Sponsor completion guarantees in LNG construction financing: Part II

As the world of North American LNG financings continue to evolve, OGInsights explores the use of completion guarantees in construction financings. In Part II of this two part series, we look at the conditions precedent to project completion which typically need to be satisfied for release of the completion guarantee by lenders. Construction criteria requires "substantial completion" under the EPC Contract. In addition, operational tests must...

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Sponsor completion guarantees in LNG construction financing: Part I

As the world of North American LNG financings continue to evolve, OGInsights explores the use of completion guarantees in construction financings. At a high level, the project sponsor guarantees debt service under a guarantee until the construction is complete. To the extent that a project does not reach completion (normally by a certain long-stop date), then the sponsor will be obliged to repay all of the debt under the guarantee. The provision...

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Valuera nears TDs at Inanli-1

Valeura has reached 4,145m on the Inanli-1 well (TD 5,000m, c.800m deeper than Yamalik-1). It has encountered over-pressured gas with a c.40% net-to-gross, similar to that of Yamalik-1, with gas flows - all pointing to promising results. In addition, the well has encountered more naturally fractured rock than encountered in Yamalik-1 with increased gas levels recorded at the fractured intervals. Drilling is continuing to 5,000m with an extensive...

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Petronas enables Cheniere Sabine Pass Train 6

Petronas has agreed to enter into a 1.1mtpa offtake deal with Cheniere on Sabine Pass Train 6 which should enable the train take FID shortly. With a foundation buyer now in place, Cheniere can continue with raising finance to progress the 4.5mtpa project. Under the deal, Petronas has signed up to 1.1mtpa on a FOB basis for 20 years. As common with east coast LNG contracts, the pricing will be indexed to the monthly Henry Hub price, plus a...

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SNE partners progress to FEED for Phase 1 of the development

The SNE JV offshore Senegal (Cairn 40%, Woodside 35%, FAR 15%, Petrosen 10%) has entered FEED for Phase 1 of the SNE development. The engineering contract has been awarded to the Subsea Integration Alliance (OneSubsea, Schlumberger and Subsea 7). First oil is being targeted for 2022 with an initial production rate of c.100mbopd. The exploitation plan had previously identified a total development of 500mmbbl of oil over a multi-phase development...

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DEA acquires Sierra Oil & Gas

DEA has expanded its international footprint into the Americas by acquiring Sierra Oil & Gas from Riverstone Energy. The Sierra portfolio includes the prized Zama discovery (Sierra Oil & Gas 40%, Talos Energy 35%, Premier Oil 25%) and an extensive exploration acreage position offshore Mexico. The value of the deal is reported  at ~USD500 million which provides a positive read-through for Zama of over USD300 million net to Premier. The...

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Brasse's growth halts as Faroe's Rungne well disappoints

Faroe announced in November that the Rungne well came in disappointing with only sub-commercial levels of gas found. Although encountering hydrocarbons, the estimated volumes of 12-57bcf gas and 0.5-3.9mmboe condensates will mean the discovery is non-commercial on a standalone basis. Nevertheless it could form a future tie-back to Brage or Oseberg. Faroe's exploration programme continues with Brasse East which could be another chance for Faroe...

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ExxonMobil makes 10th oil discovery offshore Guyana; resource increased to 5+ bnboe

ExxonMobil announced its tenth discovery offshore Guyana and its sixth discovery on the Stabroek Block in the past year. The Pluma-1 well encountered c.121 feet of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoir and is located c.17 miles southwest of the Turbot-1 well and follows previous discoveries on the Stabroek Block at Liza, Liza Deep, Payara, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger, Pacora, Longtail and Hammerhead. The discovery adds to ExxonMobil's previous...

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Kirkuk exports resume via Kurdistan

The Kurdistan and Federal Iraq governments have announced an agreement for the resumption of oil exports from Kirkuk via the Kurdistan export pipeline to Ceyhan. This positive development will benefit the public revenues of Federal Iraq which has been grappling with funding issues in recent years with the oil price collapse on the one hand and need to fund defences along its borders on the other. Kirkuk production was locked out of the Kurdistan...

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INEOS swoops in for Conoco North Sea

As widely reported over the weekend, INEOS is the front-runner for the ConocoPhillips’ UK North Sea portfolio. ConocoPhillips had a buyer for the portfolio back in 2015, but pulled the deal citing that it had no desire to sell-out at the bottom of oil price cycle, INEOS has beaten other likely UK North Sea focussed contenders which could include Ithaca Energy, Premier Oil, Neptune Energy, Chrysaor and SiccarPoint. The sale, estimated to be around...

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PGNiG expands footprint in Norway

On 18th October PGNiG announced that it had agreed to acquire Equinor's interest in the Tommeliten Alpha gas and condensate field in the Norwegian North Sea. This continues PGNiG's strategy of diversifying its gas supply away from Russia. PGNiG has always had an interest in Norwegian gas seeing it as as logical and accessible source of gas for Poland. As the long term Russian gas supply contracts come to expiry, PGNiG is making bold moves to...

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PGNiG shuns Russian gas

PGNiG is increasingly boldening its signals on shunning Russian gas as it turns to the west. The Polish state has historically been dependent on gas imports from its eastern neighbour but is looking to loosen its reliance to the communist state. Poland consumes around 17 bcm of gas annually, more than half of which comes from Gazprom under a long-term contract that expires in 2022. It is seeing the upcoming expiry as the opportunity to diversify...

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Second chance for Petronas in West Africa

Following the recent disappointment at the Samo-1 well in The Gambia, Petronas has another chance in West Africa on the other side of the border in Senegal. Petronas is growing its West African exploration portfolio and is continuing its search for more acreage. In August Petronas had farmed-in to 30% of Total's Rufisque Offshore Profond block, marking its entry into Senegal. Total retains 60% in the block with Société Nationale des Pétroles...

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Hurricane's FPSO docked for changeover

Hurricane Energy has announced that the Aoka Mizu FPSO has been docked into Algeciras, Spain for planned personnel changes and bunkering. The stopover will be extended to undertake a repair to an auxiliary system associated with power generation. Commissioning activities will continue during its transit to the West of Shetlands as planned with first oil from the Lancaster field still on schedule for H1 2019. The Aoka Mizu FPSO was designed and...

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The Gambia's Samo-1 well disappoints

The JV in offshore Blocks A2/A5 has announced a disappointing result on the Samo-1 well. The JV, which comprises FAR Limited 40%, Petronas 40% and Erin Energy 20%, has hit water. FAR Limited had prospective P50 resource estimates of 825mmbbl (gross unrisked) with a 55% geological chance of success. Wireline logs indicate that the target was water bearing. The Government of Gambia has now granted a six month extension to end of June 2019 to...

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Soco acquires Egypt-focussed Merlon Petroleum

SOCO is rebuilding its business with the proposed USD215 million acquisition of Merlon Petroleum. Merlon will significantly diversify the SOCO business adding Egypt as a new base from which to build a MENA portfolio. The acquisition will double SOCO's 2P reserves and production through the addition of 24mmbbl of oil. Merlon's key asset is its 100% interest in the El Fayum licence which currently produces at c.7,000bbopd. The block contains 37mmbbl...

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Verus acquires CIECO's UK North Sea portfolio

Verus has agreed to acquire Cieco Exploration & Production (UK) from parent ITOCHU Corporation for USD400 million. The effective date of the transaction is 1 January 2018. The acquisition will includes a 23.1% interest in the Western Isles Development Project, a 25.8% interest in the Hudson field, a 2.0% interest in the Brent Pipeline System, and a 1.2% interest in the Sullom Voe terminal. This will add 11mboepd taking Verus' net production...

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Valeura's value protected by another gas price increase in Turkey

Valeura has announced that BOTAS, which owns the Turkish natural gas network and imports 82% of Turkey’s gas, has announced a fourth natural gas reference price increase. This increase is 14% (63% compounded so far this year) to around USD5.60-6.00. This increase more than compensates for the recent depreciation in the Turkish Lira by maintaining the gas price in USD broadly unchanged. On a related note, Valeura has drilled the Yamalik-1 well...

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EnQuest acquires remaining Magnus stake

EnQuest has exercised its option to acquire the remaining 75% interest in Magnus from BP, together with an increase in the interests of the Sullom Voe Terminal (to 15.1%), Ninian Pipeline System (to 18.0%) and Northern Leg Gas Pipeline (to 41.9%). The transaction will add c.60mmboe of 2P reserves and 10mmboe of 2C resources. To fund the transaction, EnQuest is looking to raise USD138 million in a 3-for-7 rights issue at 21p/share, which represents a 46% discount to the closing share price of 6 September 20...

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Spirit Energy farms in to Hurricane's Greater Warwick Area

After many years of trying to find a farm-in partner, Hurricane Energy has finally succeeded in bringing in farminee for its Greater Lancaster/Warwick Area in the West of Shetlands. Hurricane's tough journey had the company combating a falling oil price environment coupled with industry scepticism around its "fractured basement reservoir" plays. In 2017, it ploughed on alone with the sanction of an Early Production System ("EPS") at the Lancaster...

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Tolmount sanctioned with first gas by end 2020

Premier Oil, Dana Petroleum and Antin has sanctioned the Tolmount gas field in the UK North Sea which is planned to be onstream towards the end of 2020. This represents major project for the partners with 500bcf of gas and plateau production of 300mmcfpd. This field will further help steer the fortunes of the two upstream partners. Premier Oil is looking for longer term growth projects having been financially constrained for years under a debt mountain and now that Catcher is onstream. For Dana, the company has been strategically lost with its...

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Energean bearing fruit in the Eastern Med

Energean has published a new CPR highlighting the conversion of 2C resources into 2P reserves at the Karish and Tanin fields. Net 2P reserves for the fields now stands at 298mmboe with 22tcf gas and 32mmbbl liquids (gross) being upgraded. The company’s net 2P reserves including its Greek fields are now at 349mmboe. A further 0.2tcf gas and 1mmbbl liquids remain in contingent resources relating to the Karish B reservoir and will be upgraded upon...

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All Tawke on Peshkabir: Is Tawke production declining?

The Tawke PSC encompasses the Tawke and Peshkabir fields. In 2017, operator DNO commenced production at Peshkabir and in 2018, drilled the Peshkabir-4 and -5 wells taking production up to 30-35mbopd. However, the limited disclosure by DNO means it is difficult to break out the production on the Tawke PSC between the Tawke and Peshkabir fields. Based on various disclosures between DNO and partner Genel, it appears that production at Tawke is declining,...

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Total sells Norweigian assets to AkerBP for USD205 million

Total has agreed to sell interests in a portfolio of 11 licences in Norway to AkerBP for a cash consideration of USD205 million. The portfolio includes four discoveries with net recoverable resources of 83mmboe. The acquisition allows AkerBP to consolidate its position around the Alvheim, NOAKA and Skarv hubs as well as adding exploration acreage near its operated Ula field (AkerBP 80%). Increasing stakes in fields and discoveries and having...

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Map of the day: Ghana near-field tiebacks and upsides

#Ghana #Jubilee #Kosmos #TEN #Tull...

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Trump administration hampers US oil

Plains All American Pipeline company has been denied a request for an exemption from steel import tariffs. This will hit plans to build much needed takeaway capacity for the evacuation of oil from the Permian Basin. The capacity bottleneck has already manifested in large discounts for Midland-Permian crude which is trading at a discount of c.USD12/bbl to WTI. Plains sought an exemption for high-grade steel from Greece for its 585mbopd Cactus...

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Kosmos hit by rig contract as dry hole is announced in Suriname

Kosmos could be liable for a share of the onerous contract in Ghana entered into by Tullow Oil, operator of the Jubilee and TEN fields. This could equate to over USD100 million for Kosmos which would wipe out Q2 2018 revenues and earnings since the beginning of the year. Tullow, on behalf of the field partners entered into a long-term rig contract for the West Leo rig in 2012 for work in the Jubilee and TEN area. In 2016, Tullow declared force...

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The nonsense of releasing US Strategic Petroleum Reserves

Trump is on a mission to contain oil prices and has been sending strong tweets and messages blaming OPEC and supposed ally Saudi Arabia for the current levels of “high” oil prices. The Trump administration’s policies are in complete dissonance as tampering with the Iranian sanctions is a key cause of the tightening of global oil supply and strong noises around US energy independence is in complete opposition to Trump asking OPEC to pump more oil,...

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Ophir lost in space

Ophir’s Equatorial Guinea Fortuna FLNG project faces further uncertainty as the government threatens to pass the Block R licence which contains the gas field to another company in December when it expires. It has given Ophir an ultimatum to present a firm financing plan and progress the FLNG project. The FLNG concept is still relatively new technology and together with the geography, Ophir has found it challenging to raise bank financing or...

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Karish and Tanin to supply Cyprus

Energean announced earlier this month that it is seeking approval to build a pipeline from its Karish and Tanin fields to the shores of Cyprus from the Cypriot government. The company has already contracted 4.2bcm p.a. from its fields with Israeli buyers and is progressing with further gas supply contracts. The Karish and Tanin project has already been sanctioned, so further supply contracts are not necessary for FID but will strengthen the commercialisation...

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ConocoPhillips' mix of a North Sea portfolio

ConocoPhillips' is one of the largest operators in the UK North Sea, being the operator of the Britannia area, the J-Area and large swathes of the Southern North Sea. ConocoPhillips is also a non-operated partner in the giant Clair field. Clair is one of the largest oil fields in the UK offshore and located in the West of Shetlands which is making a name for being the last frontier of the UK and is increasingly attracting further exploration...

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