Precision Drilling sees global energy demand tempered by geopolitical events

The company said, “Near-term expectations for global energy demand growth have been tempered by several geopolitical events including OPEC+ easing of curtailments, trade and tariff uncertainty, and international conflicts. However, we believe the long-term fundamentals for energy is positive, driven by economic growth, increasing demand from emerging economies, and new demand for power. In Canada, additional takeaway capacity for both oil and natural gas continues to support Canadian activity. LNG Canada made its first shipment at the beginning of July, and we expect demand for our Super Triple drilling rigs could exceed current supply once the facility achieves its run rate capacity. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion continues to support heavy oil production, driving our Super Single rig utilization near full capacity. While Canadian drilling fundamentals are strong, tariff and commodity price uncertainty have caused some producers to defer some work until later this year. We currently have 63 rigs operating and as these uncertainties resolve, we expect Canadian customer demand for oil targeted drilling to further strengthen. In the U.S., while the oil rig count continues to decline, we are beginning to see natural gas drilling increase as customers are becoming more constructive on LNG off-take and AI demand. We currently have 36 rigs active in the U.S. and expect to increase our activity for the remainder of the year as we capitalize on emerging opportunities in natural gas basins such as the Haynesville and Marcellus. Internationally, we have seven active rigs with five in Kuwait and two in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and expect this same level of activity for the remainder of the year. The majority of these rigs are under five-year term contracts that extend into 2027 and 2028. We continue to look for opportunities to leverage our international expertise. As the premier well service provider in Canada, the outlook for this business remains strong, driven by increased takeaway capacity from the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and LNG Canada, and our High Performance, High Value service offering. We expect activity to improve in the second half of the year as customers move ahead with projects previously deferred.”