Q1 2023 pre-FID upstream project tracker: year starts off with big FIDs in North Africa and the Middle East

Over 30 of the 40 most likely projects will reach FID in 2023. There may be more FID’s this year than last, but some projects may be delayed if they are re-evaluated for ongoing cost inflation. Most operators will be disciplined but a handful of lower-return projects will proceed reflecting their strategic importance. Seven projects have been sanctioned to date in 2023. They account for US$21.5 billion of investment and 3.7 billion boe of reserves. Large developments in North Africa and the Middle East underline the dominance of large, discovered resources. Shell’s Dover project in the US GoM is the first deepwater development to proceed.