據能源世界網7月7日新德里報道，石油市場的低迷開始影響到那些在維持供過于求和抑制價格方面占有相當份額的人。隨著破產企業大規模增加，美國頁巖油生產商開始感受到油價下跌的痛苦。

美國的幾家頁巖公司已經破產，可能還會有更多的公司破產。

根據Motilal Oswal Institutional Equities的一份報告，到目前為止，E&P(勘探和生產)公司的破產總數已經上升到20家，最近的受害者是美國頁巖氣行業的先驅之一切薩皮克能源公司（Chesapeake Energy），其總債務為90億美元。

該公司預計，當前油價下跌將導致全球勘探開發資產減記3,000億美元。

考慮到幾年前勘探才剛剛開始回升，并預計現在隨時會達到頂峰，這一點很重要。但新冠疫情導致的封鎖和普遍的經濟放緩已經扭轉了該行業的局面。

在截至2020年6月26日的一周內，美國鉆機數量降至278臺的創紀錄低點(自2020年3月以來減少了65%，同比減少了72%)，盡管隨著一些生產商重啟生產，油價已從4月份的歷史低點反彈。

根據貝克休斯的數據顯示，全球鉆機數量同比下降52%，至1073臺(19年6月為2221臺)。

根據報告顯示，鉆機預計將保持相對平穩，直到2021年初，因為預計運營商將等待幾個月的石油價格上漲，然后才開始逐漸增加鉆機數量。

在油價方面，市場預計將保持持平，不會立即緩解面臨破產的產油商的壓力。據brokerage估計，布倫特原油價格將穩定在40-50美元/桶之間，長期穩定在50-60美元/桶。

這不太可能給美國頁巖油生產商任何喘息的機會，它們需要油價遠高于每桶50美元才能繼續運營。

在供應方面，無論是有意的減產(OPEC++)還是無意的減產(由于經濟不景氣/破產)，似乎都給油價帶來了上行壓力，但疫情導致的全球封鎖導致了巨大的需求破壞，使油價處于低位。

像ONGC這樣的上游石油公司對石油的需求并沒有下降，但對天然氣的需求下降了大約9。 當油價保持低位時，印度的上游公司也將面臨壓力，但隨著石油產量停滯和天然氣份額上升，這些公司預計將經受住當前的風暴，并變得更強大。

郝芬 譯自 能源世界網

原文如下：

Oil market downturn turns heat on US shale producers

The downturn in the oil market is beginning to impact those who had a fair share in keeping it oversupplied and prices suppressed. The US shale oil producers are beginning to feel the pain of lower oil prices with large-scale increase in bankruptcies.

A few shale companies in the US had already gone bankrupt, with the possibility of a few more on the way.

According to a report by Motilal Oswal Institutional Equities, the total number of E&P (exploration and production) bankruptcies has risen to 20 so far, with the latest victim being Chesapeake Energy, one of the pioneers of the US shale industry, with a total debt of $9 billion.

It expected that the lower prevailing oil prices would result in write-down of $300 billion of global E&P assets.

This is significant considering that exploration had just started to pick up a couple of years back and was expected to peak anytime now. But COVID-19 induced lockdown and prevailing economic slowdown have turned the tables on the sector.

The US rig count has fallen to a record low of 278 units in the week ended June 26, 2020 (decline of 65 per cent since Mar 2020 and 72 per cent YoY), even as oil prices rebounded from historic lows in April, as some producers restarted production.

As per Baker Hughes data, the worldwide rig count has declined 52 per cent YoY to 1,073 units (v/s 2,221 units in Jun'19).

According to a Platts Analytics Spotlight report, rigs are expected to stay relatively flat until early-2021 as operators are expected to wait several months for higher oil prices before starting to gradually increase rig count.

On the oil price front, the market is expected to remain flat, giving no immediately relief to oil producers from facing bankruptcies. According to the brokerage estimates, Brent would stabilize between USD40-50/bbl and settle at USD50-60/bbl in the longer run.

This is unlikely to give any respite to US Shale producers that need oil prices to be well above $50 a barrel to remain in business.

On the supply side, production cuts, both intentional (OPEC+) and unintentional (due to poor economies/bankruptcies), appear to be putting upward pressure on oil prices but global lockdowns on account of COVID-19 has led to huge demand destruction, which is keeping oil prices low.

On the domestic front, upstream oil companies such as ONGC has not seen a fall in demand for oil but gas offtake has fallen by about 9 per cent. The upstream companies in India will too face pressure when oil prices remain low, but with stagnant oil production and rising share of gas, the companies are expected to weather the current storm and emerge stronger.