Centrica acquires North Sea assets from Total for $388M

Centrica Plc has reached an agreement with Total E&P UK Ltd to acquire their non-operated portfolio of producing oil and gas assets and associated infrastructure in the Central North Sea (CNS) for a total cash consideration of $388 million. Around 20% of the consideration is allocated to UK tax allowances. The transaction is effective 1-Jul-2011 and is expected to close on a field by field basis with earliest closing date expected to be in Jul-2012, subject to necessary approvals. Scotia Waterous has acted as an advisor to Total on this transaction. Continue reading here..

TAQA to acquire 50% interest in three UK North Sea licences

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) has signed farm-in agreements with Fairfield Energy Ltd to acquire 50% WI in the licences P184, P474 and P1634 (collectively known as the Darwin acreage), Northern North Sea. In exchange for acquiring the interest, Taqa has agreed to carry out a work programme on the blocks and make a cash payment to Fairfield. Continue reading here..

Centrica acquires additional interest in Fogelberg licence.

Centrica has entered into an agreement to acquire an additional 12% interest in production licence 433 in the Norwegian North Sea from North Energy for NOK 70 million (US$12.178 million). The effective date of the transaction is 1-Jan-2012. Subject to approval by Norwegian authorities, it is expected to complete in Q2-2012. Continue reading here..

Centricas’ Recent Acquisitions in the North Sea

Since 2007, Centrica has been an acquirer in the following notable deals: 


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Endeavour International posted 6.6% decline in O&G Production for Q1-2011; Poised for Significant Production Growth in the UK and the US

Endeavour is an independent oil and gas company and has operations in the North Sea and the United States. In May, 2009, the company completed the sale of its Norwegian subsidiary for US$150 million, and those proceeds combined with current cash flow will fund future growth initiatives. Endeavour is currently developing three field discoveries in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea that will serve as the foundation for production growth over the next two years.

Source: Derrick Petroleum E&P Transactions Database

The company’s first quarter 2011 production was 3,001 boepd, down 6.6% over the same quarter last year. Though the company was not performed for the quarter, the pieces are in place for significant production growth and lower operating costs in the near future; the Bacchus UK oil development is moving forward and appears to be on schedule to start production in Q2-2011, with production expected to ramp-up to 4,000–5,000 bpd net to the company's interest. This more than doubles the company's current production rate. Meanwhile, the company continues to push forward many of its smaller, shorter cycle-time projects.

Source: Endeavour International

Poised for Significant Production Growth in the UK and US

Rapid Growth Expected Over Next Three Years:

Endeavour expanded into the US in 2010 with the purchase of lower-cost, shorter cycle time conventional and unconventional onshore reserves. As it brings its balanced portfolio of oil and gas properties on to full production, management expects to organically double annual production in each of the next three years.  END believes that its existing total reserves can produce 30,000 to 40,000 BOEPD by 2015. During 2011, capital expenditures of about $150 million will target its two key initiatives in the U.K. North Sea – Bacchus and Greater Rochelle and the remainder will be directed toward the Haynesville and Marcellus areas in the U.S. to bring on production.

Source: Derrick Petroleum E&P Transactions Database

Bringing North Sea Assets On-Line

In the Central North Sea, Endeavour has three primary development projects – Bacchus, Columbus and the Greater Rochelle area, which have the potential to significantly expand its production levels and total proved reserves over the next three years. The Company recently increased its working interested in Bacchus from 10% to 30%, giving it an even greater position in this near-term proven oil play.

Source: Derrick Petroleum E&P Transactions Database

Operating the Greater Rochelle Development toward First Production

 In February 2011, the company received final approval of its Field Development Plan for East Rochelle from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). This is an important next step in moving the field toward first production in late 2012. In the fall of 2010, END also achieved commercial drilling success at West Rochelle confirming a second excellent quality reservoir.

Significant Reserve Growth Driven by the Drill Bit

During 2010, Endeavour grew its 2P oil and gas reserves by 12.3% to 43.7 MMBOE from 38.9 MMBOE, representing a 419% replacement of 2010 production. Production volumes averaged about 4,100 BOEPD during the year. END expects to generate significant production growth from its definable projects in the second half of 2011, with an opportunity to double its production flow rates in each of the next three years from its existing assets.

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BG’s Q1 2011 E&P Production hit by civil unrest in North Africa, flooding in Australia, and shutdowns in the North Sea; Will BG ramp up to achieve the Group’s long-term rate of 6-8% to 2020?

Natural Gas giant, BG has challenging first quarter for O&G operations. The group’s production for the period was down 5% from 61.3 mmboe to 58.2 mmboe over the same period last year. This is due to unrest in North Africa, flooding in Australia, an increase in UK tax and a shutdown in the North Sea. The North Sea's effect on the company was exacerbated by the temporary shutdown, largely for maintenance, of the Everest and Lomond platforms. This contributed to a 5% fall in production volumes. In Tunisia, the restart of the Hasdrubal plant was delayed, and in Egypt there was significant disruption to normal patterns of gas demand. In addition, production volumes in the quarter were affected by extreme weather conditions and extensive flooding in Queensland, Australia. However, BG pointed to advances in Brazil and the signing of two sales agreements in Japan as reasons to be optimistic.

BG’s Performance in 2010 compared to Peer Groups:




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HIGHLIGHTS of the Quarter:

Brazil

Production at the first permanent module on Lula Sul increased to some 25 000 boepd, and construction of the next two FPSO modules advanced to around 50% complete, in line with plans.

In April 2011, conclusion of a Drill Stem Test (DST) on the Guará Norte well (3-SPS-69) in Block BM-S-9 in the Santos Basin was done. The DST confirmed high productivity of some 6 000 bopd of light oil (approx 30° API) with flow rates constrained by test facility capacity.

In March 2011, successful completion of drilling on the Iara Horst well in the BM-S-11 concession in the Santos Basin. The well encountered good quality oil (28° API) in a thick reservoir section. Further evaluation activity continues.

In February 2011, a new discovery of oil (approximately 26° API) in Block BM-S-10 in the Santos Basin. The discovery well, known as Macunaíma, is located in a water depth of 2,134m, approximately 244 kms off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. Further evaluation of the discovery continues.

USA

BG Group's shale gas operations continued to gather momentum, with 46 wells spudded and 22 drilling rigs operating in the Haynesville shale during the quarter. Seven wells were drilled in the Marcellus shale.

Tanzania

In April 2011, the company announced its third Tanzanian gas discovery. The Chaza-1 well is located in Block 1 approximately 18 kms offshore southern Tanzania in a water depth of around 950m. It is intended that a second drilling campaign will commence in late 2011.

Kenya

In March 2011, the company signed a Heads of Agreement with the Kenyan government to acquire a 40% equity interest in the exploration block L10A and a 45% interest in block L10B, subject to negotiation of Production Sharing Contracts. BG Group would operate both blocks.

India

In April 2011, a consortium led by BG Group (50% and operator), was identified as the qualifying bidder for an exploration block (MB-DWN-2010/1) offshore the west coast of India. The block is approximately 350 kms from the coast, covering an area of 7,963 sq kms and in water depths in excess of 2,000m. The award of the contract will be subject to final confirmation from the government of India and regulatory approvals.

Norway

In the 21st licensing round held in April, the Norwegian government awarded BG Group a 40% interest in and operatorship of licence PL599, located in the Norwegian Sea.

"We now expect modest production growth in 2011. The plans for a ramp-up in production in 2012 and 2013, as well as our 2020 goals, are unaffected and are supported by significant progress with our growth projects in Brazil, the US and Australia, as well as further exploration and appraisal success in Brazil and Tanzania.", Mr. Chapman,  BG Group’s Chief Executive added.

BG's Strategic Acquisitions in 2010 and 2011

Source: Derrick E&P Transactions Database

Suncor Energy posts 6.5% Increase in Production for Q1 2011; Capital Spending was primarily on Expansion of In Situ Oil Sands Operations; Production In Line with company’s target of one million boepd by 2020

Suncor Energy’s upstream production in first quarter 2011 was 601,300 boepd, up 6.5% over same period last year. Suncor’s Q1 2011 production averaged 601,300 boepd, compared to 564,600 boepd during the first quarter of 2010.  Oil sands production was 322,100 boepd, 59% increase from the first quarter of 2010. Suncor, which is expanding its oil sands production and processing operations as part of a joint venture with Total, said it had seen higher oil sands production volumes and higher realized prices in upstream operations.

In March 2011, the company completed sale of non-core North Sea assets for proceeds of £105 million (US$ 170.44 million), subject to closing adjustments. The company secured two operated exploration licenses and one non-operated exploration license in the Norway portion of the North Sea in April 2011. In addition, the company is evaluating an exploratory well in the Ballicatters field offshore East Coast Canada.

Source: Derrick Planned Exploration Wells Database


Targeting One Million Boepd by 2020

Suncor continues to move forward on its ten-year growth strategy outlined in December 2010. In support of the growth strategy, capital spending in the first quarter was primarily focused on expansion of the company's in situ oil sands operations. In April 2011, Suncor began injecting steam into a Stage 3 well pad and expects to achieve first oil by early July 2011. The expansion is expected to be fully operational in the third quarter of 2011, with production volumes ramping up over approximately 24 months thereafter toward target capacity of 62,500 boepd of bitumen.

With the closing of its strategic partnership agreements with Total E&P Canada Ltd. on March 22, 2011, Suncor expects to progress with engineering and site preparation work for the Fort Hills oil sands mining project and the Voyageur Upgrader. Under the terms of the agreements, Total assumed an interest in both Fort Hills and the Voyageur Upgrader, while Suncor assumed an interest in Total's Joslyn oil sands mining project. Suncor is targeting the completion of the Voyageur Upgrader and the Fort Hills project for 2016.

Source: Derrick E&P Transactions Database

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Wintershall reported 2010 annual results; Natural Gas Production up 5% over 2009; Plan to further expand E&P activities in the Northern sector of North Sea and in Russia

Wintershall’s 2010 natural gas production was 14.3 bcm, 5% increase over 2009 production of 13.6 bcm. This is due to activities in Argentina and the first entire year of plateau production from the west Siberian field Yuzhno Russkoye. Crude oil and condensate production down 14% to 5.8 million tons compared to 2009 (2009: 6.8). The decrease in oil and condensate production was primarily caused by the OPEC restrictions in Libya.

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Expansion of successful activities in the North Sea
Overall 23 (2009: 29) exploration and appraisal wells were conducted in 2010 in the search for new crude oil and natural gas deposits. Wintershall discovered new resources with twelve of these wells (2009: 17); five in the Norwegian North Sea alone, and three in the British North Sea. The company is involved in six of the twelve biggest oil discoveries made in Norway in the past five years.



Wintershall is planning to continue the search for new reservoirs in its core regions in 2011 and to push ahead with the development of known deposits, especially in the North Sea in the coming years. The company has earmarked investments of more than 1,000 million Euros (US$1409.79 million) for this region by 2015 and is aiming for a production level of 50,000 boepd in the Norwegian and British sectors of the North Sea.

Source:Derrick Petroleum Planned Exploration Wells Database

ConocoPhillips to shed $5- $10 billion worth assets in UK and North America......Who are the probable buyers???

ConocoPhillips plans to sell an additional $5 billion to $10 billion in non-core assets over the next two years, the proceeds to fund its share buyback and capital expenditure programs.

Chief Executive Jim Mulva told analysts the company plans to sell a total of $12 billion to $17 billion in assets in a three-year period, including at least $1 billion in refining and marketing properties this year. The dispositions include non-strategic assets in the North Sea and additional mature assets in the U.S. and Canada. The plan also includes a 15% stake in the Australia-Pacific liquefied natural gas project it agreed to sell last month to Sinopec.

Mulva told analysts that the additional asset sale target is expected to come on top of the $7 billion the company already sold in assets last year and excludes the $8.3 billion from the sale of its 20% stake in Russian oil giant Lukoil.

Shift from debt-fueled acquisition strategy to profitability improvement strategy

Conoco is in the midst of a restructuring plan started in 2010 to shore up its finances by selling assets. It initially didn't plan to sell refining properties until, aiming to avoid selling assets at deep discounts, but in October it said it would ramp up its sale of assets in 2011 amid a rebound in the industry.

The asset sales mark a shift from Conoco's debt-fueled acquisition spree when commodity prices were soaring. It also underscores the company's confidence that its "shrink-to-grow" strategy is yielding positive results among investors.

Impact of asset sale on production

ConocoPhillips expects its oil-and-gas production to be between 1.6 million and 1.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2013, down from 1.75 million barrels of oil equivalent per day it produced last year due to the impact of the asset sale program. However it expects output to grow 2% to 3% per year in the long term, driven mainly by the startup of projects in Asia, the North Sea and the U.S.

Proceed to be diverted to Capital Expenditure program

The company expects to use proceeds from the asset sales announced Wednesday to fund a $10 billion share repurchase program it had previously unveiled, and for capital investment. In a slide presentation, the company said it expects share buybacks to total $11 billion through 2012.

Conoco plans $13.5 billion of capital spending this year, with the vast majority targeted for exploration and development. It said it plans to invest $14 billion to $15 billion per year from 2012 to 2015.

Conoco said it plans to invest 50% more this year in projects in North America mainly aimed at increasing drilling activity in oil-rich shale areas such as the Eagle Ford in Texas and the Bakken Shale in North Dakota.

Conoco will not make any large-scale acquisitions,it will expand its presence in some areas such as the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico through small scale deals.

The company said it plans to invest $1.4 billion in the APLNG project, which will be sanctioned by mid-year and have its first liquid natural gas delivery in 2015. Conoco is also planning to ramp up exploratory drilling in the Caspian Sea, with a new well planned for its Kazakhstan N Block offshore for late this year or early 2012. The company is also negotiating a production sharing agreement for Block 19 in Turkmenistan.

Nexen reveals 2011 Corporate Strategy; Projected 7% production growth in 2011; Stick to three primary growth strategies – conventional offshore, oil sands and shale gas

Nexen prioritizes its 2011 activities that include a continued ramp up of Long Lake, completing the development of Usan discovery with first oil production in 2012, sanctioning discoveries, proceeding with the development of Horn River shale gas lands, securing a contract extension in Yemen and continuing with the implementation of the exciting global exploration program.

The company expects 2011 production volumes to range between 230–270 kboepd, before royalties and capital expenditure budget ranges between $2.4–2.7 billion.

Nexen’s diversified portfolio of exploration and production (E&P) assets provides the company with a multi-year inventory of development projects and a positive long-term production growth profile. It plans to deploy nearly 25% of total 2011 capital budget for the E&P program.

Nexen is primarily focused in the North Sea, deepwater Gulf of Mexico & offshore West Africa. The company projected 7% production growth in 2011.

Recently, Nexen initiated a process to seek a joint venture partner for various portions of the company’s northeast British Columbia shale gas acreage.

Source: Derrick E&P Transactions Database

Norway determined to “crack the code”- Plans to drill about 60 wells on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in 2011 as compared to 40 in 2010!!!

Whilst the number of wells drilled on the NCS decreased last year to 40 wells compared to 65 exploration wells in 2009, 2011 is set to match the record year of 2009. About 60 wells have been scheduled so far.

• Only one exploration well was drilled in the Barents sea in 2011.
• The CEO of state-run producer Statoil , Helge Lund, told Bloomberg that the oil industry has been unable to 'crack the code' of the Barents Sea. However, a company spokesperson said earlier in the week that Statoil 'still believes' in the Barents Sea, underscoring its importance to the plans of Norway's upstream players.
• About 32 wildcat wells were completed by the end of 2010, out of which 16 wells discovered hydrocarbons in them.

• So far in 2011, six wells have been drilled offshore Norway: two each in the North, Barents and Norwegian seas. All six have failed to yield hydrocarbons. This is the largest number of dusters to start a calendar year in Norway's drilling history since 1966, according to Norwegian government data.
• Norway estimates the Norwegian Sea holds 455 billion cubic meters in undiscovered gas and the Barents Sea 520 billion cubic meters. Total undiscovered gas resources may be 1.26 trillion cubic meters, the directorate said in January, down from an estimate of 1.82 trillion cubic meters last year. The country had proven gas reserves of 2 trillion cubic meters in 2009.
• The lack of discoveries is challenging targets to maintain production offshore Norway and imperiling the development of a second gas hub in the Norwegian Sea.
• Statoil missed production targets last year and has said a goal of keeping output in Norway at current levels until 2020 is “ambitious.”
• Producers operating off Norway are investing a record amount in exploration and production this year to make bigger discoveries and prolong output from existing fields.
• Investments are estimated to climb 13 percent to 141.1 billion kroner ($25 billion) driven by an 11 percent increase in spending on exploration.

Planned exploration wells on NCS 2011 sorted by operating company:

    

Companies which have not planned any wells as operators in 2011:

BP, Chevron, Dana Petroleum, Lotos, VNG, North Energy, Front Exploration, Spring Energy, Hess, Bridge Energy, Talisman Energy, Repsol, Shell and ExxonMobil.

For further information on Derrick Petroleum Exploration Database, please visit:
http://www.derrickpetroleum.com/explorationdatabaase.html