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High growth companies in the oil & gas industry

https://doi.org/10.46554/1993-0453-2026-8-262-75-90

Abstract

Rapid growth in the oil and gas industry is viewed as a complex economic phenomenon that reflects a sustained increase in key financial and operational indicators (revenue, profit, production, market capitalization, and free cash flow) over a medium-term horizon of 3-5 years and is accompanied by institutional, technological, and managerial transformations. The relevance of the topic is driven by higher industry volatility, the energy transition, and the increasing complexity of competitiveness mechanisms, as well as by differences in growth models across developed and emerging economies. The methodological framework combines general scientific methods (systematization, comparative analysis, and generalization) with empirical approaches (analysis of companies’ financial and operational metrics, case comparison, and typology building). Using international examples (ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips; Petrobras, ADNOC, QatarEnergy; Saturn Oil & Gas and Valeura Energy), the study shows that accelerated development is formed through (i) market-driven asset consolidation and capital discipline, (ii) the development of new resource provinces supported by state-led investment, and (iii) scaling from a low base via M&A and intensive investment. The Russian specificity of rapid growth is substantiated as an adaptive and institutionally managed process under sanctions constraints, export redirection, changes in the fiscal architecture, and logistics restructuring; the features of the leading companies’ models (Rosneft, Gazprom Neft) are identified, combining infrastructure projects, import substitution, and technological integration. The findings formulate the structural determinants of sustainable growth: prioritizing FCF dynamics and return on capital over the sheer scale of CapEx, developing downstream segments and processing, technological acceleration (digitalization), and corporatemodel flexibility in response to external shocks.

About the Authors

Yu. A. Starovaya
Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Russian Federation

Yulia A. Starovaya, Candidate of Economic Sciences, lecturer at the Department of Accounting, Statistics and Auditing

Moscow



A. I. Nesterova
Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Russian Federation

Alena I. Nesterova, student 

Moscow



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Review

For citations:


Starovaya Yu.A., Nesterova A.I. High growth companies in the oil & gas industry. Vestnik of Samara State University of Economics. 2026;1(8):75-90. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.46554/1993-0453-2026-8-262-75-90

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ISSN 1993-0453 (Print)