沙特寻求收购美国的石油和天然气公司

由于沙特阿拉伯计划在明年把国有石油公司阿美（Aramco）的一部分卖给投资者，该国正在四处寻找新的能源资产。而他们已经把目光瞄准了美国的石油和天然气厂家。

《华尔街日报》援引多个匿名消息源报道称，暂定于2018年为阿美石油进行首次公开募股的沙特，据说已经把目标对准了美国的页岩。这次首次公开募股本身就十分劲爆。让阿美石油上市，将标志着该国对这家全球最大的石油生产商38年来完全控制的终结。

此举预计会让阿美石油一举超过苹果（Apple）和微软（Microsoft），成为全球市值最高的公司，这种级别的首次公开募股很可能带来深远的影响，不仅限于石油市场和沙特阿拉伯。

它可能会让阿美转型成为一家业务更加多元化的公司，而其石油与天然气的生产资产也将迈出沙特。

这时美国页岩就能派上用场了。《华尔街日报》报道称，阿美已经与休斯敦的液化天然气开发商Tellurian就控股后者或购买后者部分能源的话题进行了初步磋商。这家国有原油生产商还试图收购Permian和Eagle Ford油气盆地的资产。《华尔街日报》表示，他们还接触了其他公司，讨论天然气出口贸易的问题。

尽管这些商谈可能还只是尝试性的，处于初期，但也表明了阿美公司的明显转型。它还证明了美国蓬勃发展的页岩油行业如何削弱了阿美的地位。

要明确的是，阿美目前尚未拥有美国的资产。不过这些都是炼油厂。阿美只在沙特阿拉伯生产原油和天然气，目前他们也没有进口这两种商品。

甚至只需要收购一家美国天然气生产商的一部分，就能帮助阿美以及沙特更好地在本土利用生产的石油。原因在于：沙特阿拉伯已探明的石油储量是全球最大的独立石油公司埃克森美孚（Exxon Mobil）存有石油量的13倍。该国还拥有298万亿立方英尺的天然气。

然而，沙特使用了一部分石油储量去发电。如果他们能使用更多的天然气发电，阿美就能保留更多的原油用于出口了。（财富中文网）

As Saudi Arabia prepares to sell a piece of its government-owned oil company Aramco to investors next year, the country is sniffing around for new energy assets. And it has its eye on the oil and gas production in the United States.

The kingdom, which has tentatively planned an IPO in 2018 for Aramco, is reportedly focusing on American shale country, according to the WSJ, which cited several unnamed sources. The IPO itself is momentous. Taking Aramco public would end 38 years of complete state control of the largest oil producer in the world.

The implications of an IPO, which is expected to beat out Apple and Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable company, will likely have far-reaching effects. And not just on the markets and Saudi Arabia.

It would likely reshape Aramco into a more diversified company with oil-and-gas production assets outside of Saudi Arabia.

And that’s where American shale country comes in. According to the WSJ, Aramco has had early talks with Tellurian, the Houston-based liquefied natural gas developer, about taking a stake in the company or buying some of its fuel. The state-owned oil producer has also looked into buying assets in the Permian and Eagle Ford oil and gas basins. Other U.S. companies have been approached about natural gas export deals, reported the WSJ.

These talks, as tentative and early as they might be, illustrates a dramatic shift for Aramco. It also points to how the booming shale-oil industry in the U.S. has weakened Aramco’s position.

To be clear, Aramco does own U.S. assets already. But these are refineries. Aramco only produces oil and gas within Saudi Arabia. And it doesn’t currently import oil or gas.

Snapping up even a piece of a U.S. gas producer could help the company, and country, make better use of oil produced at home. Here’s how: Saudi Arabia is sitting on proven oil reserves that are 13 times as large as the reserves booked by Exxon Mobil, which is the largest independent oil company in the world. It’s also sitting on 298 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

However, the country uses some of its oil reserves to produce electricity. If it can use more natural gas to produce electricity, Aramco can save its more valuable crude oil for export.