BP shares slump as Q3 profit misses forecast on weak gas

• Writes down $540 mln on U.S. windfarm

• Expects weak refining in Q4

• Keeps dividend, share buyback policy unchanged

LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - BP (BP.L) on Tuesday reported third-quarter earnings of $3.3 billion, missing analysts forecasts as strong oil trading and refining margins were offset by weak gas results while the firm wrote down a large chunk of a U.S. offshore wind project.

The British company maintained its dividend at 7.27 cents per share and extended its $1.5 billion share buyback programme over the next three months, leaving its payout policy unchanged.

Its shares had slumped 5.4% by 0910 GMT, compared with a 1.25% drop in a wider index of European energy companies (.SXEP).

BP wrote down $540 million in the quarter on its wind power projects offshore New York after officials rejected a request for better terms to reflect what BP referred to as \“inflationary pressures and permitting delays\”.

Norways Equinor (EQNR.OL), BPs partner in the projects, booked a $300 million impairment on Friday.

\“New York put out a 10-point plan, which would help move these projects forward... Well be looking at that with our partner Equinor and deciding what we do moving forward,\” BP Interim CEO Murray Auchincloss told Reuters.

BP paid Equinor $1.1 billion in 2020 for a 50% stake in the venture to develop the Empire and Beacon offshore wind projects which have a combined capacity of 3.3 gigawatts, capable of powering 2 million homes.

\“Earnings missed across all divisions. In the downstream, customers & products reported $2.1 bln vs consensus $2.4 bln, despite being supported by very strong oil trading results, suggesting weaker refining margin capture in the third quarter,\” said RBC analyst Biraj Borkhataria.

Rivals Chevron (CVX.N) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) last week posted sharp year-on-year drops in third quarter profit as energy prices cooled. Shell (SHEL.L) reports results on Thursday.

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BP remains committed to its strategy, Auchincloss told Reuters after the companys first set of results since Bernard Looney stepped down as CEO on Sept. 12 for failing to fully disclose details of past personal relationships with colleagues.

No permanent successor has been named.

BPs $3.3 billion third-quarter underlying replacement cost profit, the companys definition of net income, missed forecasts of $4 billion in a company-provided survey of analysts, mainly due to significantly lower earnings from its gas and low carbon division.

Still, it was up from the $2.6 billion profit the company reported in the prior three months due to higher oil and gas production, strong refining margins, lower refinery maintenance and \“a very strong oil trading result\”, but natural gas marketing and trading were weak.

The weakness in the gas trading earnings after two quarters of \“exceptional\” profits, were due to a \“lack of volatility\” in the market, Auchincloss said.

\“Gas prices were really flat as stocks build up in the U.S. and Europe...trading organisations make money on volatility,\” he said.

The result was also less than half the $8.15 billion notched up in the third quarter of 2022 when the profits of energy majors spiked to record levels on soaring oil and gas prices.

BP expects capital expenditure of $16 billion this year, the lower end of its indicated range of $16-$18 billion, and also sees \“significantly lower\” industry refining margins in the fourth quarter than in the third.