Gas

A slowdown of crude oil and associated natural gas production in the Permian Basin, combined with new infrastructure and capacity releases in Mexico, could help narrow the discount of Waha natural gas prices to Henry Hub over the coming months and years, according to NGI’s Patrick Rau, director of strategy and research.

The Permian Basin in May reported the largest monthly decline in oil and gas permits ever, down 47% from April, as applications by large-cap operators fell to their lowest levels in history, off by almost three-quarters, Evercore ISI said Tuesday.

Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Maura Healey last Thursday asked the state’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to open an investigation into phasing out natural gas amid the transition toward alternative fuels by 2050.

The year started as 2019 had ended for leading natural gas marketers, with 1Q2020 continuing the sales declines that have hampered the industry for four consecutive quarters, according to NGI’s Top North American Natural Gas Marketers rankings.

Natural gas futures scratched out a modest gain Monday after Tropical Storm Cristobal made landfall a day earlier, forcing shut-ins but also bringing cooler air to the South. Entrenched worries about weakness in demand from liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities curbed price momentum.

Weatherford International plc, which exited bankruptcy in December, is facing more turmoil as CEO Mark McCollum was forced out days ahead of the annual meeting.

French supermajor Total SA, one of the largest global natural gas producers, said Monday it has joined the Getting to Zero Coalition to work toward a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping by 2050, including helping to improve liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.

Driven by plummeting oil prices and the shutdown of local economies from the coronavirus pandemic, Latin America’s rig count fell a further 27 rigs month/month to 62 in May, according to the latest figures from Baker Hughes Co.

Global oil demand has begun to recover from the impacts of a still raging pandemic, but Lower 48 upstream activity is unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels anytime soon, if at all, according to ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance.