Alberta royalty plan called a boost to lenders, not production

摘要

Vancouver—A C$1.5 billion ($1.17 billion) royalty sweetener offered by the Alberta government may end up in the hands of lenders rather than get reinvested in oil and natural gas drilling, analysts are warning.Since the government announced the fourth rollback in its controversial royalty increases March 4 in a bid to reverse a projected 27% collapse in drilling this year, the muted greeting from small- and mid-size E&P companies has been drowned out by those who say the stimulus plan will do little for companies in poor financial shape and can do nothing to fix low commodity prices.