據今日石油網2023年8月7日報道，全球6家大型石油公司——?？松梨诠?、英國石油公司、殼牌公司、道達爾能源公司、埃尼公司和雪佛龍公司——準備在今年的全球勘探活動中發揮重要作用。根據挪威著名能源研究和商業情報公司睿咨得能源公司（Rystad）的行業預測，這些主要參與者預計在今年將總共花費大約70億美元用于勘探活動，與去年相比顯著增加10%。

全球油氣勘探活動預計將在今年下半年獲得動力，計劃在各個地區鉆探至關重要的勘探井。Rystad在一份新報告中表示，由于勘探活動轉向海上領域，并更多地關注前沿地區，大型石油公司在勘探這些未充分開發或未開發地區方面發揮了主導作用。眾所周知，這些地區擁有技術上有前景但尚未鉆探的遠景構造，為大型石油公司提供了誘人的機會。

預測顯示，未來幾個月，這些大型石油公司的勘探支出將占全球總勘探支出的14%左右，這突顯了它們在石油行業中的相對重要性。雖然大型石油公司發揮著關鍵作用，但國家石油公司（NoCs）擁有最廣泛的地下資源基礎。今年，超過一半的預計勘探支出將來自國家石油公司和擁有國際投資組合的國家石油公司(INOC)。

Rystad表示，盡管進行了大量投資和勘探活動，但勘探工作的成功尚未完全實現。到目前為止，只有30%的預期井已經完鉆，剩下的大部分勘探活動仍在進行中。在剩下的56口勘探井中，今年已經開鉆或預計將開鉆的只有23口勘探井。這表明，大約60%的勘探井很可能被開鉆或被推遲到2024年開鉆。

專家們仍然樂觀地認為，即使今年取得有限的成功，明年全球油氣勘探活動也有可能反彈。正在進行的勘探作業和剩余的計劃井突出了勘探活動的規模，為未來的潛在成功鋪平了道路。

李峻 譯自 今日石油網

原文如下：

Six big oil companies to dole out US$7B on exploration in 2023, 14% of total global spend

Six major oil companies – ExxonMobil, bp, Shell, TotalEnergies, Eni, and Chevron – are poised to play a significant role in global exploration activities this year. According to industry forecasts by Rystad Energy, these major players are expected to collectively spend approximately US$7 billion on exploration in 2023, marking a notable 10% increase compared to the previous year.

Exploration activity is projected to gain momentum in the second half of 2023, with plans to drill crucial exploration wells in various regions. As exploration shifts towards the offshore sector and focuses more on frontier regions, the majors have taken a leading role in exploring these underexplored or virgin areas, Rystad Energy said in a new report. Such regions are known to harbour technically prospective yet-to-be-drilled prospects, presenting attractive opportunities for major oil companies.

Forecasts suggest that these companies will contribute about 14% of the total global exploration spending in the coming months, underscoring their relative significance in the industry. While the major oil companies play a critical role, national oil companies (NOCs) hold the most extensive subsurface resource base at their disposal. In 2023, over half of the projected exploration spending will come from NOCs and NOCs with international portfolios (INOC).

Despite the substantial investment and exploration activities, success in the exploration endeavours is yet to be fully realised, according to Rystad Energy. So far, only 30% of the anticipated wells have been completed, leaving a significant portion of exploration activities still underway. Out of the remaining 56 exploration wells, only 23 have been drilled or are expected to be drilled this year. This indicates that about 60% of the exploration wells are likely to be drilled or postponed until 2024.

“Experts remain optimistic that even if 2023 experiences limited success, the potential for a rebound in exploration activities exists for the following year. The ongoing exploration efforts and remaining planned wells highlight the magnitude of the exploration activity yet to come, paving the way for potential successes in the future,” the report said.