Is This The End Of U.S. Dominance In Global Energy?

By Tsvetana Paraskova, Oilprice.com

Russia’s Gazprom ranked no.1 in the 2017 S&P Global Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings, toppling ExxonMobil and ending its 12-year reign at the top spot, S&P Global Platts said in what it defined as the most profound change in the 16-year history of the ranking.

The second most profound change was that integrated oil and gas companies were not the biggest movers up—ceding that role to pipeline companies and utilities—although they continue to be strong on the list, as they have been since S&P Global Platts started publishing the rankings in 2002.

In its annual list, S&P Global Platts ranks energy firms according to four metrics of financial performance—asset worth, revenues, profits, and return on invested capital.

Exxon not only lost its no.1 spot on the list, it slipped to 9th place. In the top 10 this year, the Americas hold only two spots, while Asia-Pacific tied Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), each landing four companies in the top ten.

Apart from Exxon, the other American company in the top ten is Valero Energy Corp. Behind Russia’s Gazprom, Germany’s E.ON came in at no.2, India’s Reliance Industries at no.3, followed by Korea Electric Power Corp, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, Russia’s LUKOIL, Indian Oil Corp Ltd, Valero Energy at no.8, Exxon at no.9, and France’s Total at no.10.

“European utilities and North American pipeline operators got a boost from sticking to what they know best and shying away from more risky enterprises and territories,” Harry Weber, senior natural gas writer of S&P Global Platts, said in an S&P statement.

E.ON, ranked no.2, was one of the biggest gainers, jumping 112 places from no.114. UK utility Centrica climbed into the 15th position, from the 156th place in last year’s ranking. Houston-based CenterPoint Energy was also among the big climbers, moving up to 105th from last year’s 220th place.

Due to the new entrants in utilities and pipelines, combined revenues of the 2017 Top 10 global energy companies soared by more than 30 percent, to US$1.1 trillion, from US$830.2 billion in the 2016 rankings, S&P Global Platts said.

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