Annual Energy Conference News

The cost of producing oil and gas has risen about 53 percent the past two years, and the trend is expected to continue this year, according to a report released Monday. Business Week reported that those same costs have climbed 67 percent since 2000, but most of the increase has come since the end of 2004, according to an analysis by Cambridge Energy Research Associates and its parent, IHS Inc., which together have created what they call the Upstream Capital Costs Index. The index tracks nine key cost areas for offshore and land-based projects such as construction, equipment and personnel. The rising cost of doing business in the oilfield is expected to be a hot topic when dozens of industry leaders, academics and analysts gather this week for CERA's annual energy conference in Houston.