据路透社3月29日消息，埃克森美孚和雪佛龙已大幅缩减在美国顶尖页岩油田的开采活动，而就在一年前，这两家公司还在这片沙漠高地占据主导地位。
美国最大的两家石油公司的谨慎做法是美国国内石油产量反弹缓慢的主要原因，因为油价在2020年疫情封锁期间暴跌。目前的产量约为1100万桶/天，远低于2019年末创下的近1300万桶/天的纪录。
雷斯塔能源的数据显示，埃克森美孚和雪佛龙在得克萨斯州和新墨西哥州二叠纪盆地油田的钻井活动份额从去年春季的28%降至本月的不到5%。
雪佛龙首席财务官皮埃尔·布雷伯(Pierre Breber)表示:“我们基本上是按下了暂停键。当世界供应过剩时，我们没有看到投入更多资本来增加石油产量的好处。”
据两家公司和分析师表示，在明年之前，两家公司都不太可能增加支出。雪佛龙和埃克森美孚本月在投资者日上表示，预计到2025年，雪佛龙的页岩油日产量将为100万桶左右，埃克森的日产量将为70万桶。
布雷伯表示，雪佛龙将在“未来几年内”每年将二叠纪盆地的支出从现在的20亿美元增加到疫情前的40亿美元，但该公司今年不会增加二叠纪盆地的钻探活动。目前，该公司在二叠纪盆地运营着5台钻机，两支完井队伍，一年前为不到20台。
布雷伯称：“尽管价格上涨，基本面也在加强和复苏，但我们尚未脱离困境所以今年我们将坚持我们的预算。”
埃克森美孚首席执行长伍兹(Darren Woods)最近表示，该公司将用额外的利润来减少债务，而不是为更多的钻探提供资金。3月初，埃克森美孚在二叠纪盆地拥有7台钻机，并表示今年预计将保留7至10台，大大低于去年此时的60台。
CFRA Research的能源股票分析师斯图尔特•格利克曼(Stewart Glickman)表示，两家公司明年都有可能增加二叠纪盆地的支出。
雷斯塔能源的分析师Artem Abramov表示，5家页岩油公司正在通过钻井推动复苏: EOG、先锋自然资源、西方石油、德文能源和康菲石油公司，他还例举了小型私营运营商的活动。
然而，由于页岩井产量急剧下降，产量不太可能大幅增加。
Third Bridge的彼得•麦克纳利(Peter McNally)表示:“在产量开始持续攀升之前，我们需要油价维持在当前水平3个月以上，然后是6个月的钻井活动。”
埃克森美孚和雪佛龙并不是唯一保持低支出的生产商。Enverus的Andy McConn表示，许多页岩油公司将2021年的大部分预期石油产量对冲在平均价格低于45美元/桶的水平，远低于当前的市场价格。这些对冲措施降低了近期油价上涨带来的风险敞口，抑制了近期的经济增长。
裘寅 编译自 路透社
原文如下：
Exxon, Chevron take a slow walk on the path to U.S. shale recovery
Exxon Mobil and Chevron Corp have scaled back activity dramatically in the top U.S. shale oil field, where just a year ago the two companies were dominating in the high-desert landscape.
The cautious approach of the two largest U.S. oil companies is a major reason domestic oil production has been slow to rebound since prices crashed during pandemic lockdowns in 2020.
Production now is about 11 million barrels per day (bpd), down sharply from the record of nearly 13 million bpd hit in late 2019.
The share of drilling activity by Exxon and Chevron in the Permian Basin oil field in Texas and New Mexico dropped to less than 5% this month from 28% last spring, according to data from Rystad Energy.
"We essentially hit a pause button," said Chevron Chief Financial Officer Pierre Breber. "When the world was oversupplied we didn't see the virtue in putting more capital to add barrels."
Neither company is likely to boost spending until next year, according to the companies and analysts. Chevron expects to produce around 1 million barrels daily by 2025 and Exxon 700,000 bpd by 2025, the companies said at investor days this month.
Chevron will increase Permian spending from $2 billion now to pre-Covid levels of $4 billion annually “over the course of the next several years,” Breber said, but the company will not increase drilling in the Permian this year. It is currently running about five rigs in the Permian with two completion crews, down from just under 20 a year ago.
“Although prices are up and underlying fundamentals are strengthening and recovering, we’re not out of the woods yet,” Breber said. “So this year we’re going to stick with our budget.”
Exxon Chief Executive Darren Woods recently said the company would use additional profits to reduce debt instead of funding more drilling. Exxon had seven Permian rigs drilling at the start of March and said it expects to keep seven to 10 at work this year, down sharply from 60 at this time last year.
Both companies are likely to increase Permian spending next year, said Stewart Glickman, energy equity analyst at CFRA Research.
Five shale companies are driving the recovery through drilling: EOG, Pioneer Natural Resources, Occidental Petroleum, Devon Energy and ConocoPhillips, said Artem Abramov, analyst at Rystad Energy, who also cited activity by smaller, privately owned operators.
However, output is unlikely to increase dramatically, due to the swift decline rates for shale wells.
“We would need three months of oil prices sustained at current levels followed by six months of drilling activity before production begins to climb higher on a sustained basis,” said Peter McNally at Third Bridge.
Exxon and Chevron are not the only producers keeping spending down. Many shale companies have hedged a majority of expected 2021 oil production at an average price below $45 a barrel, well below current market prices, Enverus' Andy McConn said. The hedges reduce exposure to the recent increase in oil prices, discouraging near-term growth.
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