Cabinet reaffirms Saudi position of resolving conflicts through diplomatic means    Saudi FM receives message from Iranian counterpart    AlUla becomes favorite global summer destination for photography enthusiasts    Foreign Trade Authority leads Saudi negotiating team in second round of GCC-Japan FTA Talks    Crown Prince extends period of study to regulate landlord-tenant relationship to 90 days    130 charities say controversial Gaza aid group must be shut down    Inzaghi hails 'historic' Al Hilal win over Man City: We climbed a mountain with no oxygen    Milinković-Savić says Al Hilal proved critics wrong after historic win over Man City    Al Hilal stuns Man City and stirs the world: 'One of the greatest nights in Saudi club football'    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    Spanish PM's former aide detained without bail in corruption probe    US skips global UN meeting in Spain aimed at raising trillions to combat poverty    Al Hilal stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller to reach Club World Cup quarterfinals    EU and Ukraine strike less ambitious but 'realistic' trade deal    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    New Social Insurance Law comes into force on Tuesday    Over 190,000 Umrah visas issued since start of the season    PIF assets soar to $1.15 trillion in 2024    Historic Jeddah's visual identity re-imagined through global art installations at Al-Arbaeen Lagoon    Brad Pitt's Los Angeles home 'ransacked', police say    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



North American oil and gas bankruptcy debt reached an all-time high in 2020
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 10 - 2020

The associated debt from North American oil and gas bankruptcies in 2020 has already reached an all-time high and is set to grow even further this year as the wave of Chapter 11 filings continues, a Rystad Energy report projects, analyzing industry data from law firm Haynes and Boone.
Although the combined count of Chapter 11 filings from exploration and production firms (E&Ps) and oilfield service (OFS) companies this year in North America has so far reached 84, which is still lower than the historical high of 142 in 2016, the associated debt these companies are carrying is much higher, at $89 billion so far, some $19 billion more than in 2016.
Under the current price environment Rystad Energy projects that more bankruptcies will follow this year, adding to the cumulative associated debt and boosting it to a staggering figure of over $100 billion.
Assuming a WTI average of around $40 per barrel this year and a Henry Hub price of $3 per MMcf, we forecast North American E&P bankruptcies to rise to 55 by the end of the year, from 40 filings at the time of writing, adding about $15 billion of debt to the cumulative total. And that excludes possible associated debt additions from new OFS company bankruptcies, which currently stand at 44 cases.
Under this scenario, associated debt for these 55 E&P Chapter 11 filings this year is projected to reach $69 billion. Should these price levels persist in 2021, Rystad Energy expects 54 new E&P bankruptcies for the year, carrying an associated debt of about $44 billion.
In a more pessimistic scenario that assumes a Henry Hub price of $2.5 per MMcf, E&P bankruptcies could climb to 61 cases this year and to 68 in 2021.
In terms of the number of Chapter 11 cases, it is unlikely that we will ever see a repeat of 2016, when 142 E&P and OFS filings were recorded in North America.
The previous market downturn caused a large number of smaller producers and suppliers severe financial distress, including many that were active in conventional oil & gas operations who ended up downing their shutters for good.
The current wave of bankruptcies is different, and it is hitting a significant number of larger companies in multiple business segments. In the first nine months of the year, the average Chapter 11 debt per company was at $1.05 billion, almost twice as much as the 2017 level of $576 million.
Both E&P and OFS bankruptcies are on average demonstrating a record-high debt size so far this year, of $1.34 billion for E&Ps and $792 million for OFS. However, the total full-year Chapter 11 debt for the E&P and OFS groups separately is yet to beat the previous record of $56.8 billion for E&Ps in 2016 and $35.3 billion in 2017 for OFS. Most likely both these records will be breached in 2020 after the end of the fourth quarter.
"While oil and gas market fundamentals have improved significantly now compared with April-May, we argue that the North American bankruptcy wave is not over yet.
"A significant number of small- and mid-size public and private producers are still experiencing financial challenges in the current price environment and questions about their ability to service their debt in 2021-2022 remain," said Artem Abramov, head of shale research at Rystad Energy.
We conclude that while this year might see the number of Chapter 11 cases peak, it will definitely be the peak in terms of total Chapter 11 debt, with the average debt per case next year expected to decline substantially.
Yet, we argue that the number of filings will still remain above the level recorded in 2019 over the next two years, as the industry keeps navigating through the challenging market environment. — Rystaad Energy


Clic here to read the story from its source.