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

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

Siccar Point portfolio tidy-up

Siccar Point has an attractive long-term portfolio currently weighted developments. The portfolio includes a number of earlier stage opportunities. In November, the company took the opportunity to prune the portfolio - bringing in a partner on Lyon and selling Jackdaw to a more natural pair of hands. On 21st November, Siccar Point announced that it had farmed out UK licences P1854 and P1935 to Ineos. The blocks are located in the West of Shetlands...

Monday, 27 November 2017

Statoil acquires Martin Linge from Total for USD1.45bn

Total has agreed to sell all of its interests in the Martin Linge field (51%) and Garantiana discovery (40%) on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to Statoil for USD1.45bn with an effective date of January 1st, 2017.Statoil will also receive remaining tax balances with a nominal post-tax value of more than USD 1 billion. Martin Linge is a long life oil and gas development with estimated recoverable resources in excess of 300 mmboe. Originally scheduled...

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Eni signs EPSA for Block 52 offshore Oman

The Government of the Sultanate of Oman, Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production ("OOCEP"), a subsidiary of state company Oman Oil Company ("OOC"), and Eni today entered into an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement ("EPSA") for Block 52, located offshore Oman. Block 52 is an underexplored area with hydrocarbons potential located offshore in the southern region of Oman. Block 52 has an area of approx. 90,000 Km2, with water depths...

Wednesday, 11 October 2017

Kurdish operators receive July crude export payments

Kurdish operators have announced receipt of oil sales payments from the KRG today towards July exports: DNO has confirmed that the Tawke partners have received USD39.5 million Genel has confirmed that the Taq Taq partners have received and USD10.4 million These payments are in line with recent payments and should be the last under the "old" system (i.e. before the recent change in terms in exchange for settlement fo historical receivables). Payment for August sales should be made in November - these should increase with DNO's greater share in...

Monday, 9 October 2017

Catcher if you can

The Catcher FPSO has arrived on schedule into the North Sea. The vessel is currently at Nigg performing crew changes and resupply ahead of moving to the Catcher field location. The field remains on track to come onstream by the end of the year. Tweleve wells have been completed ahead of first oil and drilling has been better than expected, encountering 30% more net pay with 40% better well deliverability. As a result, expected plateau production has increased by 20% to 60mboepd. There is potential for a reserves upgrades above the existing 96mmboe...

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

OPEC may extend yet

Saudi Arabia has been working tirelessly behind the scenes and appears to be gaining good momentum with the major actors of OPEC + 1 (i.e. Russia) for extending the OPEC output agreement beyond April 2018. Saudi Arabia and its new ally, Russia, are keenly in favour of maintaining the cuts until June 2018 and several other producers have recently signaled their support for an extension as well. Iran: Initially one of the tougher partners at the...

Friday, 1 September 2017

Senegal moves ahead

Cairn Energy, the operator of the SNE field in Senegal, released a resource update on 22nd August as part of its half-year announcement. The updated 2C resource base is 563mmbbl gross (vs. 473mmbbl in May 2016) and now brings it in line with Woodside's estimate of 560mmbbl, but is still far below that of partner FAR which carries 641mmbbl (assessed by RISC). The differing resource estimates is nothing new and we constantly see the other partners...