Deferred

Producers that in late 2014 began to carefully prune discretionary spending now are cutting all nonessential expenditures, which in 2015 upended at least 68 major oil and natural gas projects worldwide worth a total of $380 billion, Wood Mackenzie Ltd. said.

At least 68 major oil and natural gas projects worldwide, worth a total of $380 billion and holding an estimated 27 billion boe of commercial reserves, have been shelved since late 2014, with deferred U.S. oil projects accounting for most of the losses, according to Wood Mackenzie Ltd.

Investment decisions delayed or canceled this year for at least 150 global natural gas and oil projects, ranging from export terminals to the deepwater, could leave at least $125 billion a year on the table for the next five years, according to Tudor, Pickering Holt & Co. (TPH). ExxonMobil Corp. is estimated to have the largest exposure.

Oil and natural gas projects shelved since oil prices tumbled in 2014 could leave at least $125 billion a year on the table investment-wise over the next five years and endanger 125 billion boe-plus of resources, an analysis by Houston’s Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) has determined.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has deferred a decision on Sierra Club’s request to block a major permit for Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass project to liquefy and export domestic gas from Louisiana.

Some of Halliburton Co.’s pressure pumping deliveries in North America originally planned for this year will be deferred to 2013 to deal with “inefficiencies” that followed onshore producers moving from dry natural gas plays to more liquids-rich regions, company executives said Wednesday.

Although they deferred action until next month, California regulators Thursday spent considerable time discussing the deployment of advanced natural gas utility metering systems and the fate of a gas-fired generation plant in Northern California that the state’s grid operator claims is essential to reliability. Advocates for the smart gas meters contend that they are essential for upgrades to pipeline system safety.

Nearby futures gained modestly and more deferred contracts posted narrow losses Monday as traders squared their books prior to Tuesday’s options expiration and Wednesday’s futures termination.

Spot month natural gas futures settled unchanged, but more deferred contracts retreated in active trading Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Traders cited an interest by funds and managed accounts toward the sell side of the market, and in the longer term analysts suggested that if there were no major production-disrupting hurricanes this season, prices could fall more than another dollar.