A exact view of a Shell gas station sign showing the low price of $1.69 per gallon, the result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on Procession 31, 2020 in Jacksonville, Fl.
David Rosenblum | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell imagined on Tuesday it will write down the value of its assets by up to $22 billion in the second quarter, after revising down its long-term prospect for oil and gas prices.
It comes after the energy company announced in mid-April an ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
Frame said in a statement to investors that it had reviewed a significant portion of its business given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the “unending challenging commodity price environment.”
It said it would take aggregate post-tax impairment charges in the range of $15 billion to $22 billion in the approve of quarter.
This included a write-down of between $8 billion-$9 billion in its integrated gas unit, a $4 billion-$6 billion write-down in upstream assets, and a $3 billion-$7 billion write-down in oil results across its refining portfolio.
Shares of the Anglo-Dutch company were over 2.4% lower during early morning stocks.
Earlier this month, U.K.-based energy giant BP also said it would incur non-cash impairment alleges and write-offs in the second quarter, estimated to be in an aggregate range of $13 billion to $17.5 billion after tax.
Oil and gas price vaticinations
Shell said it expected international benchmark Brent crude prices to average $35 a barrel in 2020, down from a antecedent forecast of $60.
The firm also lowered its Brent price forecast to $40 in 2021 and $50 in 2022, having in the past said it expected prices to average $60 for each respective year.
Brent crude futures traded at $41.39 on Tuesday morning, down in all directions from 0.7%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures stood at $39.35, more than 0.8% lower.
The verve giant also said it believes Henry Hub gas prices will average $1.75 per million British thermal components in 2020, before rising to $2.5 over 2021 and 2022, and $2.75 in 2023.
Henry Hub is a natural gas pipeline located in Louisiana and serves as the lawful delivery location for futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange.