IFP : Innovating for energy

Role

The Economic Studies Division’s (DEE) economic teams have several key roles: the acquisition of relevant data, fundamental trend analysis, business intelligence and monitoring of energy markets.
Its experts draw up reports on the economic climate and on short-, medium- and long-term economic forecasts, and conduct studies on prices, oil and related products markets, new energy technologies, equipment, etc.
Its work broadly includes environmental analysis such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), chiefly focusing on greenhouse gases.
Economic research is an integral part of the DEE’s role. It contributes to steering IFP’s research policy, to furthering research work and to making full use of its results.
The DEE has many technical and economic models and specific databases that are useful for conducting projects and for ex-ante (technical and economic feasibility studies) or ex-post assessments for specific projects.
Lastly, the DEE plays a proactive role in raising IFP’s profile and in knowledge transfer and dissemination through a large number of conference papers, publications and works.
 

The Team

The DEE team is made up of around twenty engineers and economists, each with a specialist field.
It also includes around ten doctoral researchers whose work is in connection with its fields of expertise.
 

Type of studies conducted

The DEE conducts studies for the IFP Business Units, and also as part of agreements with international and French industrial institutions and companies. It also takes part in several projects funded by the ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France’s national research agency) or by the European Commission.
 

General economic studies

The DEE boasts a high level of expertise in economic analysis, research and forecasting in the field of energy. General economic studies analyze market trends in terms of volume and price and draw up medium- and long-term prospects. Specific thematic studies are also conducted, often to provide further insight into a current affairs issue.
The DEE also monitors regulations and legislation in force in relation to environmental and safety aspects of the oil sector: regulations concerning oil and related products, and chemicals, greenhouse gas quotas, etc.
A large proportion of these studies is used for conference papers or publications.

Market studies

As part of projects for IFP Business Units, the DEE conducts market studies per sector and marketing studies for products, equipment, technologies and services pertaining to the oil and gas industry, and the energy and transport sectors.
Its experienced team of experts and IFP’s solid base of documentary resources enable IFP to rapidly identify market opportunities, analyze the fundamentals and the key parameters, assess future developments and their consequences.

Technical and economic assessments

Technical and economic assessments are cross-disciplinary analyses which require the technical (production, refining/petrochemical, engine, linear programming, etc.) and economic expertise of DEE specialists. They are conducted in all of IFPs’ business areas: upstream and downstream oil industries, the transport sector, new energy technologies, CO₂ capture and storage, etc.
These analyses are valuable decision-making tools in conducting research or industrial projects. The major steps of these projects are:

• Optimization and/or search for target scenarios,
• Assessment of investment and production costs,
• Economic and financial analysis to determine the project’s profitability.
   

Environmental studies

The DEE also conducts life cycle assessments, also known as "well-to-wheel" assessments. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an environmental footprint accounting method. It is used to draw up the product’s environmental profile, considering all the stages in its life cycle from raw material extraction up to the end of the cycle including all the intermediary phases: production, transport, consumption. These analyses are an important accompaniment to process optimization studies. The DEE has also developed greenhouse gas emission allocation methods as part of co-production initiatives (for example in the refining sector).
To conduct these studies, the DEE uses the most cutting edge tools on the market and has its own environmental database
 

Economic research

With an average of more than ten doctoral researchers each year, the DEE’s research focuses on energy and transport. It receives support from the other IFP Business Units, the IFP School and from partnerships with other higher education institutions in the definition of theses and guidance for doctoral researchers.
The objectives of our research activity are:

• To contribute to theoretical and methodological research,
• To train economists specializing in energy,
• To disseminate research results.

Theses currently underway and supervised by the DEE

• Analyse microéconomique du marché français des biocarburants et prospective à l'horizon 2012 (Microeconomic analysis of the French biofuel market and prospects for 2012).
• Rentabilité économique et efficacité environnementale du captage et du stockage du CO₂. Interactions avec le marché européen de permis d'émissions négociables (The economic profitability and environmental efficiency of CO₂ capture and storage. Interactions with the European negotiable emissions permits market).
• Prospective à long terme (2050) de la consommation d'énergie en transport de marchandises (Long-term forecast (2050) of energy consumption in goods transport).
• Effet de serre et transport urbain de voyageurs à l'horizon 2050 : que peut nous apprendre une projection à long terme des Diagnostics Énergie Émissions des Déplacements (DEED) à l'échelle d'une grande agglomération française ? (Greenhouse effect and urban passenger transportation by the year 2050: what can we learn from a long-term forecast of Energy Environment Travel Diagnostics at the scale of a large urban area in France?).
• Contribution à la prévision des profils agrégés de production d'hydrocarbures Conséquences sectorielles d'une rupture dans le prix du pétrole. (Contribution to forecasting aggregate oil and gas production profiles. Sector-by-sector impact of a sudden change in oil prices).
• Concurrence potentielle et formation des prix des produits pétroliers (Potential competition and price formation for oil and related products).
• Contribution à l'analyse de la formation des prix du gaz naturel en Europe (Contribution to the analysis of natural gas price formation in Europe).
• Vers un marché global du GNL et un commerce interrégional du gaz naturel : arbitrages internationaux et opportunités pour un nouvel entrant (Towards a global LNG market and inter-regional trade of natural gas: international arbitration and opportunities for new players).
   
   

Publications

Regular Publications

Each year the DEE publishes the following studies:

- The oil service and supply industry: International context and results of the French survey.

This document studies the development of global investments in exploration-production and refining. It goes on to present the results obtained from the latest survey, which can be used as an insight into the situation of the oil service and supply industry in France for the current year and proposes for the year to come orders of magnitude based on estimations provided by the companies themselves.
>> Consult the 2007 survey [in French]

- Panorama technical reports
Each year, the DEE writes a set of thematic technical reports to complement the speeches of the annual IFP seminar, Panorama. These notes review the major energy issues today and the future of new energy technologies.
>> Consult the technical reports of the latest Panorama conference

Other publications

 
- Les Cahiers de l'Économie

This collection is aimed at presenting the research work conducted by IFP professors, researchers and doctoral researchers in the fields of economics, finance and management.

- CLIP studies

IFP is part of the CLIP (Club d’Ingénierie Prospective Energie-Environnement) and as such, contributes to publishing studies in the CLIP journals with other research institutes and industrial players.
>> Consult the CLIP studies [in French]
 

- Books :

• Biocarburants (Les) - BALLERINI Daniel, ALAZARD-TOUX Nathalie, Jan. 2006.

• Corporate Investment Decisions and Economic Analysis - BABUSIAUX Denis, PIERRU Axel, Jul. 2005.

• Décision d'investissement et calcul économique dans l'entreprise - BABUSIAUX Denis, 1990.

• Décision d'investissement et création de valeur - BABUSIAUX Denis, PIERRU Axel, Jan 2003.
   

- Articles and conference papers:

Below, you will find the list of the main articles and conference papers written by the DEE for the period 2005-2007.
All of the DEE’s papers are available in the IFP publications database.

Publications to come:

• Une revue interprétée des élasticités entre le PIB et le prix du pétrole (article submitted to the Revue Economique in 2007).
• The impact of automobile diffusion on the income elasticity of motor fuel demand - Energy Journal (The) - (article submitted on 10 November 2006).
   

Biofuels / Road transport:

• Les biocarburants de seconde génération: état de l'art et perspectives - Gruson Jean-François, Monot F. - Salon International du Machinisme Agricole, Villepinte - 7 March 2007.
• Biocarburants et moteurs à combustion interne - Gruson Jean-François, Montagne Xavier, His Stéphane - Cycle de conférences SIA-CNAM - March 2007, Paris.
• Les carburants issus de la biomasse - Alazard-Toux Nathalie - Pétrole et techniques, n° 459, January-February 2006, p. 33-34.
• The development of the ethanol international market and its relations with oil and sugar markets - 29th IAEE International Conference - Postdam, 7-10 June 2006.
• Transport efficiency and fuels - Gruson J.F., Pinchon P. - High oil price session - Chatham House - 30 January 2006.
• Agro-industrial and refining model integration for decision making purposes concerning biofuel take-off. - His Stephane, Rozakis Stelios, Bernard Frederik, Saint-Antonin Valerie, Treguer David - IAEE - th IAEE International Conference - Postdam 7-10 June 2006.
• L'apport des biocarburants, GTL et CTL - Gruson Jean-Francois, Maisonnier Guy - Pétrole et techniques n° 459, January-February 2006, p. 57-58.
• Biocarburants et biocombustibles : quel avenir ? - Gruson Jean-Francois - Pétrole et techniques, n° 456, July-August 2005, p. 45-46.
• Transports routiers : quelles alternatives énergétiques à moyen et long termes ? Consommations énergétiques, pollution locale, pollution globale associée aux scénarios contrastés d'offre et de demande de transports en 2020 et 2060. - His Stephane - Revue de l'énergie - n° 454, March-April 2005, p. 65-66.
• Des carburants alternatifs d'aujourd'hui à ceux de demain. - Bensaid Bernard - Bulletin de l'Industrie Pétrolière - n° 456, July-August 2005, p. 39-44.
   

CO₂ / emissions

• Allocation of CO₂ emissions in petroleum refineries to petroleum joint products: A linear programming model for practical application - Tehrani Alireza - Energy Economics 2007, vol. 29, issue 4, pages 974-997.
• A multiple optimization approach to evaluate the impact of ultra-low sulfur specification policies on the CO₂ content of automotive fuels - Tehrani Alireza, Saint-Antonin Valérie - IAEE Florence - Italy - June 2007.
• Allocation of CO₂ emissions in petroleum refineries to petroleum joint products: Case study - Tehrani Alireza, Saint-Antonin Valérie - 9th IAEE/USAEE Chicago - January 2007.
• Modelling the impact of the oil market's evoluation on the CO₂ emissions of the European refineries - Tehrani Alireza, Saint-Antonin Valérie - 29th IAEE International Conference - Postdam, 7-10 June 2006, Postdam.
• A contribution to the Linear Programming Approach to joint cost allocation: a refinery example - Tehrani Alireza, Michelot Christian, Saint-Antonin Valérie - 19th ORMMES (Operational Research Models in the Energy Sector) international conference - 5/8 September 2006, Coimbra/Portugal.
• Affectation des émissions de CO₂ et de polluants d'une raffinerie aux produits finis pétroliers. - Babusiaux Denis - Revue de l'énergie - n° 459, January-February 2006, p. 57-58.

• EU-ETS: European-Emission Trading Scheme : un marché européen d'échange de quotas de CO₂. - Coussy Paula - Pétrole et techniques - n° 454, March-April 2005, p. 97.
   

General economics / Hydrocarbon economics

• The effects of oil price variations on the US economy - Lescaroux François- IAEE Florence - Italy - juin 2007
• A world-wide economic analysis of the non conventional supply based on a modelling approach. - Saniere Armelle, Lantz Frederic - SPE HEES (Hydrocarbon Economics & Evaluation Symposium, Dallas Texas USA) - April 2007.
• Decomposition of US manufacturing energy intensity and components' elasticities with respect to the oil price - Lescaroux François- IAEE International Wellington - New Zealand, 18-21 February, 2007.

• Long-term energy issues and oil perspectives - Gruson Jean-François - The European Fuels World Refining Association - March 2007, Paris.
• Etude sur l'économie des champs satellites - Alazard-Toux Nathalie - Pétrole et techniques, n° 459, January-February 2006, p. 62-63.
• Transatlantic natural gas price convergence: is LNG doing its job ? - 29th IAEE International Conference - Postdam, 7-10 June 2006.

• The instability of the oil price-macroeconomy relationship. - Lescaroux Francois - IAEE - Annual international conference of the International Association for Energy Economics - Securing energy in insecure times - Postdam, 7-10 June 2006.
• Quelles compétitions dans le futur pour les hydrocarbures ? Ressources et accessibilité : synthèse de différentes visions. - Babusiaux Denis - Pétrole et techniques - n° 459, January-February 2006, p. 54.
• On the depletion of petroleum reserves and oil prices trends. - Babusiaux Denis, Bauquis Pierre-René - IAEE - Annual international conference of the International Association for Energy Economics - Postdam, 7-10 June 2006 - n° 459, January-February 2006, p. 62-63.
• Activités et marchés en exploration-production. - Sagary Corinne, Saniere Armelle - Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes (Le) - Vol. 38, No 886, 2006, pp. 43-48.
• Pétrole : quelles productions et quels prix à l'avenir ? - Babusiaux Denis - Pétrole et techniques - Securing energy in insecure times - Postdam, 7-10 June 2006 - Proceedings, CD-Rom.
• Raffinage et pétrochimie - Silva Constancio - Bulletin de l'Industrie Pétrolière n° 10531, 9 fév. 2006, p. III-VIII.
• Marché Pétrolier: une vulnérabilité élevée et durable - Rech Olivier - Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes (Le), Vol. 38, No 886, 2006, pp. 43-48.
• Challenge of clean fuels for the world refining industry: First lessons of the OURSE-POLES model. - Lantz Frederic, Gruson Jean-Francois, Saint-Antonin Valerie - IAEE - Annual international conference of the International Association for Energy Economics, Globalization of energy: Markets, technology, and sustainability, 28th, Taipei, 3-6 June 2005.
• L'économie de l'énergie. - Babusiaux Denis - article pour presse généraliste - n° 10454, 20 oct. 2005, p. III-XI.
• L'offre et la demande pétrolières. - Rech Olivier - Bulletin de l'Industrie Pétrolière - n° 10289, 22 February 2005, p. III-VIII.
• Le prix du pétrole et la conjoncture économique américaine. - Lescaroux Francois - Globalization of energy: Markets, technology, and sustainability - Taipei, 3-6 June 2005.
• Une nouvelle approche du "peak oil". - Alba Paul, Rech Olivier - Revue de l'énergie - n° 458, November-December 2005, p. 36-38.
• Marché pétrolier : une vulnérabilité élevée et durable. - Rech Olivier - Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes (Le) - n° 10303, 14 March 2005, p. I-IV.
• Exploration knowledge and technologies: Impact of progress. - Alazard-Toux Nathalie, Mathieu Yves - OAPEC/IFP seminar: Hydrocarbon reserves: Abundance or scarcity?, Rueil-Malmaison, 28-30 June 2005, Proceedings, 10 p.
• Activités et marchés en exploration-production. - Sagary Corinne, Saniere Armelle - Bulletin de l'Industrie Pétrolière - n° 564, March-April 2005, p. 100-104.
• Les nouvelles découvertes de pétrole et de gaz. - Alazard-Toux Nathalie - Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes (Le), 16 February 2005, p. 43-46.
• Activité et marchés en exploration-production. - Bensaid Bernard, Sagary Corinne - Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes (Le) - n° 10451, 17 October 2005, p. III-VI.
• Gas to liquid - Fischer Tropsch : quel avenir ? - Maisonnier Guy - Revue de l'énergie, n° 564, March-April 2005, p. 100-104.
   

Heavy oil / unconventional forms of oil

• A world-wide economic analysis of the non conventional crude oil supply based on a modelling approach. - Saniere Armelle, Lantz Frederic - IAEE - Annual international conference of the International Association for Energy Economics, Securing energy in insecure times, 29th, Postdam, 7-10 June 2006.
• Exploitation of heavy oils, a strategic economic and technological challenge. - Saniere Armelle, Argillier Jean-Francois - Hydrocarbure (L'), n° 234, December 2005, p. 11-16.
   

Transport

• Globalization and international transport: textile industry case - Hemery C. - Bekerley, June 2007