To the casual observer, the oil business seems constant and unchanging. Most gasoline stations have done away with attendant services, and credit cards are accepted directly at the pump, but drive-in access and brand names remain largely as they have been for generations. The faade, however, is just that; it is like the false front of a Western town put in place to make everything seem bigger and grander than it really is. The familiarity of the oil industry's retail outlets masks extraordinary changes in how the industry engages in its four primary sectors of activity: finding and producing crude oil, transportation, refining, and marketing.
The petroleum industry is among the most lucrative and most important in the world, and its impact within the realm of international politics is tremendous (although it can be overstated). Taking a well-balanced and objective approach to the complicated web of political and economic threads that make up the fabric of the oil industry, Falola and Genova introduce the most salient aspects in clear language, offering cogent and up-to-date information about the countries, companies, international organizations, and people who shape the contemporary history of the black gold. The relationship of international politics and the global oil industry affects everyone but is understood by few. Taking a well-balanced and objective approach to deconstructing this intricate web for those unfamiliar with the industry, Falola and Genova introduce the major players in the field, offering cogent and up-to-date information about the countries, companies, organizations, and people who shape the contemporary history of oil. They break down the essentials, describing the discovery process, the different types of oil, and the various processes by which oil gets to the market. Then they provide a brief history of the major oil-producing countries, followed by a discussion of OPEC and international efforts to control the price and supply of oil. After setting the stage, they introduce the most salient political issues that are influenced by oil, namely environmental protection, human rights, and economic development. Finally, a look at each of seven major oil exporters—Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela—demonstrates that the black gold can be both a blessing and a curse for the countries that produce it. Despite the need to learn how to exploit alternative energy sources before the oil runs out, we will continue to be dependent on oil for the foreseeable future. Today's oil demands are not only generated by such obvious activities as gassing up our cars or powering our aircraft, but also from the ubiquitous technological gadgets that have infiltrated our daily lives. From computer monitors to CDs, from cell phones to the petroleum-generated materials used in our shoes and sweaters, our reliance on oil continues to grow. Because price and supply are highly dependent on political events in distant countries, it is essential for American consumers to understand the intricacies of this complex subject. Falola and Genova demystify the industry and invite us to investigate more deeply this vital resource.
Delves into the core and functional areas in the upstream oil and gas industry covering a wide range of operations and processes Oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) activities are costly, risky and technology-intensive. With the rise in global demand for oil and fast depletion of easy reserves, the search for oil is directed to more difficult areas – deepwater, arctic region, hostile terrains; and future production is expected to come from increasingly difficult reserves – deeper horizon, low quality crude. All these are making E&P activities even more challenging in terms of operations, technology, cost and risk. Therefore, it is necessary to use scarce resources judiciously and optimize strategies, cost and capital, and improve business performance in all spheres of E&P business. Optimization and Business Improvement Studies in Upstream Oil and Gas Industry contains eleven real-life optimization and business improvement studies that delve into the core E&P activities and functional areas covering a wide range of operations and processes. It uses various quantitative and qualitative techniques, such as Linear Programing, Queuing theory, Critical Path Analysis, Economic analysis, Best Practices Benchmark, Business Process Simplification etc. to optimize Productivity of drilling operations Controllable rig time loss Deepwater exploration strategy Rig move time and activity schedule Offshore supply vessel fleet size Supply chain management system Strategic workforce and human resource productivity Base oil price for a country Standardize consumption of materials Develop uniform safety standards for offshore installations Improve organizational efficiency through business process simplification The book will be of immense interest to practicing managers, professionals and employees at all levels/ disciplines in oil and gas industry. It will also be useful to academicians, scholars, educational institutes, energy research institutes, and consultants dealing with oil and gas. The work can be used as a practical guide to upstream professionals and students in petroleum engineering programs.
A prominent linchpin in world politics and in security policies world over, oil and gas have tremendous value in both, the political and economical sectors of global relations, business establishments and policy. Regardless of whether one is a novice to a given field, or a well accomplished veteran in the field, there is a need for the continued engagement with the basics that underlie the core subjects. With that in mind, the Fundamentals of Oil and Gas is a perfect primer for the first-timer in the field, while also a copious text to help a seasoned veteran stay abreast with the nuances of the world of Oil and Gas.
This overview of project finance for the oil and gas industry covers financial markets, sources and providers of finance, financial structures, and capital raising processes. About US$300 billion of project finance debt is raised annually across several capital intensive sectors—including oil and gas, energy, infrastructure, and mining—and the oil and gas industry represents around 30% of the global project finance market. With over 25 year’s project finance experience in international banking and industry, author Robert Clews explores project finance techniques and their effectiveness in the petroleum industry. He highlights the petroleum industry players, risks, economics, and commercial/legal arrangements. With petroleum industry projects representing amongst the largest industrial activities in the world, this book ties together concepts and tools through real examples and aims to ensure that project finance will continue to play a central role in bringing together investors and lenders to finance these ventures. Combines the theory and practice of raising long-term funding for capital intensive projects with insights about the appeal of project finance to the international oil and gas industry Includes case studies and examples covering projects in the Arctic, East Africa, Latin America, North America, and Australia Emphasizes the full downstream value chain of the industry instead of limiting itself to upstream and pipeline project financing Highlights petroleum industry players, risks, economics, and commercial and legal arrangements
Operating Expenses, Cash Flow, Finding and Development Costs, Return on Capital Employed are but a few of the hundreds of measurements and metrics used to analyze performance in the oil and gas industry. From individual wells to entire portfolios, performance analysis is used to make decisions throughout an organization. Unfortunately, performance analysis is generally conducted in the higher echelons of an oil and gas company, and thus its value in creating actionable information at the field level is generally lost. This book seeks to bridge this gap by introducing the basic concepts of oil and gas performance analysis. Features and Benefits A common sense methodology that will keep any performance analysis focused, on point and capable of providing useful and actionable information An introduction to the myriad of data sources used in performance analysis including lease operating statements (LOS reports), reserve reports and financial statements An introduction to the most relevant performance metrics used in oil and gas performance analysis including production and cost metrics, reserves, cash flow, and other financial metrics How to analyze, interpret, and evaluate the performance of individual fields, portfolios and overall company performance Audience Field level personnel Management Engineers Energy lending and finance professionals Anyone who seeks to understand how, or relies upon, performance analysis
Despite its size and importance, a surprising lack of basic knowledge exists about the oil and gas industry. With their timely new book, authors Andrew Inkpen and Michael H. Moffett have written a nontechnical book to help readers with technical backgrounds better understand the business of oil and gas. They describe and analyze the global oil and gas industry, focusing on its strategic, financial, and business aspects and addressing a wide range of topics organized around the oil and gas industry value chain, starting with exploration and ending with products sold to consumers. The Global Oil & Gas Industry is a single source for anyone interested in how the business of the worldís largest industry actually works: business executives, students, government officials and regulators, professionals working in the industry, and the general public.
