It also defies protests from a minority of activist investors who want oil companies to be more closely aligned with global efforts to mitigate climate change. An oil and gas price rally driven by energy producer Russia's invasion of Ukraine translated into record profits for the energy majors. That has increased confidence in the most costly, high-risk offshore exploration that can also deliver the highest rewards. Wood Mackenzie analysts predict a continued increase in activity, forecasting offshore exploration and drilling activity to grow by 20% by 2025. Wood Mackenzie meanwhile predicts the commitment of up to $185 billion to develop 27 billion barrels of oil reserves, with international oil companies focused on the higher-cost, higher-return deepwater developments.

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Persons: Olivier Le Peuch, Baker Hughes, Wood Mackenzie, Leslie Cook, TotalEnergies, Yujnovich, QatarEnergy, Shell, Graff, La Rona, Ron Bousso, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Shell, BP, SLB, Reuters, International Energy Agency, Barclays, West Africa –, Nambia's Petroleum, Thomson Locations: Namibia, Ukraine, Gulf of Mexico, South America, West Africa, NAMIBIA, Canada