In this episode, World Oil editors discuss The North Face doubling down on its principled stand against well-paying American jobs, Russia wants to see OPEC+ production rise in February, and U.S. land regulators shrink Alaskan oil lease acreage.

Biden prepares to tackle fossil fuels in the U.S. and abroad

Dec 20th, 2020 25m 29s

Joe Biden's cabinet picks, and his interest in working with China to stage elections in Venezuela, will make 2021 a transformative year for fossil fuels. Wall street is already looking at ex-U.S. energy producers take up the mantle of growth fr

As the world focuses on climate change targets, the Middle East doubles down on oil (with U.S. producers' help)

Dec 13th, 2020 29m 29s

With the Paris Agreement's decarbonization plans suddenly not ambitious enough for the West, key Middle East producers see an opportunity, and are putting serious money down to cover their bet. In this episode, World Oil editors take a look at

There's something rotten in the state of Denmark's grand energy plans

Dec 6th, 2020 23m 24s

It's a tale of two cities with the EU's largest oil producer swearing off production by 2050, as OPEC+ stalwarts Saudi Arabia and the UAE grapple over who will lead the group's drive to meet the world's future oil demand. World Oil editors disc

Internal divisions and a historic demand split complicate OPEC's oil production plans

Nov 29th, 2020 22m 46s

When OPEC+ meets this week in Vienna to decide how and when to increase oil output, impatient member states, surging Libyan production, and Chinese demand splitting off from the West will create headaches for ministers. Also, World Oil editors

From chess match to street fight: The world's courtrooms are the battleground for the future of fossil fuels

Nov 15th, 2020 25m 36s

In Alaska, Michigan and Norway, partisans on the left and right are sparring in the courtrooms to implement their vision for the future of energy. Operations from small shale plays to multi-billion-dollar offshore installations suddenly hang in

Climbing rig counts may signal a turnaround, but that's no comfort for Exxon Mobil

Nov 1st, 2020 20m 7s

Despite increased drilling activity and strong Q3 results across the board for the supermajors, Exxon Mobil spent the week slashing headcount and planning major asset sales to meet its dividend commitments. In this week's podcast, World Oil edi

What the drilling rig count's ongoing climb says about the future of crude oil production

Oct 18th, 2020 17m 2s

While opinions differ on oil demand and production rates, a fourth week of growth in the rig count appears to prove some projections right, while invalidating others. World Oil editors discuss how the rig count reflects the magazine's recent Mi

Will a flurry of oilfield M&A activity spur innovation in fossil fuels?

Oct 11th, 2020 22m 5s

The past few weeks have seen extensive merger and acquisition activity in oil and gas, from new operators consolidating legacy field holdings to new, up-and-coming oilfield services providers. In today's podcast, World Oil editors review how th

Despite traders' weak demand outlook, oil and gas drilling activity continues to rise

Oct 4th, 2020 19m 55s

This week, World Oil editors discuss a seeming disconnect as drilling activity across the board continues to rise, while oil traders are expecting a long road to demand recovery. Also, Venezuela and Iran flout U.S. trade sanctions with more cru

Political moves, both current and projected, are placing outsized influence on U.S. and Canadian oil markets

Sep 27th, 2020 22m 58s

While Canada's leaders promise measures to protect oilfield livelihoods, shale drillers in the U.S. are working to minimize the effects of a potential Biden victory. In this week's podcast, World Oil editors discuss the scope and viability of a

BP makes its peak oil demand prediction amid historic drilling trends in the U.S. and abroad

Sep 20th, 2020 22m 58s

BP has boldly claimed that global oil demand will peak in the next ten years in its 2020 Energy Outlook. In this week's episode, World Oil editors discuss that prediction, BP's track record on such models in the past, and take a look at some em

Are the oil industry's opportunities for post-coronavirus recovery dwindling in North America?

Sep 13th, 2020 20m 48s

In this week's podcast, World Oil editors discuss how legislative activities, a smaller labor pool, and harsh economic realities are impacting options for oil and gas sector growth in North America's post-coronavirus economy.

In a post-Schlumberger world, how will the new frac services landscape change the way shale explorers operate?

Sep 6th, 2020 22m 6s

Between Halliburton and Liberty Oilfield Services, hydraulic fracturing's two major players have fundamentally different field capabilities and technology ambitions. World Oil editors Kurt Abraham and Cameron Wallace discuss how the differing s

Are oil prices stable enough to support a U.S. shale drilling recovery?

Aug 30th, 2020 18m 38s

World Oil Editor-in-Chief Kurt Abraham and Digital Editor Cameron Wallace discuss how recent land drilling activity, and the oil price's resilience to external factors suggest that pieces may be coming into place to support the start of a U.S.

How "lower for longer" has become the new baseline for the oil and gas industry

Aug 16th, 2020 13m 50s

As forecasts show no near-term end in sight for depressed oil demand, operators are making dramatic adjustment to meet the new oil and gas industry reality. World Oil's Kurt Abraham and Cameron Wallace discuss how another record low rig count,

Negative impacts of record-low drilling activity reverberate across the oil and gas industry

Aug 9th, 2020 21m 55s

From bankruptcies and asset fire sales to job losses and record declines in crude production, drilling activity levels not seen since 1940 are affecting every corner of the oil and gas industry. In today's podcast, Kurt and Cameron explore this

With oil's supermajors in distress, can smaller independents step up and lead a recovery?

Aug 2nd, 2020 24m 45s

A disconnect between drilling activity and supermajors' earnings may reveal a shift in industry leadership, as evidence that the oil and gas industry is reaching a bottom emerges.

As the oil industry struggles, are national leaders waiting until it's too late to intervene?

Jul 26th, 2020 27m 3s

As major service companies present their Q2 earnings results, they are offering what is perhaps the industry's leas-politically-biased assessments of future oil and gas demand - and it contradicts where OPEC+ and the IEA want to lead the market

What lessons are oilfield service companies applying from downturns past to succeed today?

Jul 22nd, 2020 23m 28s

Using the differing fates of BJ Services and Halliburton as an example, in today's podcast Kurt and Cameron discuss how the last major downturn of the early 1990's taught service companies some harsh lessons, and their survival may hinge on how

Is Warren Buffett's $10B natural gas spend a bet against decarbonization?

Jul 19th, 2020 23m 33s

Buffett sees a longer future for natural gas in the U.S., encouraging signs of a recovery in drilling continue to emerge, and the UK seeks to put an expiration date on internal-combustion vehicles.

How might Joe Biden and his new $2 trillion climate plan affect the energy industry?

Jul 15th, 2020 17m 10s

A billion here, a billion there, and soon enough you're talking about real money... Kurt and Cameron explore Joe Biden's multi-trillion-dollar climate change plan, what it means for the energy industry, and how it compares to his previous large

As the U.S. drilling decline continues, Canada's offshore industry puts Ottawa on the spot

Jul 12th, 2020 19m 42s

In today's episode, World Oil Editor-in-Chief Kurt Abraham and Digital Editor Cameron Wallace review new drilling rig count numbers that look like they need to get a little worse before they get better; take a look at now Canada's offshore Newf

Warren Buffet picks up the pieces as the U.S. oil industry is battered by legal, regulatory and financial challenges

Jul 8th, 2020 21m 31s

World Oil Editor-in-Chief Kurt Abarham and Digital Editor Cameron Wallace discuss the near- and longer-term effects of the Dakota Access pipeline shutdown on U.S. shale, legal precedents being set and who stands to benefit. Also, Pemex appears

Is the drilling rig count finding a bottom?

Jul 5th, 2020 22m 7s

As the working rig count reaches historic lows, World Oil Editor-in-Chief Kurt Abraham and Digital Editor Cameron Wallace take a look at what it means for future production and inevitable consolidations to follow. Can technical innovation lead