President Trump wants lower energy prices and higher oil and gas production and exports—objectives that seem irreconcilable, given the relatively high cost of producing oil from US shale formations. We estimate that US energy companies need WTI crude prices of $55/bbl and natural gas at $3.50/MMBtu for drilling to be profitable, with $75 and $3.75 required to significantly increase drilling. However, reducing royalties and taxes, easing methane regulations, and streamlining federal drilling permits could lower breakeven costs by $10/bbl for oil and $0.60/MMBtu for gas. On a production-weighted average basis, this would reduce the breakeven point for US oil production from $55 to $45. Ultimately, the impact of these lower costs on US oil production depends on the decisions of the 275 independent companies in the upstream shale sector.
Speaker:
Natasha Kaneva, Head of Global Commodities Research
This podcast was recorded on 31 January 2025.
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