BP increases dividend, steps up share buybacks

Market: Crude oil, Natural gas, Oil products
03/08/21

BP has followed in the footsteps of its European peers by announcing an increase in shareholder distributions on the back of solid second-quarter financial results.

BP made a profit of $2.38bn in April-June, excluding inventory valuation effects, with earnings boosted by higher oil and gas prices but capped by "a lower result in gas marketing and trading". This compares with a profit of $3.33bn in the previous three months and a record impairments-driven loss of $17.66bn in the second quarter of 2020.

BP delivered more than enough free cash flow to cover dividends in April-June, helping it further reduce its net debt gearing to 30.9pc at the end of the quarter from 31.9pc three months earlier, once lease liabilities are included. The firm will now increase dividend payments and step up share buybacks, in stark contrast to a year ago when it made a sharp cut to its dividend in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Based on the underlying performance of our business, an improving outlook for the environment and confidence in our balance sheet, we are increasing our resilient dividend by 4pc per ordinary share and in addition, we are commencing a buyback of $1.4bn from first-half surplus cash flow," chief executive Bernard Looney said. "On average at around $60/bl [oil price], we expect to be able to deliver buybacks of around $1bn per quarter and to have capacity for an annual increase in the dividend per ordinary share of around 4pc, through 2025," he said.

Following an annual review, BP has increased its Brent oil price assumption to 2030 "to reflect expected supply constraints". But it has lowered its longer-term assumptions as it expects the pace of transition to a low-carbon economy to accelerate. These changes resulted in a pre-tax net impairment reversal of $2.97bn in the second-quarter results.

The company's oil and gas production — excluding its stake in Russian state-controlled Rosneft — dropped to 2.12mn b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) in April-June from 2.53mn boe/d a year earlier on the back of asset sales. It expects third-quarter output to be higher than in the second quarter as seasonal maintenance activity is completed and new projects ramp up. But full-year production is expected to be lower than 2020 "due to the impact of the ongoing divestment programme", BP said.

Refinery runs averaged 1.51mn b/d in the second quarter, up from 1.49mn b/d a year earlier but down from 1.6mn b/d in the first quarter of 2021. The firm said it expects its refining margins to improve slightly in the third quarter "supported by stronger demand and wider North American heavy crude oil differentials".

By Konstantin Rozhnov

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15/12/25

Viewpoint: West Africa refineries key to hub status

London, 15 December (Argus) — West Africa is developing into a regional refining and trading hub, backed by state aims to achieve greater refined product self-sufficiency and export capacity. The extent of further change in 2026 will be defined by the fortunes of existing and fledgling refining projects, including Nigeria's 650,000 b/d Dangote and a clutch of smaller plants. The independently-owned Dangote refinery continues to upend regional and global refined product markets, reducing west Africa's reliance on imports. Since gasoline production began at the refinery in September 2024 , Nigeria — the region's largest gasoline importer — has seen net gasoline imports steadily fall to a historic low of 40,000 b/d in September this year, from 332,000 b/d just a year earlier, Kpler data show. Meanwhile, Nigeria's net middle distillate exports hit a record 145,000 b/d in July, up from 82,000 b/d on the year, and the country has broadly been a net exporter of these products since May 2024. As a result, Nigeria and west Africa as a whole are pulling on considerably less gasoline and middle distillates such as gasoil and jet fuel. Year-to-date, the region — spanning Mauritania to Angola — has seen gasoline imports drop by a quarter on the year to 337,000 b/d, while jet imports have collapsed to 4,000 b/d, both the lowest since at least 2016 when Kpler records began. West African gasoil imports have fallen to a five-year low of 162,000 b/d. Dangote has inarguably transformed regional oil product market dynamics, having proven robust through multiple bouts of maintenance works, and there is room for it to capture more of the domestic gasoline market in the year ahead. The same cannot be said for Nigerian state-owned NNPC's refining assets. The company restarted a 60,000 b/d section of the 210,000 b/d Port Harcourt refinery late in 2024 only to shut it again in May this year, while the 125,000 b/d Warri plant restarted in December 2024 before going offline the following month. This underscores the challenges of modernising or rehabilitating long-mothballed facilities along the west African coast. Refiners in other west African countries are expanding their offerings to regional consumers, further eroding market share previously claimed by European traders. Angola's 30,000 b/d Cabinda refinery is up and running , producing mainly gasoil and jet fuel for the domestic market from its first phase. This is likely to curb Angolan middle distillate import demand, with the refinery — a 90:10 joint venture between UK-based Gemcorp and state-owned Sonangol — meeting 10pc of domestic demand. Cabinda's second phase will add gasoline production, but not until around 2028. Angola imported 20,000 b/d of gasoline in January-August, according to Kpler, around 40,000 b/d of diesel and gasoil, and negligible amounts of jet fuel. In Ghana, the 45,000 b/d Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) continues works to restore nameplate capacity. The privately-owned 120,000 b/d Sentuo Oil Refinery and the country's smaller Platon and Akwaaba modular refineries operate sporadically. TOR's return may be a surprise for 2026, with the operator reporting in October that turnaround activities were taking place "aimed at preparing the refinery for a safe and efficient restart". The refinery's prospects look stronger than those of Ghana's Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PDHC), which appears to have postponed construction of the first of three planned 300,000 b/d refineries since John Mahama returned to power in January for a non-consecutive second term. The PDHC delays highlight the long lead times typical for large-scale refining projects. Dangote itself took nearly a decade to move from its first loan agreement to eventual start-up. Other projects announced this year are unlikely to advance in 2026, making operating or near-complete refineries in Nigeria, Angola and Ghana critical for the region's push towards a bigger role in the downstream market. By George Maher-Bonnett Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Viewpoint: UK offshore faces deeper consolidation

15/12/25

News

15/12/25

Viewpoint: UK offshore faces deeper consolidation

London, 15 December (Argus) — UK offshore oil and gas operators are bracing for more consolidation next year after the government confirmed the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) will remain in place until March 2030. The EPL, introduced in 2022, raised the headline tax rate on upstream profits to 78pc from 40pc, reshaping project economics and company strategies. Executives argue the current price environment is "far from windfall" and describe the fiscal regime as punitive. Faced with higher taxes and tighter margins, operators are seeking scale and cost savings through mergers and joint ventures. Shell and Norway's state-controlled Equinor formally launched their new UK offshore joint venture, Adura, earlier this month after agreeing the deal in 2024. Also this month, TotalEnergies agreed to form a UK-focused joint venture with Neo Next , an independent owned by Spain's Repsol and Norwegian private equity firm HitecVision. The new business, Neo Next+, will hold more than 50pc of the Elgin-Franklin gas complex, where TotalEnergies is already operator, and interests in several other fields. The deal will leave BP as the only European major still directly operating a UK portfolio itself. Other examples of operators restructuring to manage UK exposure include Italian firm Eni exchanging its UK upstream assets for a stake in North Sea producer Ithaca Energy , and UK independent Harbour Energy merging with Germany's Wintershall Dea in an $11.2bn transaction that added assets offshore Norway and in other regions. Both those deals closed in 2024. Although Harbour has since cut hundreds of North Sea offshore jobs, it is not giving up on the UK. It agreed a deal this month to increase its interest in the UK's Catcher field to 90pc, from 50pc, via a takeover of junior independent Waldorf Production. The deal, which will also give Harbour a stake in the Kraken field, will add 20,000 b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) to the firm's UK production. Harbour is the UK's largest independent producer for now, with output of 156,000 b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d) from the UK continental shelf in January-September this year. But analysts who track the sector estimate Adura will eventually produce more than 200,000 boe/d. And TotalEnergies expects Neo Next+ to reach 250,000 boe/d in 2026. While operators consolidate to help manage fiscal pressure, the outlook for fresh projects is limited by government policy. Greenfield oil and gas developments in the UK will be scarce in the 2026 and beyond. The government's ban on new licences remains in force. Its North Sea Future Plan, released on budget day, allows limited additional production near existing producing fields. Operators are expected to direct capital spending to near-field tiebacks and other work to lift output from existing developments. Two greenfield projects that could see first oil or gas towards late 2026 are Rosebank and Jackdaw. Equinor and Ithaca continue to work on Rosebank. Shell continues to work on Jackdaw. But the government must still decide whether the resubmitted environmental plans meet the required standard. As for Ithaca Energy's Cambo development, west of Shetlands, which has yet to reach a final investment decision , analysts are increasingly sceptical that it will proceed at all. After the budget, investment bank Stifel issued a "sell" note on Ithaca's shares. Its valuation now assumes Ithaca's 100pc-owned Cambo project will not go ahead. By Jon Mainwaring Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Aramco Jafurah project still in commissioning: Resend

15/12/25

News

15/12/25

Aramco Jafurah project still in commissioning: Resend

Clarifies distinction between raw gas and sales gas. Story originally published on 11 December Dubai, 15 December (Argus) — Saudi state-controlled Aramco has begun to commission the first phase of its giant Jafurah natural gas project, but is yet to begin full commercial operations, according to the company's executive vice president of gas Abdulkarim Al-Ghamdi. "Jafurah… we started the commissioning last week," Al-Ghamdi told the Middle East Gas Conference in Dubai on Wednesday. "And that will be commissioned fully now, for production, before year-end." The phase is "on schedule" and "in advanced commissioning", he said. Al-Ghamdi's comments are the first from Aramco since the Saudi finance ministry said production at Jafurah had begun. In its 2026 budget released last week the ministry listed "completion of the first phase of the Jafurah gas plant construction and commencement of production with a capacity of 450mn ft³/d," as one of the country's achievements for 2025. It did not specify a date for the start. Aramco has not made its own start-up announcement. A source close to the project said a formal Aramco announcement regarding Jafurah is likely "soon" ꟷ probably before the end of the year when commissioning is complete, as per Al-Ghamdi's comments. With in-place reserves of 229 trillion ft³ (6.87 trillion m³) of raw gas and 75bn bl of condensate, Jafurah is the largest unconventional gas field in the Mideast Gulf, and constitutes a major pillar of Aramco's ambitious gas expansion plans. The 450mn ft³/d capacity referenced by the ministry reflects the project's initial maximum raw gas processing, which aligns with Aramco's long-held plans for output to begin at 200mn ft³/d as sales gas, rising to 650mn ft³/d of sales gas by the end of 2026. A second phase, which is scheduled to come on stream in 2027, would then gradually lift sales gas production to 2bn ft³/d by the end of the decade. It constitutes part of an ambitious Aramco programme to expand gas production by more than 80pc by the end of the decade, relative to a 2021 baseline of 9.2bn ft³/d. This implies output of at least 16.6bn ft³/d by 2030, with Jafurah delivering just over one-quarter of the increase. Jafurah will also produce about 420mn ft³/d of ethane, and 630,000 b/d of NGLs and condensate as by-products by 2030. Traders told Argus last week that Aramco has offered spot Jafurah condensate for loading in February. Market sources say Jafurah condensate has an API gravity of 49.75° and sulphur content of 0.16pc. The ethane and NGLs will be sent to the Riyas fractionation plant, which is being built as part of the phase two development. The condensate will be sent to the Juaymah terminal, where Aramco is expanding its storage and export facilities. By Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Viewpoint: Saudi condensate to lead supply rise in 2026

15/12/25

News

15/12/25

Viewpoint: Saudi condensate to lead supply rise in 2026

Singapore, 15 December (Argus) — The Asian condensate market is bracing for the introduction of a new grade from Saudi Arabia in 2026, which may cause significant pricing disruptions if demand cannot keep pace with the rise in supplies. Condensate loadings from state-controlled Saudi Aramco's new Jafurah natural gas project should start in the first quarter of 2026 , in cargo sizes of 500,000 bl, traders said. Some expect 3-4 spot cargoes a month to be made available. Jafurah condensate, with an API gravity of 49.75° and sulphur content of 0.16pc, appears to be similar in quality to Australian Ichthys and Qatari condensates, which are rich in naphtha and middle distillates. It may also compete with lighter crudes like US light sweet WTL. Jafurah's ramp-up speed will be a critical factor for 2026, and some traders think condensate prices will have to be gradually adjusted lower when the new supply comes. Buyers may initially be hesitant to commit to Jafurah condensate given its quality is untested, so its impact on similar-quality grades may not be immediate. The bulk of condensate produced in Asia-Pacific and the Mideast Gulf goes to the UAE, South Korea, Singapore and China, mostly to splitters. Any potential price decline next year resulting from more supply may be capped by expectations of condensate offers from Qatar's North Field East (NFE) expansion project emerging only towards the end of 2026, with its effects not anticipated to be felt until 2027. This is perhaps a strategic move aimed at preventing a flood of supply in 2026 that would drive down prices even more, a Singapore trader said. The project is supposed to start up in mid-2026 . State-owned QatarEnergy (QE) has, in the meantime, struck several long-term supply deals with the UAE's Enoc , Japan's Mitsui and a Singapore unit of Shell . "[They have] covered some of their [supply] lengths already, but [there is] still a lot more," a trader said. QE typically sells its Qatari Low Sulphur Condensate (LSC) and Deodorized Field Condensate (DFC) — also produced at the North Field — via regular tenders, and traders expect condensate from the expansion project to be of similar quality to these. Qatar is the world's third-largest condensate producer, behind Russia and the US, according to IEA figures, and QE's LSC and DFC account for a quarter of the world's internationally traded condensate. These volumes were nearly 850,000 b/d last year, data from oil analytics firm Vortexa show. Australia is also a major condensate supplier, shipping about 180,000 b/d last year, mainly to Asian buyers. Demand outlets One potential source of demand for these new condensates is China, given its need for naphtha as a feedstock for its expanded petrochemical capacities, while middle distillates produced from splitting the condensates can be sold off, traders said. Recent US sanctions on Russia — a major global exporter of naphtha — have made buyers, including China, reluctant to take Russian naphtha . China imported around 77,000 b/d of condensate last year, Vortexa data show. Iranian sour South Pars condensate accounted for close to 50pc of that, which was probably discounted because of Iranian sanctions, so any replacement supplies would have to be priced competitively for China to consider switching. Singapore's 70,000 b/d Bukom splitter could be another source of condensate demand once it is properly up and running , traders said, adding to the 237,000 b/d Bukom refinery's purchases of grades like Qatari condensate. Refiners often view heavy condensates as an alternative to ultra-light crude feedstock and could turn to such supplies if they are priced at a level that makes sense for them economically compared to regular crude grades. In the past, firm prices for light sour crudes like Abu Dhabi Murban had prompted some refiners to turn to Qatari condensates. Otherwise, Aramco especially may be banking on replacement demand from buyers in South Korea, the UAE and Singapore, hoping to switch some of their purchases away from Qatari and Ichthys condensates, as well as lighter crudes, traders said. If there is insufficient demand for the additional supplies, some condensates can even be blended with crude to create lighter grades of crude, a Singapore trader said, optimistic that the market will somehow find a way to absorb these extra supplies over the next few years. By Reena Nathan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Seized oil tanker likely heading to Houston

12/12/25

News

12/12/25

Seized oil tanker likely heading to Houston

New York, 12 December (Argus) — The US-seized oil tanker Skipper, carrying Venezuelan oil, is en route to Houston, Texas, according to data from oil analytics firm Vortexa. If Houston is the very-large crude carrier's final destination, it will likely discharge the 1.9mn bls of Merey crude it is carrying via lightering offshore since Houston-area ports are too shallow to allow such a large ship dock to offload at an onshore terminal. The US seized the falsely-flagged Skipper on 10 December for its alleged involvement in smuggling Iranian oil to support Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. But the seizure is widely seen as an extension of ongoing efforts by the US to pressure the Venezuelan government over the flow of drugs from the country. The US said it intends to seize other tankers on existing sanctions lists that are carrying Venezuelan crude. The US has stationed a large naval force in the waters near Venezuela since September as part of an effort ostensibly aimed at stopping waterborne drug shipments. The seizure of the Skipper has not had any clear effect on freight or crude markets so far, but more seizures and Caracas' response could change that. The US tried to pressure Iran through ship seizures from 2019-24, seizing a total of nine tankers, including four vessels in 2020 that were due to deliver Iranian gasoline cargoes to Venezuela. The US discontinued the practice because Tehran retaliated by seizing tankers passing through or near the strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Mideast Gulf. Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's government calls the seizure of the Skipper "an act of international piracy", but Caracas may not have the same capability to retaliate as Tehran. It could block loadings by Chevron, which is importing oil to the US under a sanctions waiver that the US reissued in August. Exports to the US, shipped under Chevron's waiver, stood at about 130,000 b/d in November, down from 150,000 b/d in October. By Charlotte Bawol and Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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BP increases dividend, steps up share buybacks

Related news posts

Viewpoint: West Africa refineries key to hub status

Viewpoint: West Africa refineries key to hub status

Viewpoint: UK offshore faces deeper consolidation

Viewpoint: UK offshore faces deeper consolidation

Aramco Jafurah project still in commissioning: Resend

Aramco Jafurah project still in commissioning: Resend

Viewpoint: Saudi condensate to lead supply rise in 2026

Viewpoint: Saudi condensate to lead supply rise in 2026

Seized oil tanker likely heading to Houston

Seized oil tanker likely heading to Houston

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