SINGAPORE—Oil major BP plans to sell more U.S. crude to Asia as its shale oil production grows, seeking to capitalize on growth in the world’s key demand region.
The strategy, outlined in a Reuters interview with company executives, follows BP’s move to acquire giant miner BHP’s assets in the United States’ prolific Permian shale basin last year, expected to give its portfolio a boost in light-sweet crude production.
“This (Asia) is a key growth region” for energy demand, said Sharon Weintraub, BP’s CEO of supply and trading for the eastern hemisphere. She didn’t specify BP’s growth targets for Asia sales.
“We recently bought BHP’s assets in our U.S. business so we have a greater amount of Permian crude coming to market over the next few years in terms of our equity portfolio,” Weintraub said.
Zoe Anderson, head of analytics at the supply and trading, eastern hemisphere business, said, “The idea is, yes, we want to send (U.S. crude) supply here (Asia).”
BP has been actively shipping U.S. crude to Asia, having sold cargoes to Japan, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam as it jostles for business in the world’s fastest-growing market with other giant producers and traders like Occidental, Trafigura, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron and Aramco Trading Co.
BP ships a variety of light crudes to Asia, such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland and Eagle Ford, and medium-sour grades Mars and Thunder Horse.
More U.S. crude is being processed by refineries across Asia. It’s replacing falling regional low-sulfur crude production, and some of the world’s top crude oil importers, like South Korea and India, are expanding imports this year to replace sanctions-hit Iranian oil.
Sanctions on Venezuela, as well as Iran, have kept crude supplies in Asia snug, supporting Brent at $60 a barrel. But new supplies of refined products, LNG and petrochemicals have hit the market just as trade tensions between the United States and China dent demand, weighing on prices this year.
“With a lack of confidence affecting things like trade flows that’s going to extend downside risks in the short run till we see some resolution, which is still unclear when that’s going to happen,” Weintraub said.
BP is also expecting new LNG supplies from Indonesia, Africa and the United States to come online in early next decade, Weintraub said, a period where some analysts expect the market to tighten.
These supplies include BP’s share of production in the Greater Tortue development offshore Senegal and Mauritania, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass project in the United States, and Indonesia’s Tangguh phase 3 expansion.
“LNG is a cyclical market and it happens to be on the weaker side today, and we do expect demand to potentially right-size itself,” Weintraub said.
Longer term, Asia also features in BP’s plans to cope with a gradual global shift away from oil and into cleaner energy sources.
BP said last month it would build a network of electric-vehicle charging hubs in China with Didi Chuxing, the country’s biggest ride-hailing company, in a bet on the world’s largest market for such cars.
Recommended Reading
Dividends Declared in the Week of July 22
2024-07-25 - Second quarter earnings are underway, and companies are declaring dividends.
Swift Solar, with Backing from Italy’s Eni, Raises Tech Financing
2024-06-12 - Swift Solar, with backing from Italy’s Eni and others, has raised a total of $44 million for work transforming the solar energy landscape with perovskite tandem solar projects.
Trio Chairman Robin Ross Named CEO Less Than a Month After Return
2024-07-15 - Robin Ross, who last month returned to Trio Petroleum as board chair, has been named CEO while predecessor Michael Peterson will remain as a consultant.
Endeavor Energy Founder Autry Stephens Dies at 86
2024-08-16 - Stephens created a legacy in the Permian Basin that Endeavor said will continue to shape the future of the company.
Permian Surface-owner LandBridge to Raise up to $367MM in IPO
2024-06-17 - Houston-based LandBridge holds some 220,000 surface acres in the Delaware Basin.