There are numerous actors in the world of oil and gas. The best-known are, of course, the major oil companies and
OPEC. But they are not the only ones. A myriad of companies, organisations and consultants all play a part in the “hydrocarbon universe”:
National companies, which, in many countries, manage oil production and defend national interests in the hydrocarbon sector;
Companies specialising in gas distribution, such as Gaz de France;
National agencies & government departments with responsibility for energy matters (in France the DGEMP, the Department of Energy and Raw Materials; in the United States the DOE, the Department of Energy);
International organisations, such as OPEC (the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), OAPEC (the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) or the IEA (the International Energy Agency);
Small independent oil companies, which take over oil fields near the end of their useful lives, or develop fields that have been abandoned by the major companies. Examples are Maurel et Prom in France, and many small independent companies in the United States;
Companies operating in the oil sector as suppliers of services to oil companies, mainly for exploration and production. Among the best known: Schlumberger, Halliburton, Gophysique, Goservices, Transocean Sedco Forex These companies are involved in specific technical areas (geophysical surveying and analysis, drilling, depth imaging, production equipment ), supplying oil companies with personnel and equipment that the latter do not own or employ themselves (for cost control reasons).
The world of the petroleum services industry is vast and linked closely to exploration and production activities throughout the world;
Research institutes, which are often training centres too. The best known in France is the IFP (Institut Franais du Ptrole, or the French Oil Institute);
Independent consultants and other organisations or individuals who offer consultancy & design services and technical audits to the oil companies. |