據能源之聲網站2月4日報道 隨著石油需求和價格從疫情引發的崩潰中恢復，康菲石油公司迎來了自2013年以來利潤最高的一年。

這家休斯敦獨立石油巨頭周四報告稱，2021年利潤為81億美元，而2020年虧損27億美元，2019年利潤為72億美元。去年的收入為170億美元，2020年為193億美元，2019年為367億美元。

首席執行官Ryan Lance稱2021年為“變革年”，該公司收購了康喬資源和殼牌二疊紀資產，同時通過分紅和股票回購仍將60億美元返還給股東。該公司周四宣布計劃將今年的股東回報提高10億美元，使2022年的總額達到80億美元，比去年增長30%以上。

Ryan Lance表示：“這對公司來說是不平凡的一年，我為我們的員工感到無比自豪。”

石油公司從一代人最嚴重的石油危機中恢復過來，重新獲得巨額利潤。去年，冠狀病毒疫苗的推出解除了對商務和旅行的限制，提高了對汽油和航空燃料等原油和石油產品的需求。美國原油基準西得克薩斯中質原油周四上午的交易價格約為87.10美元，較周三下跌1.16美元，但高于一年前的每桶48美元左右。

康菲石油公司已連續四個季度盈利，截至12月31日的三個月盈利26億美元，而去年同期虧損8億美元。第四季度收入從去年同期的60億美元略降至59億美元。

盡管在疫情期間，康菲石油大舉收購對手康喬并以200億美元收購殼牌旗下龐大的二疊紀資產，但它還是成功地提高了利潤率。這些交易使這家石油巨頭在美國產量最高的二疊紀盆地擁有第二大地位。

王磊 摘譯自 能源之聲

原文如下：

ConocoPhillips posts $8.1bn profit last year, highest since 2013

ConocoPhillips had its most profitable year since 2013 as oil demand and prices recovered from the pandemic-driven crash.

The Houston independent oil giant on Thursday reported a $8.1 billion profit in 2021, compared with a loss of $2.7 billion in 2020 and a profit of $7.2 billion in 2019. Annual revenue last year fell to $17 billion, from $19.3 billion in 2020 and $36.7 billion in 2019.

CEO Ryan Lance called 2021 a “transformative year” for the company, which acquired Concho Resources and Shell’s Permian assets while still returning $6 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. The company on Thursday announced plans to increase shareholder returns this year by $1 billion, bringing the 2022 total to $8 billion, up more than 30 percent from last year.

“It has been a remarkable year for the company, and I could not be more proud of our employees,” Lance said.

Big Oil is back to turning big profits, recovering from the worst oil bust in a generation. The rollout of coronavirus vaccines last year lifted restrictions on business and travel, raising demand for crude and petroleum products such as gasoline and jet fuel. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. crude benchmark, was trading around $87.10 on Thursday morning, down $1.16 from Wednesday but up from around $48 a barrel a year ago.

Conoco has reported four consecutive profitable quarters, reporting earnings of $2.6 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31 compared with a loss of $800 million during the same period a year earlier. Fourth-quarter revenue fell slightly to $5.9 billion from $6 billion a year earlier.

Conoco managed to improve profit margins even as it went on a buying spree during the pandemic, gobbling up rival Concho and acquiring Shell’s vast Permian assets for $20 billion. The deals gave the oil giant the second largest position in the Permian Basin, the nation’s most productive oil field.