Imperial Oil to boost spending, slightly raise output amid volatile recovery

Canada's Imperial Oil , one of the country's biggest crude producers and refiners, said that it would raise capital spending and production next year as a volatile recovery of energy demand continues.

Chief Executive Brad Corson said at the company’s virtual investor day presentation that a recovery in global energy demand looked to be “highly uncertain” and dependent on the spread of COVID-19. Pandemic travel restrictions have crushed fuel demand, depressing oil prices..

and forcing producers to cut costs and jobs.

Imperial plans to spend C$1.2 billion ($917.01 million) in 2021, up 33% from 2020. Upstream production looks to rise 5% to 415,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The company, majority owned by U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp, said it would also aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity, a measure of pollution per barrel, by 10% by the end of 2023 from 2016 levels.

Imperial said it has already cut emissions intensity by more than 20% since 2013 and will achieve further reductions by improving productivity at its Kearl site and adopting new technologies. ($1 = 1.3086 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy)

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