Libya Tops Oil Companies' Wish List Again - Dow Jones
By Simeon Kerr
LONDON, May 17 (Dow Jones) - For the second consecutive year, international oil companies have voted Libya the most attractive destination for new ventures, a survey by Robertson Research International showed.
Robertson's International New Ventures Survey, which questioned 85 international oil firms on their interest in 146 ventures outside North America, ranked the Middle East as the most attractive region in the world, followed by East Asia/Australasia.
Trailing in Libya's wake were, in order of interest, Iran, Algeria, Australia, Brazil, the U.K., Egypt, Iraq, Angola and Indonesia.
Outside the "top ten," the countries gaining the most ground on last year's survey were Mexico, Ecuador and Morocco, while Eritrea, Thailand and Myanmar registered the biggest falls.
Oil companies, the survey said, are aiming to expand exploration aggressively, with 70% of respondents increasing their exploration budgets in 2001, and 56% saying they expected to invest in new countries this year.
Robertson Research:
robresint.co.uk |
