The UPSTREAM sector includes searching for potential underground or underwater crude oil and natural gas fields, drilling exploratory wells, and subsequently drilling and operating the wells that recover and bring the crude oil and/or raw natural gas to the surface. There has been a significant shift toward including unconventional gas as a part of the upstream sector, and corresponding developments in liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing and transport.

• Exploration & Production (E&P)
• Firms explore new hydrocarbon fields
• Discovered fields developed and petroleum produced