ExxonMobil, the global oil and gas company, plans to invest approximately $185 billion over the next five years to develop new supplies of energy to meet expected growth in demand, said its chairman and CEO.

“During challenging times for the global economy, ExxonMobil continues to invest to deliver the energy needed to underpin economic recovery and growth,” said Rex W Tillerson today (March 8) in a presentation to investment analysts at the New York Stock Exchange.

“During challenging times for the global economy, ExxonMobil continues to invest to deliver the energy needed to underpin economic recovery and growth,” he added.

Tillerson said that even with significant efficiency gains, ExxonMobil expects global energy demand to increase by 30 percent by 2040, compared to 2010 levels. Demand for electricity will make natural gas the fastest growing major energy source and oil and natural gas are expected to meet 60 percent of energy needs over the next three decades.

To help meet that demand, ExxonMobil is anticipating an investment profile of approximately $37 billion per year through the year 2016.

“An unprecedented level of investment will be needed to develop new energy technologies to expand supply of traditional fuels and advance new energy sources,” said Tillerson. “We are developing a diverse portfolio of high-quality opportunities across all resource types and geographies.”

A total of 21 major oil and gas projects will begin production between 2012 and 2014. In 2012 and 2013, the company expects to start up nine major projects and anticipates adding over 1 million net oil-equivalent barrels per day by 2016.

At the meeting the company outlined its major achievements in 2011 and plans for the future. Highlights include:

• ExxonMobil replaced 107 per cent of its 2011 production (116 per cent excluding asset sales), increasing proved reserves to 24.9 billion oil equivalent barrels. It was the 18th consecutive year the company replaced more than 100 per cent of its production, with proved reserve additions of 1.8 billion oil-equivalent barrels.

• Nine major upstream projects are expected to start-up in the next two years including four in West Africa, Kashagan Phase 1 in Kazakhstan and the Kearl Oil Sands project in Canada.

• In the downstream, the company completed a large project at the Thailand refinery, which is expected to increase the supply of lower sulfur motor fuels by more than 50 thousand barrels per day. Additional projects are under way, including new facilities at ExxonMobil’s Singapore refinery and at a joint-venture refinery in Saudi Arabia.

• A major expansion at the Singapore chemicals facilities is nearing completion. Commissioning and startup activities are expected to continue through 2012 and will provide a world-scale integrated platform with unparalleled feedstock flexibility. The expansion will add 2.6 million tonnes per year of additional capacity and will help meet demand growth in Asia Pacific.

This is the 10th year that ExxonMobil has made an annual presentation to analysts at the New York Stock Exchange. – TradeArabia News Service