Asia-Pacific upstream: 5 things to look for in 2018

2017 was the year we saw the downward cycle in Asia Pacific upstream bottoming out. Licence awards and resources discovered plateaued, exploration drilling fell, M&A was patchy and FIDs were few and far between. 2018 will pique interest as investors pick themselves up, dust themselves off and await decisions on a few key events that will set up the region for rebuilding and growth. Our outlook for Asia-Pacific for 2018 includes five key themes to watch: • Contract extensions on offer in Indonesia and Thailand • Confidence will grow in China with CNOOC's FID of Lingshui • Australia is on track to become the worlds largest LNG exporter • Explorers will make a tentative return, but with lower ambitions • Investment in Myanmar will stall as enthusiasm wanes