A tale of two trading updates
UK independent Enquest’s revised forecast for 2020 may be just six weeks removed from its previous guidance. But it is also a world away
North Sea and Malaysia-focused producer Enquest issued new advice on its 2020 operations on Thursday, a mere 44 days after it last did so and just a week before it announces annual results. It offers a sobering snapshot of the seismic shift in the energy market in recent weeks. Revised production, if one takes a midpoint of Enquest’s two ranges, is not so stark, down by a relatively modest 7pc. But two of the firm’s North Sea assets, the Heather and Thistle/Deveron fields—which were characterised as ongoing shutdowns—will now not restart in Enquest’s current working assumption. 35pc – drop in Enquest capex Combined production from these fields in 2019 was only c.6,000bl/d oe, admit
Also in this section
16 April 2026
Demand for oil is falling because supply cannot meet it, not because it is no longer required
16 April 2026
The continent has an immediate opportunity to make the most of its energy resources by capturing gas that is currently slipping away
15 April 2026
The continent is seeing political pushback to climate plans, corporate reassessment of transition goals and rising supply risk in a fractured global order
15 April 2026
The Middle East energy crisis may turn out to be pivotal to the industry’s long-term expansion, but significant challenges still stand in its way
