Santos basin shallow water wildcat may be game changer for Brazil's oil
February 3, 2012
OGX Confirms Hydrocarbon Find in Santos Basin | www.rigzone.com
Eike Batista, CEO of Brazilian independent OGX, commented that wildcat 1-OGX-63-SPS located in BM-S-57 (Fortaleza) identified hydrocarbons in both the Aptian and Albian of the stratigraphic column. What makes this remarkable is that the well was drilled in 509 feet of water. The OGX-63 cut 361 feet of high pressure Aptian which caused a well control incident.
Argentinian politicians' efforts to increase production are likely to backfire
February 3, 2012
Argentinean Governors to Push Oil Companies to Invest More | www.rigzone.com
Governors from 10 of the country’s oil producing provinces have planned a meeting for next week to pressure to oil companies. Last week President Cristina Kirchner attacked the industry for allowing production to decline. In 2011, Argentina imported $9.4 billion in fuel, double 2010 imports. Kircher added that oil companies should remember that they are working on land owned by the Argentine people.
Royal Dutch Shell to focus on frontier exploration in Arctic regions
February 2, 2012
Shell CEO Says Arctic Focus on Alaska, Greenland | www.rigzone.com
Shell CEO Peter Voser said in an interview that the company plans activity in Alaskan waters, offshore Greenland and in Russia’s far north. Most of the drilling will be in or near Arctic waters. Voser acknowledged that the Arctic environment is sensitive and challenging but added that he believes Shell can safely conduct operations there.
BNP Paribas asset sale puts small oil and gas companies on the spot
January 31, 2012
BNP Paribas O&G Loan Sale is Bad News for Explorers Seeking Funds | www.rigzone.com
The Financial Times reported last Thursday that BNP wants to dispose of its $11 billion oil and gas loan portfolio. The news is important for small companies because BNP has been a key player in funding frontier exploration projects. Risk appetite has changed for banks that lend to the oil and gas sector. Equity indicators for U.K.-listed companies are far from strong.
Funiwa Deep 1A may sand up and stop burning before the relief wells are drilled
January 30, 2012
Chevron: Funiwa Ffire Burning at Diminished Rate | www.rigzone.com
Chevron reported on January 27 that the fire burning at Funiwa 1A deep offshore Nigeria has diminished. The well caught fire during the early morning on January 17. By January 25, the KS Endeavor jackup rig had collapsed and no part of its structure was still above water. Chevron plans to drill two relief wells which could begin in the next seven to ten days.
Tullow stymied once again in sale of Uganda assets to Cnooc and Total
January 30, 2012
Uganda President: Tullow Asset Deal Deadlocked | rigzone.com
In early 2011, Tullow reached an agreement with Total and Cnooc to sell two thirds of its landlocked crude oil discoveries for $2.9 billion. The Ugandan government has repeatedly found reasons to block the sale. The assets are located in the Lake Albertine rift valley. This time the objection is that the three proposed partners objected to the government’s desire to amend certain stabilization clauses which were intended to manage risk.
Chesapeake Energy bites the natural gas bullet
January 25, 2012
Chesapeake Energy Corporation Updates its 2012 Operating Plan in Response to Low Natural Gas Prices | www.chk.com
Chesapeake plans to reduce its dry gas drilling by 50% to 24 rigs by Q2 2012. Its dry gas drilling expenses are expected to decrease to $900 million, down from $3.1 billion in 2011. The company will immediately curtail gas production by 500 million cubic feet/day, equal to 8% of current capacity. This will be the lowest level of dry gas spending since 2005.
Five months is a long wait for an Iran oil embargo
January 24, 2012
Unified EU Bans Iranian Oil Imports from July 1 | www.rigzone.com
On Monday, E. U. foreign ministers approved an embargo, beginning July 1, on Iran’s crude oil exports. The purpose of the embargo is to reduce Iran’s income from oil sales. All this owes to worries about Iran’s nuclear intentions. Iran currently exports 600,000 bbl/day to nations in the E.U. Many of Iran’s customers are under financial stress, including Greece, Italy and Spain. The E.U. remains open to negotiate with Iran and awaits a response to an October letter offering to resume talks.
Gazprom's South Stream to torpedo Nabucco in December 2012
January 24, 2012
Gazprom: South Stream Construction to Start Year-End | www.rigzone.com
Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller moderated a meeting on January 20 that resulted in the speed up of construction plans for the South Stream pipeline, which will run along the bottom of the Black Sea. Instead of a December 2013 start date, construction is planned for December 2012. Miller observed that everything was now in place. The financing is agreed. A regulatory basis exists and there is great interest from the participants.
Will another redevelopment program halt Pemex's oil decline rate?
January 23, 2012
Pemex Seeks Bids to Develop More Mature Oil Fields | www.rigzone.com
Mexico’s state oil monopoly began seeking bids for companies to exploit oil fields in northeastern Mexico. Within three or four years Pemex expects production to amount to 100,000 bbl/day. Mature fields are located in northern Veracruz and southern Tamaulipas states and some offshore areas. This is the second round of incentive contracts for Pemex. Last year, contracts went to Petrofac and Schlumberger.
Shale gas abundance provides new options for energy companies
February 13, 2012
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