.jpg)
Half of the top 10 spots in the 2011 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings™ went to major oil and gas companies based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The roster, now in its 10th year and announced Wednesday night at an awards dinner in Singapore, includes 79 EMEA companies, a 25% increase over the past decade.
“The composition of companies on the Platts Top 250 roster has shifted considerably in the last 10 years, but the EMEA’s consistent strong standing on the list underscores the region’s dedication to growth, even amid global economic turmoil, a changing regulatory environment, the Eastern European reconstruction and periods of mega-mergers,” said Ross McCracken, editor of Platts Energy Economist.
However, 47 companies represent Western European countries – five less than when the Platts roster began in 2002. Of the other top-ranking EMEA companies, 20 come from the Russia and Poland and five are based in the Middle East and Africa.
The 2011 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings recognize the fiscal 2010 financial performance of publicly held energy companies based on a combination of assets, revenues, profits and return on invested capital (ROIC). The rankings are developed using financial data from S&P Capital IQ, which, like Platts, is a part of The McGraw-Hill Companies. To be ranked, companies must have assets greater than U.S. $3.5 billion and must be publicly listed.
EMEA’s lead energy firm within the Platts Top 250 global rankings was Russia’s gas giant OAO Gazprom, at third place, just behind U.S. majors, ExxonMobil and Chevron. Exxon has consecutively taken the top spot since 2005, and Chevron snagged second place in this year’s ranking, climbing seven rungs from a year ago.
While France’s Total SA held tight to its fifth place position for a third consecutive year, U.K.-registered Royal Dutch Shell jumped to sixth place from 10th. In fact, it was Shell that kept the U.K. in the top 10. Last year’s second-ranked BP p.l.c. sank to #118 on the 2011 list, owing to huge write-downs stemming from the April 2010 Macondo oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
The top 10 was rounded out by integrated oil and gas (IOG) firms OJSC Rosneft Oil Company at ninth and Lukoil of Russia at 10th, both advancing from the prior year, Rosneft by 5 positions and Lukoil by one.
Russia and Eastern Europe Make Their Mark
In fact, no other EMEA country had more companies listed in the 2011 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings than Russia, which is represented by 15 firms, up from 11 a year earlier. Russia’s representation is up nearly three-fold since the rankings were first published in 2002. Interestingly, IOGs were not Russia’s only contributions; four of 15 energy companies were electric utilities, a result of the sector’s recent privatization.
“EMEA’s growth has come primarily from central and eastern Europe, reflecting the dismantling and reconstruction of the Soviet-era energy industry both in Russia and other former communist states,” said Ross McCracken, editor of Platts Energy Economist, who offers an in-depth analysis of the 2011 rankings in this just-released November issue of Platts’ Insight Magazine.
Poland, the European Union’s sixth most populous country, now has five companies in the Platts Top 250, up from just one firm a decade ago. Other Central and South East European countries represented in the 2011 Platts Top 250 ranks include the Czech Republic, Romania and Turkey, and Central Asia’s Kazakhstan.
Region Advances on Accelerated Compound Growth Rate
Not only can EMEA boast growth in numbers of companies within the roster, but EMEA companies also scored roughly a third of the positions within the 2011 50 fastest growing based on three-year compound growth rates (CGR). U.K.-listed and Indian-owned Essar Energy Plc nabbed first place with a staggering three-year CGR of 199.5%. Saudi Arabia’s Rabigh Refining & Petrochemicals Company came in second with a three-year CGR of 167.5%.
Russia and Spain were both strong in the breakout of fastest growing, with seven and four companies, respectively. Eight of those eleven were utilities and independent power producers.
France, Italy, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates also made the Platts’ fastest growing list, with one company each.
The 10th annual Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings were unveiled last night at the company’s sixth annual Asia Awards Dinner, held at Singapore’s Pan Pacific Hotel in partnership with Singapore International Energy Week. The gala event, attended by more than 300 industry executives from across Asia, also celebrated the accomplishments of the Asia-Pacific energy companies within the Top 250.
For McCracken’s commentary, full detail of the rankings and additional information, visit the Platts Top 250 website or access the media kit through the Platts Media Center on www.platts.com.
