Four Charts from BP's Statistical Review of World Energy

Friday, crude oil prices settled at $77.43 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. After rising for many months this year, oil prices are stabilizing or falling due to the increasing unemployment levels. The price of natural gas for December delivery closed at $4.595 per 1,000 cubic feet.

When oil prices rose to almost $150 per barrel last year, many of the oil exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, etc. reaped huge profits and built up their foreign exchange reserves.

Each year the oil giant (BP) publishes the “BP Statistical Review of World Energy“. The following are some interesting charts from this year’s report:

1. Distribution of Proven Oil Reserves over the years

2. Historical Oil Prices from 1861 thru 2008

3. Coal Production and Consumption

4. Distribution of Proven Natural Gas Reserves over the years

The US was the largest consumer of oil in the world in 2008 at 884 million tonnes. The second largest consumer was China at 375M tonnes followed by Japan.

Comments

[Ferdinand E...:]

I'm curious. What are you trying to show with these charts? I will admit, however, that the BP Review of Energy is a valuable document, and everyone interested in energy should look at it.

Nov 08 09:38 AM

[Giulio Negrini:]

Very interesting charts. I am interested in energy and I find basic information that able me to project my future target and direction.
Be and independent oil and gas producer I am looking BP, Exxon, Shell.. like my big brothers.negrinioil.net

Nov 08 10:47 AM

[Alan Young:]

Very useful info. Two salient points:

1. Asia has doubled its use of coal in 10 years, while the rest of the world has remained flat.

2. The proportion of proven oil reserves is slipping away from the Middle East and Asia, while leaping upward in Africa.

There must be an investment thesis or two waiting to be formed from this, plus a few other data points.

Nov 09 11:59 AM

[Stone Fox C...:]

Some of the companies that will benefit from the growth in African reserves would be the cellphone providers in Africa such as MICC or the deepwater drillers such as RIG or ATW.


On Nov 09 11:59 AM Alan Young wrote:

> Very useful info. Two salient points:
>
> 1. Asia has doubled its use of coal in 10 years, while the rest of
> the world has remained flat.
>
> 2. The proportion of proven oil reserves is slipping away from the
> Middle East and Asia, while leaping upward in Africa.
>
> There must be an investment thesis or two waiting to be formed from
> this, plus a few other data points.

Nov 09 12:19 PM

[Jeff_B:]

Great charts. To anyone who looking forward to the Copenhagen talks on Global Warming, the facts in these charts indicate that successful negotiations will be based upon North American (primarily US) and Asia (primarily China) being able to reduce dependency on coal.

Nov 10 03:09 PM