In a speech on 24 November 1992, marking her Ruby Jubilee on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II said, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.”
Annus horribilis. This is a moniker that oil and gas insiders might well apply to 2020 given the disastrous effects on the industry from Covid-19 pandemic (“Pandemic”) and its accompanying recession which brought a precipitous fall in demand and price. Indeed, in May the price of crude oil briefly went negative for the first time in history. This was followed by massive layoffs across the board and sharply curbed investments in planned and ongoing projects. Several major oil companies announced profound changes in their long-range focus from hydrocarbons to greener energy.
Brazil’s oil and gas industry was by no means immune from Covid-19´s fallout. In a June 29 communique, the Brazilian Petroleum Institute (“IBP”) predicted that the negative effects of the pandemic would last through the end of 2021. In addition, the pandemic returned Brazil to recession after three years of modest recovery. Despite this adversity, the Brazilian oil and gas sector, led by a proactive National Petroleum Agency (“ANP”), managed to largely maintain focus on long-term industry goals, benefiting from certain short-term regulatory relief discussed below.