Tight oil vs deepwater: more similar than you think
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*Please note that this report only includes an Excel data file if this is indicated in "What's included" below
It's hard to conceive how deepwater could be becoming more like tight oil, given how different they are in terms of upfront capital outlay and technical risks. But while the nature of deepwater hasn't fundamentally changed, the investment proposition has.

Angus Rodger
Vice President, SME Upstream APAC & Middle East
Angus leads our benchmark analysis of global Pre-FID delays, and deep water developments.
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What’s inside this report?
Deepwater and tight oil are two of the great growth themes in our industry, and are often considered to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Deepwater represents large, expensive and complex long-cycle projects best suited to Big Oil. In contrast, tight oil offers flexible short-cycle opportunities appropriate for nimbler Independents.
But both are transforming rapidly, and look very different from just a few years ago.
In this report, we look at how the themes are converging.
Purchase our report for a closer look at:
- Global deepwater and US tight oil liquids output
- Key characteristics of ‘old’ and ‘new’ tight oil
- How costs compare
Report summary
Table of contents
- Growth themes, re-invented
- Permian tight oil: old versus the new
- Deepwater evolves to keep up
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Leaning in – convergence or divergence?
- Does convergence change company investment options?
- How will corporate strategies change?
Tables and charts
This report includes the following images and tables:
- Deepwater payback period and lead time
What's included
This report contains:
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