If you haven’t noticed, the energy space is rife with debate. On the topic of natural gas, some argue that the U.S. possesses a 100-year supply of natural gas, while others argue that domestic reserves have been massively overstated.
Let’s take a closer look at the two sides of this debate to get a better understanding of whether crude prices are likely to go up, down, or stay flat this year and in the longer term.
Oil bears vs. bulls
On the one hand are the oil bears. They argue that a number of forces will drive down oil prices as low as $50 a barrel, a level unseen since 2008, which was a year of spectacular volatility in the commodity markets. They suggest that technological advances, such as the commercialization of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, will continue to keep supply elevated far above demand.
Some also think that substitution, primarily through natural gas but also through alternative energy sources, will play an important role in keeping crude oil prices grounded for the foreseeable future.
On the other extreme are those that subscribe to the “peak oil” theory, which argues that global crude output peaked some time ago and is currently in secular decline. Their estimation of potential global oil supply would suggest that oil prices are bound to rise sharply in the near future.
So which side has it right? Or is the truth less black and white and more a shade of grey? Before addressing these divergent views, though, it might be helpful to understand the forces that determine the price of crude oil.
Crude oil price drivers
Crude oil prices are driven primarily by global supply and demand fundamentals, as well as other factors like geopolitical risk, the value of the dollar, and speculation. But over the long run, crude prices have shown a remarkable degree of correlation to what’s known as the marginal cost of oil production, which refers to the cost of extracting the last and most expensive barrel of oil from the ground.
Oil expert Chris Skrebowski estimates that marginal production costs are between $40-$80 a barrel in some OPEC countries, $70-$90 a barrel in Canada’s tar sands, and $70-$80 a barrel in deepwater. As a global average, he calculates that it costs somewhere in the range of $80-$110 in order to bring one new barrel of oil online.
A separate analysis by Bernstein Research reached similar conclusions. The study found that, in 2011, production costs for the world’s 50 largest publicly traded oil producers rose at a rate substantially higher than their long-run average. According to Bernstein estimates, marginal production costs increased 11% year over year and averaged more than $90 a barrel in 2011.
Soaring production expenses
Both studies highlight an important trend in the exploration and production business – it’s becoming much more expensive to extract the marginal barrel of oil than it used to be. It makes sense when you think about it. As oil and gas companies increasingly venture into unconventional sources of oil, such as shale and deepwater, they require more complex equipment and highly skilled workers, which don’t come cheap.
