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This paper discusses the challenges and methods for valuing natural resources, including the measurement of physical stocks, international comparability, and forecasting commodity prices. It highlights the importance of statistical and economic modeling in addressing these issues.
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7.1 Methodology for the valuation of natural resources Peter van de Ven Head of National Accounts, OECD Advisory Expert Group (AEG) on National Accounts Washington D.C., September 8 – 10, 2014
Introduction (1/2) • Physical stocks: • The measurement of physical stocks is a necessary intermediary step before valuation can start • The international comparability of physical stocks needs to be improved • Moving to the classification advocated by the SEEA 2012 is difficult in practice
Introduction (2/2) • Valuation: When computing NPVs, several issues have to be considered: • How to forecast commodity prices when they are volatile? • How to compute NPVs that do not only rely on currently observed prices? • How to ensure that production and price forecasts are consistent? => Statistical / Economic modelling may help
International comparability of physical stocks of natural resources (1/2) Overview of existing classifications
International comparability of physical stocks of natural resources (2/2) Australia’s subsoil assets as measured by ABS, BP, EIA, and USGS, and how these definitions relate to SEEA-2012
Valuation of natural resource stocks (2/5) Nominal and real oil prices (U.S. dollars per barrel)
Valuation of natural resource stocks (4/5) Classical reference in the literature: Brennan-Schwartz (1985) – Evaluating natural resource investments NPV of a mine as a function of the current resource price:
Valuation of natural resource stocks (5/5) • Admittedly, relying on statistical/economic modelling involves crucial assumptions: • Identifying the main sources of uncertainty (here, we only considered price uncertainty) • Specifying the right stochastic process for commodity prices • Specifying how extraction costs depend on current production or remaining reserves. Difficult task given the current scarcity of data on extraction costs, but one more reason for environmental accountants to consider the improvement of these data as a priority • However … providing convincing unit rent and production forecasts is also problematic when one wants to directly compute the NPV of a natural resource stock
Issues to be addressed by the AEG • Does the AEG agree that the volatility of commodity prices is a key issue for the valuation of natural assets? • Does the AEG agree that relying more heavily on modelling (dynamic optimisation) may be a reasonable way forward for the valuation of natural resources (and possibly other assets)?