News Archive: Exploration & Production

Statoil wins Indonesian offshore exploration licence

Licensing Rounds | 18 March 2015 13:02 GMT

Norway’s Statoil has been awarded an exploration licence offshore Indonesia, the company announced on Wednesday.

Statoil strikes gas in Snefrid Nord

Discoveries & Reserves | 18 March 2015 12:42 GMT

Norway’s Statoil has made a gas discovery in wildcat well 6706/12-2 in the Snefrid Nord prospect, about 6 km west of the Aasta Hansteen field.

Maputo’s auction open to corruption and delay – CIP

The blocks on offer in Mozambique’s fifth licensing round.

Licensing Rounds | 18 March 2015 12:30 GMT

Mozambique’s fifth licensing round – which was scheduled to close in April – looks likely to be delayed as vital new petroleum regulation is still pending.

UK shale climate-friendlier than LNG imports

A domestic shale industry would allow the UK greater control over regulating and monitoring emissions. (Cuadrilla)

Unconventional Gas | 18 March 2015 10:27 GMT

Environmental concerns are holding unconventional gas back in the UK, but from a climate-change perspective it could be cleaner than relying on LNG.

ExxonMobil restarts drilling on Alaska's North Slope

Discoveries & Reserves | 17 March 2015 12:09 GMT

ExxonMobil has restarted drilling in the Point Thomson gas condensate field on Alaska’s North Slope.

Eni upgrades Indonesian reserves, finds more in Libya

Discoveries & Reserves | 17 March 2015 11:51 GMT

Eni has upgraded the reserves estimate at its deepwater Merakes gas field in Indonesia, and made a new gas and condensate discovery offshore Libya.

Egypt will be self-sufficient in energy by 2018 – EGAS

BP’s West Nile Delta project will use BG Group’s West Delta Deep Marine infrastructure.

Projects | 17 March 2015 10:03 GMT

Access to BG Group’s West Delta Deep Marine infrastructure means BP can now develop its West Nile Delta project, which should make Egypt self-sufficient in gas by 2018.

Waters still muddy for Alaskan offshore drilling

Imperial Oil, ExxonMobil, BP and Shell all hold leases off the northern coast of Alaska.

Licensing Rounds | 16 March 2015 13:35 GMT

A regulatory mess is not the only problem facing supermajors hoping to explore offshore in the frozen north of the United States.

EGPC farms into Kuwait Energy’s Block 9

Discoveries & Reserves | 16 March 2015 12:44 GMT

Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. has farmed in a 10% participating interest in Kuwait Energy’s Block 9, in the Basra Governorate in Southern Iraq.

Shell easing off shale in South Africa

Unconventional Gas | 16 March 2015 12:42 GMT

Shell is pulling back from its shale projects in South Africa because of lower energy prices, although it is still seeking an exploration licence for the onshore Karoo Basin.

Financing dries up for players still pushing Polish shale

A 3Legs shale rig at Lebien in Poland. The company has now ceased operations in the country. (3Legs Resources)

Unconventional Gas | 16 March 2015 12:26 GMT

Developers in Poland are hoping the state of the market is only the end of the beginning – rather than the beginning of the end – for the country’s push to become energy independent through shale exploitation.

Sinopec to team up on wastewater solution

Sinopec is aiming to bring down the cost of treating wastewater used in fracking. (Sinopec)

Unconventional Gas | 16 March 2015 12:19 GMT

Sinopec is exploring advanced solutions for the safe treatment of fracking wastewater, as it looks to stay one step ahead of any environmental controversies arising from shale drilling.

Russia boosts gas, oil and condensate reserves

Discoveries & Reserves | 13 March 2015 13:19 GMT

Russia’s oil and condensate reserves grew by 750 mt in 2014, while gas reserves were up by 1.25 trillion cubic metres, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said.

East Timor ready to buy Sunrise stake to keep it onshore

Approximately 20% of the Greater Sunrise fields lie in a joint development area between East Timor and Australia.

Discoveries & Reserves | 13 March 2015 11:24 GMT

The Timorese government has offered to buy Woodside Energy’s stake in the Greater Sunrise fields to make sure an LNG plant is built onshore.

UK shale gas industry on brink of extinction

Fracking protesters at Balcombe. The UK shale industry will have to overcome widespread public scepticism. (Interfax)

Unconventional Gas | 13 March 2015 10:34 GMT

With a general election looming and opposition from the public, it may take years for fracking to be commercially viable in the UK – if it becomes viable at all.

Cyprus considering Aphrodite export options

Discoveries & Reserves | 12 March 2015 12:51 GMT

Cyprus is looking closely at options to export gas via pipeline from Noble Energy’s Aphrodite field to Egypt and Jordan.

Australia should ‘proceed with caution’ on fracking regulation – Abbott

Unconventional Gas | 11 March 2015 14:03 GMT

Australia’s state and territorial governments should decide how to regulate unconventional gas production, and should “proceed with caution”, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday.

Sebei gas field supply hits 35 bcm

Discoveries & Reserves | 10 March 2015 13:11 GMT

The Sebei gas field in China’s western Qinghai province has supplied 35 billion cubic metres to cities in Qinghai and Gansu through the Seninglan pipeline since the pipeline went online in August 1996.

Pertamina to take control of Mahakam block

Discoveries & Reserves | 10 March 2015 13:06 GMT

The Indonesian government will hand control of the Mahakam block to Pertamina when a PSC with the block’s current operator Total expires in 2017.

IGas and Swiss Ineos sign shale deal

Unconventional Gas | 10 March 2015 12:57 GMT

UK oil and gas explorer IGas Energy has signed an agreement to give Swiss chemical company Ineos a 50% interest in seven of IGas’s shale gas licences in the UK