If BP chief executive Bernard Looney described his company as a “cash machine” just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring, what does that make it now? Big Oil’s coffers are overflowing. The top western energy companies raked in a record $219bn in profit last year, as the war led to a surge in prices and a renewed focus on energy security. Bumper revenues come as households weather a historic cost of living crisis amid painfully costly energy bills. Calls for even tougher windfall taxes are mounting. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the supermajors’ super profits; their fortunes sway with boom and bust cycles just like any industry. What is more problematic is how they actually plan to spend them.
如果說英國石油(BP)的首席執行官陸博納(Bernard Looney)在俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭導致石油和天然氣價格飆漲前不久曾形容他們公司是“造錢機”，那么現在這家公司怎樣了？石油巨頭正富得流油。頭部的西方能源公司去年實現創紀錄的2190億美元利潤，原因是俄烏戰爭導致油氣價格飛漲，并促使世人重新關注能源安全。能源公司獲得豐厚收入之時，許多家庭正在應對歷史性的生活成本危機，能源賬單令人叫苦。要求征收更高暴利稅的呼聲高漲。巨頭獲取巨額利潤本沒什么錯，和其他所有行業一樣，石油巨頭的財運也是跟著盛衰周期在變動?，F在更大的問題是它們究竟打算怎么去用這些錢。