Majors

Large producers, both majors and independents, “have confidence that natural gas price indices are fundamentally sound,” the Natural Gas Supply Association said in a letter to FERC Chairman Pat Wood last Tuesday, refuting comments to the contrary by Apache Corp. in a Washington Post article published March 1.

Large producers, both majors and independents, “have confidence that natural gas price indices are fundamentally sound,” the Natural Gas Supply Association said in a letter to FERC Chairman Pat Wood Tuesday, refuting comments to the contrary by Apache Corp. in a Washington Post article published March 1.

Three of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, Exxon Mobil (XOM), ChevronTexaco and Royal Dutch/Shell Group, posted third quarter earnings Thursday, with both Exxon and Shell reporting encouraging production results. Meanwhile, ChevronTexaco was blasted off its track with more than $2 billion in charges, including a $1.55 billion write-down against Dynegy Inc., in which it is a 26.5% shareholder (see related story). Meanwhile, independents’ quarterly earnings also are coming in, including Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which upped its fourth quarter and year-end earnings on stronger-than-expected results.

The 11 majors and independents that produce about 14% of the natural gas for the Lower 48 are reporting a 1.7% sequential decline over the first quarter and a 5.8% decline over a year ago, according to research by Lehman Brothers’ analyst Thomas R. Driscoll. The analyst, who surveys a total of 45 producers that overall account for 70% of U.S. production, has revised a previous forecast of flat production for the quarter, and now predicts either a small increase or decrease, in the range of +0.4% to 0.4%, from the first quarter of this year.

The 11 majors and independents that produce about 14% of the natural gas for the Lower 48 are reporting a 1.7% sequential decline over the first quarter and a 5.8% decline over a year ago, according to research by Lehman Brothers’ analyst Thomas R. Driscoll. The analyst, who surveys a total of 45 producers that overall account for 70% of U.S. production, has revised a previous forecast of flat production for the quarter, and now predicts either a small increase or decrease, in the range of +0.4% to 0.4%, from the first quarter of this year.

From mega majors to independents, producers’ earnings, which one year ago soared on record profit, glided to earth in the fourth quarter of 2001, knocked down by a world-wide recession, terrorist attacks that in turn reduced travel and lower energy prices. The first major to report, and the leader, Exxon Mobil Corp., reported a 49% drop in fourth quarter profits. However, independents also are feeling the pinch, as Burlington Resources Inc., Amerada Hess Corp. and Kerr-McGee Corp. all reported fourth-quarter declines.

Nearly all of the U.S. independents posted remarkable earnings in second quarter earnings announcements last week, boosted by high commodity prices and increased production — especially in the natural gas sector. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Apache Corp., both headquartered in Houston, got a boost in production and earnings from strategic acquisitions, while Barrett Resources Corp., XTO Corp. and Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. relied on their own U.S.-based production reserves.

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp., the number one and two energy companies in the world, both posted record profits in their second quarter earnings, but analysts warned that going forward, it will be difficult for the energy companies to continue soaring if oil and natural gas prices remain depressed. Exxon, the largest publicly traded company, saw earnings up 5.5% in both natural gas and refining operations, while Chevron’s jumped 21%.

Cabot LNG, currently the only active liquefied natural gas importer on the East Coast, has entered into a second 20-year charter agreement with Norwegian shipping giant Bergesen for a 138,000 cubic meter LNG carrier. Cabot’s first carrier agreement was completed in November 2000 and both vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2003.