據油價網2022年10月25日報道，據德勤會計師事務所估算，由于油價上漲，美國石油生產商今年的自由現金流可能會增加68%。

路透社在一份有關該消息的報道中指出，盡管實際產量的增長要溫和得多，但自由現金流仍將增加。 

正如業內高管已經反復指出的那樣，盡管美國不遺余力地敦促鉆井公司增加鉆探活動，但產量增長并不是他們的首要任務，因此燃油零售價格可能會下降。

德勤會計師事務所對100家石油公司進行的抽樣調查顯示，石油公司的首要任務是向股東返還現金和償還債務。  

德勤會計師事務所對美國石油公司自由現金流的最新計算，比早先預測的今年自由現金流翻倍至1.4萬億美元有所上調。 

與此同時，德勤會計師事務所指出，自由現金流的增加對資本支出的影響不大。德勤會計師事務所說，今年美國上游行業的資本支出預計將增長29%，至1080億美元。 

白宮為促使石油鉆探公司增加鉆探量所做的最新嘗試是，在開始補充戰略石油儲備（SPR）時，向他們提供固定價格的石油合同。政府計劃在油價跌至每桶67美元至72美元之間時采取這一措施。

斯倫貝謝公司首席執行官奧利維爾·勒·佩奇在對該提議的評論中對《華爾街日報》表示：“實際情況比這要復雜一點。”

《華爾街日報》在最近的一份有關該話題的報告中指出，事實上，業內人士批評政府將SPR用作價格控制工具，正是因為SPR在短期內會釋放更低的價格，所以在這一過程中阻礙了對更多生產的投資。 

人們對這個盈利季節的預期是，石油公司將維持目前的優先事項，其中一些公司可能會進一步提高派息和股票回購。 

李峻 編譯自 油價網

原文如下：

U.S. Oil Drillers Could See Cash Flows Increase By 68% This Year

U.S. oil producers could see their free cash flow swell by 68% this year, Deloitte has calculated, thanks to higher oil prices.

The increase in cash flow will come despite a much more moderate increase in actual production, Reuters noted in a report on the news.

As already repeatedly indicated by industry executives, production growth is not among their top priorities even though the federal government has spared no effort in urging drillers to drill, so retail fuel prices could fall.

Instead, according to a sample of 100 oil companies surveyed by Deloitte, top priorities include returning cash to shareholders and paying off debt.

The latest Deloitte calculation of free cash flow for U.S. oil drillers is an upward revision of an earlier forecast that saw free cash flow doubling this year to $1.4 trillion.

At the same time, the increase in free cash flow will have little effect on capital expenditure, Deloitte noted, saying capex in the U.S. upstream industry this year is expected to increase by 29% to $108 billion.

The latest attempt of the White House to make oil drillers drill more was to offer them fixed-price contracts for their oil when it starts replenishing the strategic petroleum reserve. The Administration plans to do that when prices fall to between $67 and #72 per barrel.

“It’s a little bit more [complex] than this,” Schlumberger’s CEO Olivier Le Peuche told the WSJ in comments on the proposal.

In fact, the industry has criticized the Administration for using the SPR as a price-control tool, discouraging investment in more production in the process precisely because the SPR releases lower prices over the short term, the WSJ noted in a recent report on the topic.

Expectations for this profit season are that oil companies will maintain their current priorities with some maybe boosting dividends and stock repurchases further.