Idemitsu Petroleum Norge to sell part of participating interests of Production Licenses in Barents Sea

20^th October 2020

Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Shunichi Kito, the “Company”) is pleased to announce that Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS^*1 (Head Office: Oslo Norway; Managing Director: Futoshi Tsuneyama), a wholly owned subsidiary of Idemitsu Snorre Oil Development Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Jun Miki)^*2, has entered into an agreement with Lundin Energy Norway AS (Head Office: Oslo Norway), to sell a 10% participating interest in production licences PL 537 & PL 537B including Wisting discovery and a 15% participating interest in production licences PL 609, PL 609B, PL 609C, PL 609D and PL 851 including Alta discovery in the Barents Sea, Norway.

*1: Shareholders: Idemitsu Snorre Oil Development Co., Ltd. (100 %)

*2: Shareholders: Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd. (50.5 %), Osakagas Summit Resources Co., Ltd. (49.5 %)

Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS acquired a 20% participating interest in PL537 & PL537B, and a 30% participating interest in PL 609, PL 609B, PL 609C, PL 609D and PL 851 through the Norwegian licensing rounds. The Wisting and Alta discoveries were made in PL 537 in 2013 and PL 609 in 2014 respectively. Studies are ongoing with a view to progressing these discoveries to development.

The transaction is part of the Company’s long-term business strategy, and capital and cash management plan. It will reduce development cost exposure in future. A cash consideration of USD125 million is to be paid on completion of the transaction. (The transaction is subject to Norwegian authority approvals.)

【Change of licence share in the production licenses in Barents Sea】

Original article link:

https://www.idemitsu.com/news/2020/201020.html

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TOTAL delivers its first carbon neutral LNG cargo

TOTAL has delivered its first shipment of carbon neutral liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The loading operation was carried out at the Ichthys liquefaction plant in Australia, and the shipment was delivered on September 29 to the Dapeng terminal, China.

“We are proud to have completed this first shipment of carbon neutral LNG with CNOOC, a long-standing partner of TOTAL. This first LNG shipment, whose carbon emissions have been offset throughout the value chain, represents a new step as we seek to support our customers towards carbon neutrality,” explains Laurent Vivier, President for Gas at TOTAL. “The development of LNG is essential to meet the growth in global demand for energy while reducing the carbon intensity of the energy products consumed.”

The carbon footprint of the LNG shipment was offset with VCS (Verified Carbon Standards) emissions certificates financing two projects: 

• Hebei Guyuan Wind Power Project, which aims to reduce emissions from coal-based power generation in northern China
• Kariba REDD+ Forest Protection Project, which aims to protect Zimbabwe's forests

The term “carbon neutral” indicates that TOTAL and CNOOC have offset the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent associated with the whole carbon footprint of the LNG Cargo (including the production, liquefaction, shipping, regasification, and end-use) through VCS certified emission reduction projects.

TOTAL: Second Largest Private Global LNG Player

TOTAL has made natural gas, the least pollutant of all fossil fuels, a cornerstone of its strategy to meet a growing global demand for energy while helping to mitigate climate change. We are focusing in particular on LNG, which can be easily transported and delivered as close as possible to consumer markets.

TOTAL is present across the entire LNG value chain, from production and liquefaction of natural gas to LNG shipping and trading, regasification using terminals and floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) and contributes to the development of the LNG sector for maritime transportation.

TOTAL is the second-largest global LNG stakeholder in the private industry, with an overall portfolio of nearly 50 Mt/year by 2025 and a worldwide market share of 10%. With over 34 Mt of LNG sold in 2019, the Group has solid and diversified positions across the LNG value chain. TOTAL sells LNG in all world markets via its stakes in liquefaction plants in Qatar, Nigeria, Russia, Norway, Oman, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Australia and Angola.

Original article link

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FAR from a solution

FAR has defaulted on its most recent development cash call on Phase 1 of the Sangomar/SNE development.

Under the Sangomar Joint Operating Agreement, any party that defaults on its financial obligations and cash calls have a six month rectification period, during which time it will pay LIBOR+2% on the unpaid amounts. FAR will also not be able to participate in any of the operating committee meetings or participate in any voting on JV issues.

If FAR fails to rectify on its default, it will forfeit its entire interest in Sangomar with no compensation - i.e. FAR will lose the asset and the value of it will be zero.

In the meantime, FAR is investigating a sale of a stake and will have a race against time to find a solution.

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The Kurdish Crush

The Kurdistan producers are in a tough spot brought about by COVID-19 and the collapse in oil prices. Earlier this year, the KRG said it would delay payments in respect of October 2019 to February 2020 deliveries as its cash to pay producers was stuck in a Lebanese bank account with the bank itself facing liquidity issues.

The KRG had struck a deal to pay producers for the backlog later in 2020. Payments in respect sales from March 2020 were not affected and continue to be paid. However at the current low oil prices, payments to producers have slumped.

Tawke: Received USD8.5 million for April deliveries split between partners DNO and Genel. This compares to the March payment of USD34.6 million.

Taq Taq: Received USD1.9 million, down from USD4.6 million in March with Genel's net share of the payment being USD1.1 million.

Shaikan: Gulf Keystone had submitted an invoice to the KRG for a nil amount as the realised price was negative with the Shaikan crude/transportation discount being below Brent.

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Oil companies' COVID-19 response testing

OGInsights has connected with over 50 offshore operators since March 2020 to review how operations have adapted to ensure the health and safety of their workforces. As soon as the seriousness of COVID-19 came to light oil, companies on the whole have been massively responsive in prioritising the implementation of COVID-19 measures above all else.

When the outbreak first happened there was definitely a scramble to secure helicopter space to transport people back onshore. However it was not an easy start with many helicopter providers refusing to take any personnel that showed even remote symptoms of COVID-19 - luckily this was quickly resolved by the installation of screens between the pilot and passengers. This was a huge issue at the time as one infection offshore would have quickly spread across an entire platform. During this scramble, some companies even resorted to chartering dedicated private helicopters in order to ensure ability to transport personnel.

Rig rotas have now been revised to minimise the frequency of crew changes - this does mean some staff have been offshore for much longer than original planned. Some rotas now even incorporate an extra week once personnel arrive onshore to enable self-isolation before starting the clock on the normal onshore stint. On the other end of the cycle, majority of companies are now requiring staff to arrive up to a week early before going offshore to allow time for thorough testing and results.

On the whole, the industry has reacted and adapted well in managing COVID-19 with only a handful of instances where entire fields or crews have been infected.

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CNOOC confirms that it will not pre-empt the sale of Tullow’s assets in Uganda to Total

On 23 April 2020, Tullow announced that it had agreed the sale of its assets in Uganda to Total and that CNOOC had rights of pre-emption to acquire 50% of these assets on the same terms and conditions as Total. CNOOC has now informed Tullow and Total that it has elected not to exercise its pre-emption rights. Accordingly, there are no changes to the previously announced transaction or timeline and Tullow continues to expect the transaction to complete in the second half of 2020. 

The transaction remains subject to a number of conditions, including approval by Tullow’s shareholders, customary government and other approvals and the execution of a binding tax agreement with the Government of Uganda and the Uganda Revenue Authority that reflects the agreed tax principles previously announced.  Tullow will now look to progress the tax agreement following CNOOC’s decision not to pre-empt. 

Source: https://www.tullowoil.com/media/press-releases/cnooc-elects-not-pre-empt-sale-assets-uganda/

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Hurricane receives extension from OGA for Lincoln commitment well at Greater Warwick Area

Hurricane Energy, the UK based oil and gas company focused on hydrocarbon resources in naturally fractured basement reservoirs, has provided an update in relation to planned activities on the Lincoln subarea of Licence P1368, part of the Greater Warwick Area ('GWA').

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane has requested extensions to certain licence commitments pertaining to Lincoln.

The Oil and Gas Authority has responded positively to these requests, extending the deadline for commencement of the GWA joint venture’s commitment well on Lincoln to 30 June 2022 and extending the deadline for plugging and abandoning well 205/26b-14 (Lincoln Crestal) to 30 June 2021.


Dr Robert Trice, Chief Executive of Hurricane, commented:
'We would like to thank the Oil and Gas Authority for their flexibility regarding the timing of activities planned at Lincoln during these challenging times.'

Greater Warwick Area

The Greater Warwick Area comprises licences P2294 (Blocks 204/30b & 205/26d) and P1368 South (Blocks 205/26b, 204/30b & 205/26d) is being appraised/developed through a joint venture between Hurricane energy (50%) and Spirit Energy (50%). The joint venture believes that the Greater Warwick Area (GWA) is a single hydrocarbon accumulation comprising the Lincoln discovery and the yet to be drilled Warwick prospect. The joint venture undertook a three well drilling program on the GWA during 2019 and is currently evaluating the results.

Source: https://www.hurricaneenergy.com/application/files/4915/9052/6429/20200526_-_HUR_RNS_-_Lincoln_Deferments_vF.pdf

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