Repsol aspires for "sisterhood" status as it explores West Africa's margins
December 29, 2011
Detailed Study Leads repsol to Offshore West Africa | www.rigzone.com
If mixed national-independent oil and gas companies are to prosper, they must somehow become competitive with major internationals. This is not easy to do. Their financial performance dooms them to high borrowing costs and drags on the value of their shares. Eni (Italy) and Repsol (Spain) both are trying to move upward by using innovative exploration methods. For Repsol, the choice has focussed on the West African margins.
"Big crew change" impacts future drilling campaigns in the Gulf of Mexico
December 28, 2011
Rigs, Workers Go Abroad Leaving GOM Operators in the Lurch | www.rigzone.com
The offshore oil and gas industry is still pondering the legacy of the BP spill. Industry has already recognized the crippling effect of losing a large number of "baby boomer" employees to retirement. Throw in extra costs and further delays as a result of the drilling moratorium, and it appears that it will be some time before drilling activity in the Gulf returns to 2009 levels.
Tight crude oil avails for 2012 look to get even tighter
December 28, 2011
Can Oil Restore Libya's Fortunes? | www.rigzone.com
ates that three year will elapse before Libyan crude oil production returns to pre-war levels. In addition to the destruction of facilities during the fighting, many of the fields are old and require substantial work to restore production. Limited violence may further complicate matters.
La Guerre du petrole in its many forms: A Christmas story
December 28, 2011
Ecuador Appeals Arbitration in Chevron Case | www.rigzone.com
Oil and gas companies have been under attack since at least the latter part of the 19th century, when John D. Rockefeller was a name to be feared. During the 20th century, oil companies were attacked by governments for having too many reserves. The U.S.A., Iran, Venezuela, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were the usual suspects. The new way to attack is after an oil spill or similar infraction.
Total to test pre-salt potential pay zones in three blocks offshore Angola
December 27, 2011
Total to Operate 3 New Exploration Blocks in Angola | www.rigzone.com
Total, which has been active in Angola since 1953, now runs 163,000 net bbl/day from blocks 17, 0 and 14. The operated production for the company and its partners is 600,000 bbl/day of oil equivalent. The company announced on December 20 that it had been awarded blocks 40 and 25 and will be a partner in block 39, all located in the deepwater Kwanza basin.
Petrobras's ambitious 21 rig tender becomes a cropper
December 27, 2011
Petrobras Cancels Tender to Build 21 Offshore Rigs | www.rigzone.com
Last October, Petrobras launched a tender covering a series of contracts for the construction of 21 rigs to work in the ultradeep waters of the Santos basin. It was a multi-billion dollar tender. To finance the construction, Petrobras formed a consortium that included itself and various Brazilian pension funds and commercial banks. After several delays, the tender was cancelled on December 22.
Total to develop natural gas deposits in the Arctic to supply France and China
December 21, 2011
Total, Novatek to Develop Termokarstovoye | www.rigzone.com
Last summer Total and Novatek, agreed to invest $38 billion in a liquefied natural gas project on Russia's Yamal Peninsula. Called Yamal SPG, the project is owned by Novatek, in which Total has a 12% interest. Additionally, the Russian government recently approved Total's purchase of a 20.5% interest in Yamal SPG. Novatek owns several rich natural gas fields in northwest Siberia with an estimated 1.3 trillion m3 of gas, plus 52 million tons of gas condensate.
Vaca Muerta oil shale drilling hindered by regulations
December 20, 2011
Fitch: Regulations to Limit Near-Term Growth in Argentina Shale | www.rigzone.com
The Vaca Muerta shale has been the focus of Patagonian exploration in 2011. The interested companies include ExxonMobil, Apache, YPF/REPSOL and others. Although lightly explored, it appears that it could be possible to recover up to 750 million bbls of crude oil from the regions tested so far. The Neuquén basin is large and about 250,000 acres show promise. Government regulations will have to be relaxed to make it worthwhile for private companies.
Anadarko's Lucius appears to be a big field on a large subsalt structure
December 20, 2011
Apache to Develop Lucius Project in Deepwater Gulf of Mexico | www.rigzone.com
The 2009 discovery well cut 200 feet of high quality 29º API crude oil. The appraisal sidetrack drilled upstructure found 650 feet of crude oil plus a gas condensate zone. Anadarko (which holds a 35% stake) completed a unitization agreement with co-owners Plains E&P (23.3%), Apache (11.7%), Petrobras (9.6%), ExxonMobil (15%) and Eni (5.4%). The unit is expected to go on production from a spar in 2014 at 80,000 bbl/day.
Reading the tea leaves on Gulf of Mexico OCS lLease sSale 218
December 19, 2011
First Post-Macondo Lease Sale Draws US $337 million in High Bids | www.rigzone.com
The first federal offshore lease sale since the MC-252 spill in April 2010 resulted in $337 million in high bids. The auction included 3,913 blocks covering more than 21 million acres (an average of 5,366 acres/block). Twenty oil and natural gas companies submitted 214 bids totalling $712 million, up 28% from lease sale 210 in August 2009. In the 2009 sale, 27 companies bid on 162 tracts.
Chesapeake Energy bites the natural gas bullet
January 25, 2012
Flurry of newbuild drilling rig deliveries in 2012 may dampen rig rates
January 20, 2012
Talisman joins the ranks of cautious E&P companies
January 12, 2012
Early signs of caution begin to cloud frontier exploration and production
January 4, 2012
It's too early in the game to write off Shtokman
December 8, 2011