and general director of Gabon Oil told The Energy Year. “Gabon Oil is fully aware of its responsibility to society. It supports the state in the implementation of its social and environmental policies and the protection of vulnerable populations.”
Bahrain’s oil and gas industry is minor compared to neighbouring industries but significant to the country’s energy industry and economy. While it is the smallest oil producer among GCC members, the industry has traditionally made up more than 70% of the nation’s GDP. The sector is run by key state players such as Bahrain Petroleum Company, National Oil and Gas Authority and its investment arm Nogaholding. The country began diversifying and liberalising its economy in the 1970s and now boasts developed non-hydrocarbons sectors such as Islamic banking, tourism and construction.
Most of Bahrain’s oil and gas production are from its onshore Bahrain field and offshore Abu Safah field. The latter field makes up most of the country’s production and is operated by Emeriti NOC Saudi Aramco, with 50% of its revenues transferred to Bahrain. The country made a significant find on its offshore Khalij al-Bahrain reservoir in 2018 that boosted expected reserves significantly by 80 billion barrels.
While the country continues to explore and develop its oil and gas assets, Bahrain aims to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. To reach this target, Bahrain aims to produce 710 MW from renewable sources by 2035. Bahrain’s Sustainable Energy Authority was created in 2019 to oversee efficient energy policy and promote renewables in the energy mix. The entity is targeting solar, wind and waste-to-energy facilities to achieve its goals.
