U.S. shale oil production will continue growing even if international prices fall, says Rystad Energy.
The Norwegian energy consultancy said in a new report that despite a decline in the number of drilling rigs in the U.S. shale patch since the start of the year, the number of spudded wells has not fallen significantly.
Two claims demonstrate the shallowness of its research. The first is that US shale oil production will continue growing even if international prices fall. The second claim is that US shale oil production will go on growing despite a significant fall in oil rig count.
The first claim is undermined by the fact that the breakeven price for shale oil ranges from $60-$70 a barrel. The rising number of bankruptcies speaks volumes about the impact of oil prices on US shale oil production.
The second claim is refuted by the continued decline in oil rig count particularly in the Permian. Oil rigs don’t lie. They tell the story on the ground and the story they are telling is that the US shale oil industry is in a terminal condition.
And yet, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) in cahoots with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Rystad Energy continue hyping about the rising production of US shale oil with Rystad Energy raising its hyping to new heights by claiming that US oil production will hit 18 million barrels a day (mbd) by 2030.
The claim by the EIA that US oil production will average 12.29 mbd this year rising to 13.29 mbd in 2020 is not only self-delusional but a plain lie. US production could probably average less than 11 mbd this year and around 10 mbd in 2020.
Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
International Oil Economist
Visiting Professor of Energy Economics at ESCP Europe Business School, London