Connect with us

Energy

Craft Oil: The Lesser Known Side of America’s Energy Industry

Published

on

Craft Oil Infographic

Craft Oil: The Lesser Known Side of America’s Energy Industry

Go back a decade, and America’s energy industry was quite the hot button issue.

Oil prices were soaring past $100/bbl, the country was still reliant on OPEC for imports, and a lack of energy independence was becoming a costly issue. Meanwhile, the United States was being outclassed on the energy production front by both Saudi Arabia and Russia.

However, in the short span of eight years – and thanks to the use of technologies like horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing – the United States quickly went from having a questionable energy future to being in a clear position of strength. Today, even with lower prices, U.S. field production of crude is at a 43-year high.

America’s Independent Oil Producers

Since 2016, the U.S. has produced close to the equivalent of 30 million bpd in oil and natural gas, making the United States a champion of global energy production.

Today’s infographic from Jericho Oil focuses on a key part of the turnaround in the U.S. energy sector that often gets overshadowed by Big Oil players like ExxonMobil or Royal Dutch Shell. It covers the role of “Craft Oil” in the industry, an umbrella that includes many small, independent, and focused companies across America that produce oil and gas on a domestic basis.

The thousands of companies in this group, many which are community-driven or family-owned, actually drill 95% of the country’s oil wells to yield 54% of onshore oil and 85% of onshore gas production.

Comparing Big Oil to Craft Oil

Below is a comparison of ExxonMobil to the profile of an average Craft Oil company:

Big Oil
Craft Oil
Employees
71,300
12
Years in Business
108 years
23 years
Annual Gross Revenues
$218.6 billion
$9.25 million
Ownership
Publicly traded
75% private, 25% public
Level of Integration
Typically fully integrated, combining upstream and downstream activities to get the most out of the value chain
Usually a pure play, focused upstream on oil exploration and production
Focus
Produce, transport, refine, and market oil products
Develop new plays, and drive upstream trends such as technological innovation
Production
Domestic and international
Mostly domestic

Most Craft Oil companies are very small in comparison – but together, they contribute to a very significant portion of U.S. production, as well as the economy.

Investing in Craft Oil

Do these independent producers provide a strategic opportunity for investors?

Yes, but here are a few areas investors should consider evaluating before taking any action:

Location of Assets:
In the U.S. and Canada, independent oil companies undergo strong regulatory scrutiny to make sure their reporting and numbers give transparency to their operations.

Cash and Debt:
How much does the company have in cash? Will they have to raise more money soon?

Companies operating in junior oil and gas should not have more than 2x more debt than their current cash flow.

Management Team:
The strength of any management team is linked to their connections, past experience, and skill set. If the management team has built and sold successful projects in the past, that is a good sign of strength.

Economics:
Investors need to be aware of key metrics to gauge if junior oil and gas companies can make money in the current or projected cost environment. These include IRR (Internal Rate of Return), NPV (Net present value), and payback period. Companies that make their money back fast and with a good return can re-invest that capital into additional projects.

Click for Comments

Energy

Ranked: Electric Vehicle Sales by Model in 2023

Today, electric vehicle sales make up 18% of global vehicle sales. Here are the leading models by sales as of August 2023.

Published

on

The Highest Electric Vehicle Sales, by Model

Ranked: Electric Vehicle Sales by Model in 2023

Electric vehicle (EV) sales are gaining momentum, reaching 18% of global vehicle sales in 2023.

As new competitors bring more affordable options and new performance features, the market continues to mature as customers increasingly look to electric options.

This graphic ranks the top-selling EVs worldwide as of August 2023, based on data from CleanTechnica.

The Best Selling EVs in 2023 (Through August)

Below, we show the world’s best selling fully electric vehicles from January to August 2023:

ModelCountryVehicles Sold
(Jan-Aug 2023)
Tesla Model Y🇺🇸 U.S.772,364
Tesla Model 3🇺🇸 U.S.364,403
BYD Atto 3 / Yuan Plus🇨🇳 China265,688
BYD Dolphin🇨🇳 China222,825
GAC Aion S🇨🇳 China160,693
Wuling HongGuang Mini EV🇨🇳 China153,399
GAC Aion Y🇨🇳 China136,619
VW ID.4🇩🇪 Germany120,154
BYD Seagull🇨🇳 China95,202

As we can see, Tesla‘s Model Y still holds a comfortable lead over the competition with 772,364 units sold. That’s more than double the sales of the #2 top selling vehicle, Tesla’s Model 3 (364,403)

But it’s hard to ignore the rising prevalence of Chinese EVs. The next five best selling EV vehicles are Chinese, including three from BYD. The automaker’s Atto 3 (or Yuan Plus, depending on market), is being sold in various countries including Germany, the UK, Japan, and India.

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker GAC Group also had two models of its Aion EV brand make the rankings, with the Aion S selling 160,693 units so far.

Regional market strength is also clear. For Volkswagen’s ID.4 model (120,154 units sold), Europe and China account for the majority of sales.

Given growing cost efficiencies and changing consumer behavior, global EV sales are projected to make up half of new car sales globally by 2035, according to forecasts from Goldman Sachs.

Continue Reading
A Roadmap to Personalizing Model Portfolios

Subscribe

Popular