BP returns to profit following loss from COVID-19 impact
Print Edition
BP returned to profit in the second quarter, the British energy giant announced yesterday, having posted a hefty loss one year earlier as the pandemic crushed oil prices.
Net profit for April-June hit US$3.1 billion. That compared with a loss after tax of US$16.8 billion in the second quarter of 2020.
With demand for crude crashing as the coronavirus pandemic took hold early last year, oil prices plunged into negative territory.
They have since recovered with a bang, currently trading above US$70 per barrel.
Oil demand was recovering on “a bright macroeconomic outlook, increasing vaccination roll-out and gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions around the world,” BP said yesterday in its results statement.
“The expectation is that demand reaches pre-Covid levels sometime in the second half of 2022.”
In the wake of the pandemic, BP decided to axe about 10,000 jobs or 15 percent of its global workforce, while it embarked upon major asset disposals.
BP yesterday said it had completed deals on divestments totaling US$14.9 billion out of a target of US$25 billion.
It comes as Bernard Looney, who became BP chief executive when the coronavirus began taking hold worldwide, wants the company to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050. It hopes to achieve this with the help of an expected drop in oil and gas production that is pushing energy majors worldwide to up their game regarding cleaner, sustainable energy sources such as electricity and wind power.
“We are a year into executing BP’s strategy to become an integrated energy company and are making good progress — delivering another quarter of strong performance while investing for the future in a disciplined way,” Looney said in yesterday’s results statement.
BP added that it was hiking its shareholder dividend and launching a buyback of shares totaling US$1.4 billion.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
