It was the time of the yr once more when nationwide oil firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) introduced its annual efficiency. This yr, Petronas’ administration staff, helmed by its president and group chief government officer Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik, carried out an extended two-hour briefing session for the media to elucidate the group’s bold plan to strike a steadiness between attaining net-zero emissions by 2050 whereas carrying on producing hydrocarbons.
Listed below are snippets from the press convention:
How do you see the consumption of fuel within the close to time period? How will that influence Petronas because the world’s fifth-largest exporter of liquefied pure fuel (LNG)?Tengku Taufik: Petronas’ place has all the time been that pure fuel is ideally positioned within the present power transition surroundings.
Now, we have to take a look at what’s going to occur past 2040 and 2050. We see that oil and fuel (O&G) will nonetheless make up 40% of the world’s power combine. For now, we’re seeing progress in demand for pure fuel. We should always proceed with fuel exploration, as a result of fuel presents a pathway to the net-zero future we’re aiming for. Demand within the area and in Malaysia is anticipated to rise post-pandemic. In Malaysia, we’ll see a rise in fuel consumption, particularly from the ability sector.
What’s your oil value outlook for this yr, particularly with the geopolitical points between Russia and Ukraine?The present oil value of above US$100 (RM417.80) per barrel is a departure from the place we imagine fundamentals ought to be. I believe many analysis homes would agree.
There was under-investment and there may also be the systematic launch of provides from the Group of the Petroleum Exporting International locations and its allies or Opec+. Essentially, the worth of crude oil ought to be on the US$70 to US$80 (RM292 to RM334) per barrel vary.
Petronas may be very vigorous and disciplined with its spending. We apply situation testing to our investments, to make sure that they’ll survive at decrease costs, as little as US$40 to US$50 (RM167 to RM209) a barrel.
Petronas’ capital expenditure (capex) within the monetary yr 2021 (FY21) solely got here in at RM30.5bil, which is decrease than the RM40bil-RM50bil pre-pandemic degree. Is Petronas going to speed up its capex for this yr?In FY21, Petronas skilled some disruptions in operations as a result of Covid-19 pandemic. We needed to work in a really totally different manner. It put a whole lot of pressure on us and our contractors. Security has all the time been our primary precedence. There have been additionally some transactions to assist the upstream O&G we had needed to tackle.
Nevertheless, the valuations grew to become “distorted” due to the present market scenario. Because of the mixture of provide chain disruptions, Covid-19 influence and foregone mergers and acquisitions or M&As, that’s the reason our capex fell behind.
Our capex allocation stays 50:50 for the home and worldwide markets. We count on the primary quarter (Q1) and Q2 this yr to make amends for capex spending.
We should be certain that the fuel molecules come by way of, and we’re dedicated to upholding protected operations of our fields. It’s a very delicate steadiness.
Are you able to elaborate on the pick-up in capex? Petronas additionally plans to spice up the native O&G sector and make investments additional in new power sectors. How are you going to strike this steadiness?For this yr, we hope to return again to the standard RM40bil to RM50bil vary for capex. The board has licensed a few of that capex to be ring fenced for decarbonising actions and tasks.
Do not forget that decarbonising just isn’t a completely new power area. It additionally means working with the O&G companies and gear (OGSE) gamers to wash up our operations – creating much less emissions.
As we transfer ahead into this clear power area, there can be an impartial automobile, a clear power answer unit, that acts like a enterprise capital or non-public fairness agency. It would take strategic choices to nurture this nascent space – renewable power, hydrogen and inexperienced mobility – to offer a clear power answer for the longer term. We’ve got to plant the muse now, as a result of if we do not we threat being left behind. We wish to transfer into blue and inexperienced hydrogen quickly.
We should be very cautious round expertise bets that we make. As we glance into renewables, the place that we took in M+ (Petronas’ solar energy subsidiary) has already reached 1GW.
We could have 3GW, a humble ambition within the close to time period. However nothing will cease us from constructing as much as one thing like a 30GW-40GW portfolio. We’re evaluating the market.
Will there be additional M&As within the clear power area? We don’t exclude the potential for inorganic progress. Taking the bets early implies that we be taught the expertise first, and turn out to be strategic shareholders over time.
Now that you’ve a standalone fuel unit, will we see extra investments in fuel growth?In relation to upstream, Petronas’ portfolio is about 70% fuel and 30% oil. Malaysia is blessed with many fuel assets. There may be rising demand to maneuver away from coal within the power sector.
Tenaga Nasional Bhd is taking a place the place coal will finish sooner or later. So we have to anticipate the step up in fuel. This has been accomplished in a viable, equitable and market-based surroundings. As a result of the harder the fuel is, the extra expensive it’s to carry it out.
Are you able to elaborate on Petronas’ collaboration throughout its worth chain with the states of Sabah and Sarawak?Collaborations with Sabah and Sarawak are lined in two agreements. With Sabah, we have now entered right into a business collaboration settlement, which is for us to take part downstream by offering fuel and in addition embarking on a nearshore LNG venture. As we develop and undertake these tasks in Sabah, additionally they need us to permit native participation and functionality constructing.
With Sarawak, we have now a business settlement settlement (CSA). We are actually seeing ourselves collaborating carefully with Petros (the state automobile of Sarawak), which can also be taking positions upstream. What we’re doing with Sabah and Sarawak is to make sure that the pie is enlarged, and everyone will get an equitable share, for a win-win for all.
Petronas renegotiated some contracts with service suppliers in the course of the earlier downturn in oil costs. With the spike in crude oil costs now, will the contractors and distributors search for renegotiations?Over the past disaster in 2014-2015, the crash got here in a short time, which is why now we have now to behave with warning.
Petronas has signaled that you simply want scale and experience to climate a downturn in a really cyclical enterprise and the cycle is getting shorter.
By way of fee renegotiation, because the world comes again to restoration and as demand for power additionally grows, the necessity for companies is anticipated to comply with. We’ll proceed to respect the business availability of property, individuals and pay at market charges. We wish to be answerable for partnering with the OGSE sector.
We do not plan any fee negotiation as we do not see how this market will pan out.
Will native OGSE gamers do effectively as Petronas, transferring ahead?It’s how they (OGSE gamers) handle their capital and value effectivity. Some could have over leverages. A few of these could have the flexibility to restructure because the market recovers. Sadly, there may be additionally a single job mentality amongst some OGSE gamers, who count on one-hit contracts with gamers like Petronas. This shouldn’t be the case.
Petronas stays a accountable companion. We wish to be a catalyst for the OGSE sector. We’re mapping out our transition into our exercise outlook. We already hinted which areas they should handle and the brand new area that we’re going to discover.
For FY21, Petronas is disbursing RM25bil dividend to the federal government. For this yr, may we see a better dividend payout on the again of upper crude oil costs?We’re solely two months into the yr. We do not know if the worth can maintain. As soon as we survive the duty of assembly our monetary commitments, servicing our debt, fulfilling our progress wants and having a buffer for liquidity, and if Petronas can afford it, the federal government will ask and the board will deliberate on it.
The brand new entity will deal with renewable power, hydrogen and in addition inexperienced mobility. Why hydrogen? Do you count on there can be extra demand for hydrogen as presently not many nations are utilizing hydrogen as their most important supply of power?The O&G trade is of course positioned to take hydrogen as a result of the chemistry that we are able to do has already helped us produce blue hydrogen. Hydrogen is an power service and it is going to be envisaged as a part of the ecosystem the place you’ll then haven’t any emissions.
The trick proper now could be the best way to transport it. That’s the reason you say it is troublesome to see how hydrogen goes to be so widespread.
The truth is, the purchasers for hydrogen are usually the identical gamers that can devour LNG. As a result of we’re within the LNG area, there’s a pathway.
One in all Petronas’ new focus is inexperienced mobility. What’s Petronas planning on doing on this area?Our instant goal is to work with OEMs and expertise suppliers to get a good variety of between 20 and 30 charging stations arrange this yr. In the long run, we see a proliferation of upper and quicker charging stations deployed throughout Malaysia. We imagine what’s going to actually unblock inexperienced mobility in Asia is the proliferation of infrastructure.