據管道&天然氣雜志網4月20日報道，根據最新的短期能源展望(STEO)顯示， EIA預測美國聯邦墨西哥灣(GOM)的原油產量將在未來兩年內增加。到2022年底，13個新項目可能會占到墨西哥灣原油總產量的12%，即約20萬桶/天。

GOM產量占美國原油產量的15%-16%。去年，GOM原油日均產量為165萬桶。預計今年日產量將超過2020年的水平，達到171萬桶，2022年將達到175萬桶。自2000年以來，原油產量最高的年份是2019年，為190萬桶/日。

據雷斯塔能源（Rystad Energy）表示，大型海上項目的開發需要數年時間。其中四個新項目可能將于2021年投產，另外九個將于2022年投產。原油生產取決于地質條件、經濟和項目時間表。未來石油市場仍存在不確定性，因此未來項目的時間表可能會相應改變。

颶風是墨西哥灣預報中的一個關鍵因素。大西洋颶風季節通常是6月1日至11月30日。盡管有8個新項目已于去年開始生產原油，但由于與新冠疫情有關的封鎖和有記錄以來最活躍的大西洋颶風季節，年產量低于2019年的水平。去年10月颶風德爾塔（Hurricane Delta）在兩天內關閉了160萬桶石油產量，這是颶風季節關閉石油產量的最高峰值。然而，熱帶風暴馬可（Marco）和颶風勞拉（Laura）的共同影響導致了15天的停產，這使颶風德爾塔的停產總量增加了一倍多，造成了自2008年以來最多的停產。

科羅拉多州立大學的季節性颶風預報預測，2021年大西洋颶風季節將高于40年來的平均水平。該大學估計有8場颶風和17場命名風暴。美國國家海洋和大氣管理局將于5月發布2021年大西洋颶風季節展望。颶風對墨西哥灣石油和天然氣行業的實際影響難以確定，因為颶風路徑對影響的大小有重大影響。颶風路徑直到天氣模式建立才能確定，這發生在颶風襲擊前幾天。

為了在STEO中預測颶風停工，我們使用歷史數據來確定大西洋颶風季節停工的平均百分比。從歷史上看，大多數GOM關閉都發生在10月。去年，與颶風有關的破壞活動比八月份的熱帶風暴Marco和Laura颶風開始的時間要早。

郝芬 譯自 管道&天然氣雜志網

原文如下：

Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil Production Will Increase with New Projects in 2021 and 2022

EIA forecasts U.S. crude oil production in the U.S. Federal Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to increase in the next two years, according to the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). By the end of 2022, 13 new projects could account for about 12% of total GOM crude oil production, or about 200,000 bpd.

The GOM accounts for 15%–16% of U.S. crude oil production. In 2020, GOM crude oil production averaged 1.65 million b/d. Production is forecast to exceed 2020 levels, reaching 1.71 million b/d in 2021 and 1.75 MMbpd in 2022. Since 2000, the highest crude oil production year was 2019 at 1.9 MMbpd.

Large offshore projects take several years to develop. Four of the new projects will likely begin production in 2021 and nine more in 2022, according to Rystad Energy. Crude oil production is subject to geologic conditions, economics, and project timelines. The future oil markets still remain uncertain, so future projects' timelines may change accordingly.

Hurricanes are a critical element in the GOM forecast. The Atlantic hurricane season is typically June 1–November 30. Although eight new projects started crude oil production in 2020, annual production was lower than 2019 levels because of pandemic-related shut-ins and the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. Hurricane Delta shut in 1.6 million barrels of oil production over two days in October, the highest peak shut-in of the hurricane season. However, the combined effects of Tropical Storm Marco, followed quickly by Hurricane Laura, led to 15 days of shut-ins, which more than doubled the total shut-in production from Hurricane Delta and resulted in the most shut-ins since 2008.

Colorado State University’s Seasonal Hurricane Forecasting forecasts that the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season will be above average, compared with the 40-year average. The university estimates 8 hurricanes and 17 named storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will release its Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook for 2021 in May. A hurricane’s actual impact on the GOM oil and natural gas industry is challenging to determine because the hurricane path has a significant effect on the size of the impact. Hurricane paths cannot be determined until the weather pattern is established, which happens days before the hurricane hits.

To forecast hurricane outages in STEO, we use historical data to determine an average percentage of outages for the Atlantic hurricane season. Historically, most GOM shut-ins occur in October. In 2020, hurricane-related disruptions started earlier than normal with Tropical Storm Marco and Hurricane Laura in August.