BP logo seen in Krakow. On Monday, May 11, 2020, in Krakow, Poland.
Artur Widak | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Energy giant BP announced Monday it had lowered its oil price expectations through to 2050, saying the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic was likely to accelerate the transition to a lower carbon economy and energy system.
The U.K.-headquartered oil and gas company said it had been reviewing its portfolio and capital development plans as part of its ambition to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.
It now expects international benchmark Brent crude futures to average around $55 a barrel from 2021 through to 2050, with Henry Hub gas prices forecast to average $2.90 over the same period.
Henry Hub is a natural gas pipeline located in Louisianna and serves as the official delivery location for futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
BP’s forecasts for Brent futures and Henry Hub gas prices are down 27% and 31%, respectively, when compared to those cited in the group’s annual report at the end of 2019.
As a result of its long-term strategic planning and continued focus on capital discipline, BP said it expected to incur non-cash impairment charges and write-offs in the second quarter, estimated to be in an aggregate range of $13 billion to $17.5 billion after tax.
The company said it was unable to precisely determine the impact of the revised impairment testing price assumptions on the group’s financial statements.
Instead, further information would be provided in the firm’s second-quarter results, which are expected to be released on August 4.
Shares of BP are down over 5% during early morning deals.
Bernard Looney, chief executive of BP, said in a statement that the coronavirus outbreak “increasingly looks as if it will have an enduring economic impact.”
“We have reset our price outlook to reflect that impact and the likelihood of greater efforts to ‘build back better’ towards a Paris-consistent world,” Looney said.
“We are also reviewing our development plans. All that will result in a significant charge in our upcoming results, but I am confident that these difficult decisions — rooted in our net zero ambition and reaffirmed by the pandemic – will better enable us to compete through the energy transition,” he added.
Brent crude futures traded at $37.42 a barrel on Monday morning, around 3.3% lower, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures stood at $34.56, down more than 4.6%.
