Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2014 -- Chile's small resource base makes the country heavily dependent upon imports to satisfy demand and promote economic growth. This will persist in spite of some long-term upside potential stemming from the country's shale gas prospects. In the meantime, imported liquefied natural gas will play a greater role in energy security.

The key trends and developments in the Chilean oil and gas sector are:

- In terms of domestic production, we forecast only modest growth. Crude and other liquids output will rise from an estimated 10,112 barrels per day (b/d) in 2013 to 10,961b/d by 2022. Meanwhile, gas output will only tick up from an estimated 1.15bcm in 2013 to 1.17 in 2017 and 1.20 in 2022.
- At the same time, Chilean consumption of oil and natural gas will continue to increase, if at a slower rate. Namely, with the commodity boom of the prior decade coming to an end, the country is likely to face a slowdown in mining sector activity and real GDP growth. However, while the economic outlook is more moderate over the coming decade than between 2002 and 2012, we still expect the Chilean economy to perform relatively well, such that we forecast that oil use will rise from an estimated 363,369b/d in 2012 to 393,322b/d by 2017, growing to reach a forecasted 455,970b/d by 2022. We are also forecasting gas consumption rising from an estimated 5.0bcm in 2013 to 6.0bcm in 2017 and 7.7bcm by 2022. This will ensure a continued heavy feedstock import burden on the state-owned Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (ENAP).
- We believe that if Chile is to address the mismatch between supply and demand for hydrocarbons in the country, its best hope lies in exploration taking place in the Magallanes region in the south of the country. Indeed, the advent of technology capable of extracting oil and gas from shale formations has given Chile reason for optimism over the long term, with EIA estimates suggesting that the Magallanes region may contain up to 2.4bn barrels of technically recoverable shale oil and condensate and 1.36trn cubic metres of shale gas. Although we have not taken this into account in our forecasts as production is still in a nascent stage, it remains a significant upside risk in the long term. We believe OPEC basket oil prices will decrease from their average of US$105.03 per barrel (bbl) in 2013 to US$97.0/bbl in 2017. As a result, we see the country's oil and gas import bill rising only modestly (despite the pick-up in imports) from an estimated US$16.4bn in 2013 to US$16.8bn in 2017.

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents

About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff will help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

Browse all Energy research reports at Fast Market Research

You may also be interested in these related reports:

- China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- Insignia Energy Ltd. Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- Second Wave Petroleum Inc. Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- Plains Exploration & Production Company Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- McMoRan Exploration Co. Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- Greenfields Petroleum Corporation Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Operations and Cost Analysis - Q1, 2013
- United Kingdom Oil & Gas Report Q1 2014
- Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Company Intelligence Report
- Indonesia Oil & Gas Report Q1 2014