Tap Oil has entered into a sale and purchase agreement for the sale of its 22.474% non-operated interest in WA-33-R in the offshore Carnarvon basin of WA. Tap said the development was consistent with its strategy to monetize and rationalise its Australian portfolio and pursuant to the terms of the SPA, the company’s subsidiary, Tap Shelfal, will sell its interest in WA-33-R to its joint venture partners Quadrant Oil and Santos with Tap Shelfal’s interest being split between the buyers 12.361% and 10.113%, respectively. Santos already has an 18.
Feature Articles
Gas investors warned Australian states among world’s worst
The Australian states that complain most loudly about gas supply rank among the worst places in the world to invest in developing natural gas resources, a leading global survey has found. The Canadian-based Fraser Institute’s 12th annual survey shames Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania as among the world’s most unattractive destinations for oil and gas investment. APPEA Chief Executive Malcolm Roberts said Australia’s south eastern states are keeping dubious company in their slide to the bottom as oil and gas investment destinations.
Leigh Creek Energy confirms fertiliser production plans
The former Leigh Creek coal field site will be transformed into an agriculture energy hub, with Leigh Creek Energy (LCK) confirming it will pursue a fertiliser production commercial pathway for its Leigh Creek Energy Project (LCEP). The company has concluded its commercial options analysis for downstream Syngas production, and has determined the most financially attractive choice for the company’s 2,964 petajoules of 2C syngas at the former Leigh Creek coal field site is to make fertiliser products.
Eni given green light to drill appraisal well in the Barents Sea
Eni Norge has been granted a permit to drill an appraisal well in the Barents Sea offshore Norway. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said the Italian oil and gas giant had received permission for the 7122/7-7 S well to be drilled from the West Hercules rig after it had wrapped up drilling of wildcat well 7324/3-4 for Equinor in production license 615. This follows a gas discovery by Equinor in production license 615, which is located near to the Atlantis gas discovery in the Barents Sea, from the West Hercules rig.
BP brings Clair Ridge to life 41 years after oil discovery
BP, in partnership with Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron, has begun first oil production from the Clair Ridge project in the West Shetland, offshore the United Kingdom. The supermajor said that Clair Ridge was the second phase of development of the Clair field, located 75km West of Shetland, which had been discovered in 1977 and has an estimated seven billion barrels of hydrocarbons BP said that two new bridge-linked platforms and oil and gas export pipelines have been constructed as part of the Clair Ridge project. The new facilities, which required capital investment in excess of £4.
APPEA says Labor’s energy policy recognises role of gas in a cleaner energy future
The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association has welcomed the release of the Labor Party’s energy policy platform. APPEA Chief Executive Dr Malcolm Roberts said implementing the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) would help attract the new, long-term investments needed to build a reliable, affordable and cleaner electricity sector. “Australia needs an energy policy framework which cuts emissions without jeopardising reliable electricity supply or inflating energy prices,” Dr Roberts said. “APPEA believes these goals are best achieved by allowing the market to innovate and invest in a stable policy environment.
Ichthys LNG is officially opened
Japan’s INPEX has officially opened the onshore LNG processing facilities of the Ichthys LNG project. Japanese, Australian and Northern Territory government representatives unveiled a plaque to commemorate four decades of future natural gas benefits that will flow from Ichthys LNG to the Northern Territory, Japan and the Asia Pacific region. First gas was produce in July this year and the first LNG cargo ship set sail in October. Hiroshige Sekō, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon.
Regulators approve Santos’ $2.15B Quadrant Energy buy
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has approved Santos’ proposed acquisition of Quadrant Energy. Under the proposed transaction which was announced three months ago, Santos will acquire 100% of Quadrant Energy for $2.15 billion in addition to potential contingent payments flowing from the Dorado offshore oil discovery. After detailed investigation the ACCC said it was unlikely that the acquisition would result in a substantial reduction of competition in the supply of gas to users in Western Australia.
Fresh exploration potential in offshore Argentina highlighted in new study.
Explorers interested in Argentina’s upcoming offshore bid round will benefit from a new geological study which constrains the timing and structural context for Triassic to Early Cretaceous basin development prior to and during continental rifting of the South Atlantic Ocean. This new framework for basin evolution will inform exploration strategy and reduce investment risk in the unexplored and underexplored Argentina and Falklands regions. The Offshore Argentina and Falkland Islands SEEBASE® Multi-client Study and GIS is an integrated geological and geophysical study of basement and basin evolution on the Argentine Shelf.
ADNOC unveils $132 billion capex program targeting gas exports and increased oil production
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (ADNOC) announced, has announced plans to launch a new integrated gas strategy and increase its oil production capacity to 4 million barrels per day (mmbpd) by the end of 2020 and 5mmbpd by 2030 following approval from the Supreme Petroleum Council. The company also announced capital investment growth of $132.33 billion between 2019-2023 and new discoveries of 1 billion barrels of oil. ADNOC’s gas strategy will add potential resources that will enable the UAE to achieve gas self-sufficiency, with the aim of potentially transitioning to a net gas exporter.