The Outlook for Energy: How it guides our investments

All of ExxonMobil’s major investments have their roots in The Outlook for Energy. For example, over the past 15 years, we have spent more than $10 billion to expand our refining and petrochemical production in Singapore because we expect economic growth across the Asia Pacific region will continue to spur demand for transportation fuels and the chemicals used for plastics and other manufacturing.

Our decision over a decade ago to invest with Qatar Petroleum to develop their natural gas reserves was grounded in our view that that global demand for gas would rise significantly as was our $41 billion purchase of XTO Energy in 2010. And projected strength in commercial transportation demand, coupled with tightening emissions standards, drove our 2008 decision to invest more than $1 billion to expand clean diesel production capacity in the United States and Europe.

ExxonMobil invested more than $125 billion in energy projects over the past five years. As big as those investments are, the International Energy Agency estimates that to meet energy demand, global energy infrastructure investment will need to average approximately $1.5 trillion per year (in year-2010 dollars) through 2035, with half of that amount related to oil and natural gas.

What else does The Outlook for Energy tell us about how best to meet the future needs of the world’s energy consumers? Our long-term forecasts show that the world’s energy supplies will continue to grow more diverse, and our investments reflect those forecasts. In addition to our continued investments in conventional oil and gas production, ExxonMobil also is making significant investments in oil sands, deepwater and Arctic production, and the oil and natural gas supplies found in shale and other rock formations.

Demand for reliable, affordable energy exists every day in every community. Successfully meeting this demand requires foresight and effective long-term planning, followed by huge investments and years of work to build the infrastructure required to produce and deliver energy and chemicals. It also takes an ongoing ability to understand and manage an evolving set of technical, financial, geopolitical and environmental risks in a dynamic world. The Outlook for Energy is an essential tool to help us provide the energy needed for continuing human progress.