北極地區(qū)石油開采權(quán)益仍受市場青睞

據(jù)彭博社5月12日報(bào)道，美國內(nèi)政部長伯恩哈特(David Bernhardt)表示，低迷的原油價(jià)格和燃料需求不會(huì)影響石油公司對北極鉆探權(quán)的競購。相反，這些公司更有可能基于長期預(yù)期和其他考慮給出報(bào)價(jià)，因?yàn)樗诘臋C(jī)構(gòu)正在權(quán)衡今年出售北極國家野生動(dòng)物保護(hù)區(qū)156萬英畝沿海平原的租約。

然而，伯恩哈特承認(rèn)，目前的價(jià)格和需求狀況“可能會(huì)影響到競購者的范圍”。

燃料需求下降和原油價(jià)格暴跌促使石油生產(chǎn)商關(guān)閉鉆井平臺(tái)，裁員，并削減美國各地的新支出。分析師預(yù)計(jì)，接下來將會(huì)有一波破產(chǎn)潮。油價(jià)暴跌可能會(huì)迫使阿拉斯加的一些潛在競標(biāo)者放棄北極地區(qū)的出售計(jì)劃。此前，Oil Search 公司和Hilcorp 能源已經(jīng)決定削減部分業(yè)務(wù)，并就BP阿拉斯加業(yè)務(wù)的付款計(jì)劃重新進(jìn)行談判。

即使沒有最近的危機(jī)，也很少有石油公司有資源在阿拉斯加?xùn)|北部偏遠(yuǎn)的北極國家野生動(dòng)物保護(hù)區(qū)開展業(yè)務(wù)，一些大型石油公司可能會(huì)完全放棄該地區(qū)。

2017年，作為支付減稅計(jì)劃的一部分，美國國會(huì)結(jié)束了對該保護(hù)區(qū)沿海平原石油開發(fā)長達(dá)數(shù)十年的禁令。盡管美國內(nèi)政部去年完成了一項(xiàng)北極保護(hù)區(qū)鉆探所需的環(huán)境研究，但它仍在制定一份正式啟動(dòng)拍賣的“決策記錄”，以及指導(dǎo)在該地區(qū)出售的所有租約開發(fā)的最終規(guī)定。

洪偉立 摘譯自 彭博社

原文如下：

Arctic Oil to Draw Bids Despite Rout, Interior Chief Predicts

Bleak crude prices and fuel demand forecasts won’t blunt oil company bidding for Arctic drilling rights, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said Monday.

Instead, companies are more likely to make offers based on longer-term forecasts and other considerations, Bernhardt said, as his agency weighs a sale this year of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1.56-million-acre coastal plain.

However, Bernhardt allowed, current price and demand conditions “could affect perhaps the universe of bidders.”

Falling fuel demand from the coronavirus and collapsing crude prices have prompted oil producers to idle drilling rigs, shed staff and curtail new spending across the U.S., with analysts predicting a wave of bankruptcies to follow. The price rout may force some potential bidders in Alaska to sit out an Arctic sale, after already spurring Oil Search Ltd. to pare some operations and Hilcorp Energy Co. to renegotiate its payment plan for BP Plc’s Alaska business.

Even without the recent setbacks, relatively few oil companies have the resources to mount operations in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. And some large oil companies may forgo the area altogether, amid steep environmental opposition.

Congress ended a decades-long ban on oil development in the refuge’s coastal plain in 2017 as part of a plan to pay for tax cuts. Although the Interior Department completed a required environmental study of Arctic refuge drilling last year, it’s still developing a “record of decision” to formally trigger an auction, as well as final stipulations to guide development on any leases sold there.