Campaign against oil and gas investments is shortsighted, Saudi energy minister says at IPTC 2022

RIYADH, TGO: The campaign against oil and gas investments is shortsighted, said Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman as he inaugrates International Petroleum Technology Conference 2022 in Riyadh.

“The net zero does not mean cherrypicking, net zero does not mean zero oil,” says Prince Abdulaziz, adding that focusing only on renewables is a mistake.

Saudi energy minister slammed the IEA for ‘missing barrels’ that are around 730 million barrels.

He also criticized the agency for its contradiction on its recommendations for more investments in energy last week in IEF’s event in Riyadh after it was against it.

The Prince added that Saudi Arabia only needs technical support to reach it declared carbon neutrality target, without any need for financial assistance from any country.

The event was also attended also by the UAE and Bahraini energy ministers, the Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil ministers and Egypt’s petroleum minister. The ministers are speaking at a panel discussion.

Turning to OPEC+ and its role in the market today Saudi energy minister said that the Chairman and CEOs of global oil companies would have vanished without OPEC+.

OPEC+ should stick to its current agreement to add 400,000 barrels of oil per day each month to output, ministers of Arab oil-producing countries said on Sunday as they gathered in Saudi Arabia, rejecting calls to pump more to ease pressure on prices.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, agreed on Feb. 2 to stick to moderate rises in oil output, citing persistent uncertainty.

OPEC+ agreement helped the market to be balanced, and it ensured that there is a mechanism for balancing the market, Kuwaiti oil minister said.

Iraqi oil minister said that OPEC+ should sustain the current agreement and any dramatic change to it will affect the market balance.

Arab energy and oil ministers:

The Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the conference in Riyadh the pandemic and the recovery underway “have taught us the value of caution”.

“Caution, a word that I know some people hate me for, but I will continue being cautious, and (mindful of) the need to retain flexibility in our strategy and adopt a long-term perspective,” Prince Abdulaziz said.

The OPEC+ alliance was already struggling to meet existing targets, and has been under pressure from top consumers calling for more crude to cap surging prices amid fears over possible supply disruptions resulting from the Russian military presence at Ukraine’s borders.

On Wednesday, the International Energy Agency urged OPEC+ to narrow the gap between its oil production targets and actual output.

U.S. crude prices stand at around $91 a barrel after surging some 40% since Dec. 1 and earlier this week touched their highest level since 2014. Prices for Brent crude, the global benchmark, have also soared and are near 7-year highs.

UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said OPEC+ is always looking at supply and demand, and blamed geopolitics for soaring oil prices.

“We are all hoping for the de-escalation. I think our plan has been working and I don’t believe that the market is hugely under-supplied currently. It’s the other factors that are outside our hands which are impacting the market,” Mazrouei said.

Iraqi oil minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said that “for the benefit of all the energy market, OPEC+ should stay with the continuing and sustained current agreement” to avoid surprises.

Kuwaiti oil minister Mohammed al-Fares said OPEC+ is very sensitive to market reactions.

The Saudi minister said nonetheless the world may not be able to produce all the energy needed for economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic as investments in fossil fuels lagged behind.

Aramco’s officials:

Key officials are also attending the opening session including Aramco’s chairman and the company’s CEO as well.

The conference will be held through Feb. 23.

The event is back to Saudi Arabia after two years. Last time in 2020 it was held in Dhahran.

“And as a global recovery works to gain momentum … we gather once again to look at the road ahead … and chart the next steps in our journey,” Nasir Al-Naimi, IPTC 2022 Executive Committee Chair and Senior Vice President, Upstream, Saudi Aramco said in his opening speech.