CNOOCNexen on the prowl

Last week, we met with the CNOOCNexen corporate team to discuss their thinking in the current low oil price environment and the possibility of using the opportunity to make acquisitions. At the beginning of 2015, CNOOCNexen expected oil prices to settle at c.USD60/bbl and the second drop in June came as a surprise. Similar to the view held by many oil companies, the oil price is now lower for longer than originally anticipated. CNOOCNexen...

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Premier Oil exits Norway

Premier Oil Norwegian operation Source: Premier Oil On 16 November 2015, Premier Oil announced that it had agreed to sell its Norwegian business to Det Norske for USD120 million. The Norwegian business consists of the Premier Oil Norges subsidiary and includes the Vette development, adjacent Mackerel and Herring discoveries, a non-operated stake in Froy and seven exploration licences. The transaction is expected to close before year end and...

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Petroamerica’s call for cash

A sign of the times, another independent raises funding as the low oil price environment continues to hit small producers hard. On 27th October 2015, Petroamerica became the next in line to ask for cash, raising USD20 million in debentures. The expensive cost of the debt at 13.5% reflects the high risk which investors are attributing to the sector, and also that of Petroamerica. The USD20 million will consist of two USD10 million tranches, with...

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Petroceltic: A review of Worldview's concerns

Brian O'Cathain, CEO of Petroceltic Over the last year, Worldview has been very public about its dissatisfaction with Petroceltic's performance and has openly criticised the board of the company. Earlier this year, it tried to remove Brian O'Cathain as CEO and replace the board with two of its own directors. Worldview believe the assets are not being managed properly and that the Ain Tsila development in Algeria could be brought onstream at a...

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Why Kenyan crude will be exported and not domestically refined

Mombasa refinerySource: http://mygov.go.ke/national-treasury-sets-aside-funds-to-buy-essar-stake-in-refinery/ Kenya currently has no crude oil production and relies solely on imports to feed the domestic refinery in Mombasa. Aside from feedstock for the refinery, there is no other demand for crude oil in Kenya. In 2012, domestic consumption of refined products was 73mbbl/d – this was satisfied by 20mbbl/d of domestic production from the...

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Colombia calling: Petroamerica acquires PetroNova

Cartagena, Colombia Source: http://www.backtrackers.nl/colombia/ The Colombian E&P landscape is characterised by a few IOCs with 100mmbbl+ of reserves (e.g. Repsol, Chevron, Occidental) and a large number of independent E&Ps. The smaller end of the scale is dominated by many small players with more than 25 companies with less than 2.5mmboe of reserves...

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The Apache Egypt treasure map

Source: Houston Geological Society, HGS Apache is a significant acreage holder onshore Egypt with an extensive infrastructure network which allows new discoveries to be brought onstream quickly and at relatively low cost. Its acreage can be broadly split into four areas, the most significant of these is the Western Desert Gas area which underpins the portfolio’s gas reserves and is a key supplier of gas to the domestic market. Source: OGInsights  The...

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