Saudi Arabia - joining the dots

A series of blog entries exploring Saudi Arabia's role in the oil markets with a brief look at the history of the royal family and politics that dictate and influence the Kingdom's oil policy

AIM - Assets In Market

AIM - Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum

Iran negotiations - is the end nigh?

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Yemen: The Islamic Chessboard?

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Acquisition Criteria

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Valuation Series

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Friday, 1 August 2014

Afren - CEO and COO suspended re unauthorised payments


  • On 31 July 2014, Afren has temporarily suspended its CEO, Osman Shahenshah and the COO, Shahid Ullah
  • During an independent review by Willkie Farr & Gallagher, evidence had been uncovered showing the CEO and COO were in receipt of unauthorised payments
    • These payments were not made by Afren
    • The investigation continues, no conclusive findings to date
    • No evidence found that any other directors involved
  • Egbert Imomoh (Non-Executive Chairman) has been appointed as Executive Chairman
  • Toby Hayward (NED) has been appointed as interim CEO
  • Afren's H1 2014 results, originally scheduled for 4 August 2014, will now be postponed to no later than the end of August

SUPPLEMENTARY
OML113 and OPL 310
Aje and Ogo



Sunday, 27 July 2014

Sebuku PSC

Overview

  • Contains 2 discoveries: Ruby gas field and the small Pangkat oil deposit
  • Plan of development for Ruby approved in July 2008
    • incorporates two bridge-linked platforms and initially four development wells
    • 312km pipeline to transport gas to new onshore receiving terminal for processing
    • Gas sold to the local Kaltim fertiliser plants
  • Ruby currently contracted to supply 85mmcfpd
    • Production capacity of 115mmcfpd, so scope to provide more gas
Participation
  • Mubadala (70%*), INPEX (15%), Total (15%)

Exploration
  • 11 wells drilled to date
  • Latest activity: Mubadala returned to drilling on the PSC in March 2010 - drilled NW Ruby-1 wildcat to test satellite prospect - unsuccessful
  • Further exploration planned
    • In March 2013, Mubadala awarded exploration block for the acreage surrounding Sebuku PSC, the West Sebuku block; 3D scheduled in 2014 with view to identifying future exploration prospects
Reserves, production and sales
  • Commercial WM: 215mmcfd (gross at 1/1/2014)
  • Production began in 2013 at 14mmcfpd, ramping up to 75mmcfpd in 2014
  • GSA signed in June 2011 for the supply of gas for 10 years to PT Pupuk Kaltim at c.80mmcfpd
    • Ruby gas to be predominantly used for fertiliser plant operations of the Kaltim V plant; however, as field declines, gas from other PSCs will be required to fulfil GSA
    • Price formula reflects local pricing and international ammonia and urea costs
      • Estimated USD/mcf: 2013 (7.7), 2014 (7.1), 2015 (7.0), 2016 (6.7)
Development
  • Currently produces from 4 wells, with additional drilling in future depending on reservoir performance
  • Installation/construction of onshore facilities finished at end 2012, offshore platforms in June 2013
  • First gas in October 2013
Fiscal and NPV
  • First Tranche Petroleum at 20%
  • Post-tax profit gas split is 65:35 in the government's favour; 80:20 for oil
  • Corporate tax of 40%
  • DMO applied at 6.7% after 60-month holiday, reimbursed at 15% of export price

Sunday, 29 June 2014

ISIS: Sectarian furies unleashed again




The recent events in Iraq is a continuation of a rift between Sunni and Shias that began over a thousand years ago
  • Shias believed Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad should take over the leadership upon his death
  • Sunnis believed the Muslim community should determine the new leadership by consensus
  • Ali became the new leader, but upon his assassination in 661, war broke out between the two groups

Islamic terrorism once seemed to wear a Shi'ite face and put the US on the side of the Sunni Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
  • In 1979 Khomeini, leader of the Iranian revolution, overthrew the pro-American Shah if Iran, Pahlavi
    • Together with the Iran hostage crisis which saw 52 American diplomats and citizens held hostage between November 1979 and January 1981 made Iran an enemy of the West
    • In 1983, when Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah bombed US marine barracks in Beirut (Lebanon) made the US side with Hussein
  • The US also supported and trained jihadists, including Osama bin Laden, in their fight in Afghanistan against the Soviets
  • Bin Laden believed that Allah had empowered him and his followers to establish a new caliphate
    • The ambition became absolute Sunni authority and Sharia law over the Muslim world

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Ivar Aasen crib sheet



  • Contains 4 fields: Ivar Aasen, West Cable, Hanz, Asha
  • PDO approved in March 2013
  • Development costs relatively high
    • Discovery of Asha in December 2012, and inclusion of Asha in development improves economics
    • Edvard Greig and Johan Sverdrup could push cost of services market higher
    • Ivar Aasen expected to receive transitional terms , whereas other fields will be taxed under new terms


Participation
  • Ivar Aasen Area contains 3 licences
    • Ivar Aasen/West Cable (PL001B)
    • Hanz (PL028B)
    • Asha (PL457)
  • Field unitisation expected mid-2014
  • Estimated unitised participations are: Statoil (41.15%), Det Norske (28.8%)*, Bayerngas (12.34%), Wintershall (7.08%), EON (3.54%), Spike (3.54%), Verbundnetz (3.54%)
  • Note that on 25 June 2014, Det Norske increased its stake in PL457 (above unitisation does not reflect this)
    • EON to receive 15% WI in PL613 (Barents) and 10% WI in licence PL676S (North Sea) + Cash
    • Det Norske increases interest in PL457 from 20% to 40% WI


Reserves
  • WM Commercial reserves: 149mmbbl + 181bcf
    • Hanz: good reservoir – expect high RF
    • West Cable: strong acquisfer support – expect high RF
    • Ivar Aasen and Asha reservoir more complex, varying sand quality


 Production
  • Ivar Aasen, Asha and West Cable production from 2016; Hanz in 2019
  • High rates of gas production expected from some wells due to gas cap in Ivar Aasen and Hanz reservoirs
  • Wells will be drilled in order that gas production can be shut off to maximize oil recovery
  • Asha gas initially reinjected



Development
  • Ivar Aasen, Asha, West Cable: developed using fixed platform
    • 20 well slots with partial processing facilities
    • Production and injection wells will be drilled using jack-up positioned next to platform to 2016/17
  • Hanz will be developed using subsea tie back to Ivar Aasen platform
    • Exports via Edvard Grieg facilities

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Eagle Ford Shale

Intro and history

  • Play in South Texas stretching into Louisiana; contributes c.10% towards US production
  • Three “windows” to the play – oil, gas-condensate, dry gas; focus has been on development of the liquids section
  • Eagle Ford formation not singled out until 2008 although routinely tested before then
  • Initial production was gas/condensates by Petrohawk with Apache testing oil around the same time
  • Big change in 2010: EOG acquired acreage in oil window, changing Eagle Ford into a liquids focused play


Well economics

  • Production and reservoir quality varies greatly in Eagle Ford; EURs can range from 200mboe to > 1mmboe per well
  • Drilling and completion costs: USD5.5-9.5m / well
  • Early Eagle Ford wells were completed with 10-stage hydraulic fracs; now common for 15-20 stages

Infrastructure


  • Ideally located to supply refineries in Corpus Christi and Houston
    • Short distance to Gulf Coast refineries reduces costs and allows for more transport options (barges, pipelines, rail and trucks)
  • Volume of crude, condensate and NGLs that require processing has led to the construction of several projects; trucks will continue as intermediate solution whilst projects are being completed
    • Eagle Ford Crude Oil Pipeline (Enterprise Products): 350mboepd capacity with interconnections to Seaway Pipeline and the new 5mmbbl Echo Terminal in houston
    • Kinder Morgan condensate pipeline: Eagle Ford to Pasadena, 300mbopepd capacity
    • Koch/NuStar/Arrowhead: 200mboepd capacity
    • Plains All American: Eagle Ford to Corpus Christi, 300mboepd capacity
Outlook
  • Operators looking to increase resource potential through down spacing and testing additional formations

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Bakken

Intro and history

  • Spans western North Dakota, eastern Montana in US and parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada
  • Named after Montana farmland owner Henry Bakken
  • Recoverable estimates continue to increase as more about the play is understood
  • First production in 1951, after which, formation began to be mapped
  • In mid-90s, Elm Coulee field discovered with significant oil accumulation in the middle Bakken member
    • In mid-2000s, EOG drilled the Nelson Farms 1-24H well; demonstrated H-wells with fracture stimulation could produce high IPs
    • In 2009, Continental Resources found that the Bakken and Three Forks formations were separate reservoirs and could be produced independently


Well economics

  • EURs highly dependent on location: range 200 to >1,000mboe, average 450-650mboe
  • Wells average USD9.5m to drill and complete, but can vary depending on length of lateral and material usage
    • 10,000ft laterals and 40 fracture stages becoming common
    • Implementation of pad drilling is reducing costs


Infrastructure

  • c.65% oil shipped via rail; enables access to higher Gulf Coast sales prices (Light Louisiana Sweet “LLS”)
  • 2012 production: >700mbopd vs. 2007 production: c.200mbopd
  • Transporting to Gulf Coast has been economically more attractive than to the oil congested WTI hub at Cushing, Oklahoma
  • Explosive growth meant existing inter and intra-state pipelines quickly reached capacity
    • Within play, crude transported by truck
    • Outside play, rail and pipeline used
    • Rail (USD15-20/bbl) is more expensive than pipeline (USD8-9/bbl), but allows access to LLS pricing


Outlook

  • Cost reduction
  • Expand longevity of play by testing lower Three Forks
  • Down spacing
  • Secondary and tertiary recovery

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

The state of the UK North Sea


  • Tax incentives have encouraged capex spend
    • ...but this has led to an overheated OFS market
    • and rising costs have caused some marginal projects to be postponed or even cancelled (Bressay (Statoil) and Rosebank (Chevron) being well known examples)
  • Production decline continued in 2013...
    • Increase in planned and unplanned shutdowns
    • Ageing infrastructure
  • ...compounded by few large field start-ups and poor exploration success
    • WM estimates UKNS average discovery size in 2013 to be c.11.3mmbbl, which struggle to meet commercial thresholds in current high cost environment
    • Most discoveries have been tie-back opportunities
  • This concerning state of UKNS will impact OFS providers; UKNS represents c.20% of global offshore spend
    • Poor exploration results in recent years will lead to lower levels of future project development
    • Laggan and Tormore start-up in 2014 - accounted for significant portion of UKNS capex previously
    • Current backlog will support 2014/15, but backlog growth looks challenging
    • Focus of oil companies has shifted to completing existing projects
  • Brownfield may be a bright spot for UKNS OFS
    • Drivers: increasing recovery, maintaining ever ageing infrastructure, expansion of platforms to accommodate tie-backs
  • Seismic may or may not be a growth area
    • Poor exploration results may lead to greater spend on seismic, but the UKNS unlikely to be seen as region with further significant potential
    • With the industry in a state of strict capital discipline, cash is likely to be spent on regions where exploration is seen as more prolific
    • Declining M&A reflects the downside risk perceived by buyers of the UKNS