Colombia's Ecopetrol signs agreement with Parex Resources for oil and gas development
Ecopetrol, Colombia's largest state-owned energy firm, announced on Wednesday that it had signed five agreements to enhance the production of oil and natural gas in the Andean nation. The first four agreements will involve an investment of $350 million. These projects are planned in Colombia's Putumayo Province and Narino Province. Companies hope to increase crude oil volumes to the existing projects, as well as explore potential resources around the area. Ecopetrol announced that a $60 million investment…
Japan will take all necessary steps to ensure Sakhalin-2 LNG supplies from Russia.
Japan's Industry Minister Yojimuto announced on Friday that it will take every measure to ensure a steady supply of liquefied gas from the Sakhalin-2 Russian project in response to new U.S. Sanctions. Treasury Department announced that the United States had imposed new sanctions against Russia's Gazprombank, on Thursday. President Joe Biden is intensifying his efforts to punish Moscow for its invasion in Ukraine, before he leaves office at the end of January. Gazprombank, one of Russia's biggest banks, is owned in part by the Kremlin gas company Gazprom.
Japex to invest in US tight-oil project as operator
A senior executive at Japan Petroleum Exploration (Japex), said that the company is interested in investing in the U.S. tight gas and oil sector with a view to becoming an operator. Yutaka Nishimura said at a press conference that Japex is exploring investment opportunities for the U.S. tight gas and oil sectors. We are looking to become operators. He added that Japan's second largest oil and gas company, which has invested in U.S. tight gas and oil projects for the past few years, is looking to use the experience and expertise it has gained.
Equinor, Aker BP, Vaar face rising project costs, Norway budget shows
The Norwegian government announced on Monday that Aker BP, Equinor and Vaar Energi had raised their estimates of costs for major oil and natural gas development projects in the Norwegian continental shelf. The government's fiscal budget documents revealed that the cost of Equinor Johan Castberg is expected to rise from 80.3 billion crowns, which was estimated a year ago. Aker BP’s Yggdrasil will likely cost 134.4 billion crowns compared to 120.2 billion crowns a year ago, and Vaar’s Balder Future is expected at 52.2 billion crowns compared to 44.5 billion crowns.
BOEM Announces New GoM Lease Sale
The US Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) plans to offer about 78 million acres in a region-wide Gulf of Mexico lease sale scheduled for March 2020.Lease Sale 254, which would include all unleased areas in federal waters in the gulf that are not subject to congressional moratorium, will be the sixth held under the 2017-22 federal OCS leasing program, BOEM said in a press statement.The sale would include all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico…
ExxonMobil Looks to Sell Australian Assets
Exxon Mobil Corp said on Wednesday it was looking to sell its 50% stake in the Gippsland Basin oil and gas development in Australia's Bass Strait as part of a broader review of its global portfolio of assets.The sale could fetch up to $3 billion, however decommissioning costs for the ageing fields could dent the price tag, analysts and bankers said.The Gippsland Basin joint venture, off the state of Victoria, has long been the mainstay oil and gas supplier for southeastern Australia, but output is in…
Empyrean Energy to Spud Well in Indonesia
Australia's Empyrean Energy provided an operational update in relation to the upcoming drilling campaign in the Duyung PSC in the West Natuna basin, offshore Indonesia, in which Empyrean holds an 8.5% interest.The oil and gas development company with interests in China, Indonesia and the United States, said that campaign will comprise of two wells, an exploration well designed to test the Tambak prospect beneath the central area of the Mako gas field, and an appraisal well designed to primarily appraise the intra-Muda sandstone reservoir in the southern area of the Mako field…
Jadestone Energy to Restart Montara Production
Asia Pacific upstream oil and gas development and production company has announced the completion of works required to resume production from the Montara oil field. This restart follows an extensive maintenance and inspection shut down. "Work has been completed and the facilities are undergoing the final stages of pressure testing to ensure asset integrity and a safe restart of production," said a press release from company.The oil train has been successfully leak tested and the gas train is now being tested so that both can start together…
IOG Delays North Sea Project Financing
UK based oil and gas development & production company Independent Oil and Gas Plc (IOG)cautioned that current oil price volatility and capital market conditions aren’t conducive to deliver its financing plan for the core Southern North Sea project before year-end.The company which explores for and develops oil and gas properties in the North Sea said in a press release that it was ready to enter the execution phase of its core development project in the UK Southern North Sea, but due to volatile market…
Simmons Edeco Wins Tonalli Energía Contract
The supplier of onshore drilling and workovers, wellhead maintenance services Simmons Edeco has been awarded a contract by Tonalli Energia SAPI de CV to provide drilling services in Mexico.Tonalli Energía, SAPI de CV, founded in 2015, is a joint venture between Grupo Idesa Group and Petrofrontera, a subsidiary of International Frontier Resources Corporation, to explore and produce gas and oil in Mexico.The contract, which has already begun, engages Simmons Edeco to support Tonalli’s onshore oil and gas development Block 24. The Block known as Tecolutla, is in the Tampico-Misantla Basin in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
UAE's Adnoc Awards USD 1.6bln Contract to China’s CNPC
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has awarded contracts worth AED 5.88bn (US $1.6bn) for the world’s largest continuous 3D onshore and offshore seismic survey, covering an area up to 53,000 square kilometres, as the company continues to identify and unlock new opportunities and maximize value from its hydrocarbon resources and deliver on its 2030 smart growth strategy.Adding to the 2D and 3D seismic data already acquired across Abu Dhabi, the new seismic survey will cover an area of up to 30…
U.S. Largest Offshore Oil & Gas Auction set for March
The Trump administration on Friday said it would offer the largest oil and gas offshore auction in U.S. history on March 21 for areas in federal waters off the Gulf Coast, less than a year after a similar sale yielded little corporate interest. The Interior Department said it would offer 77.3 million acres (31.3 mln hectares) offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida for oil and gas development, an auction that includes all available unleased areas in the Gulf of Mexico. The blocks are from 3 to 231 miles (5 to 372 km) offshore and in waters 9 to 11,115 feet (3 to 3,390 meters) deep.
Ineos to Challenge Scotland's Ban on Fracking
Energy group Ineos has applied to launch a legal challenge to the Scottish government's ban on onshore unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland, known as "fracking", arguing the ban was imposed unlawfully. Scotland decided to outlaw fracking in October after a public consultation found overwhelming opposition to the practice. However, Ineos said that decision flew in the face of other expert reports which concluded that shale gas could be produced safely and has applied for a judicial review. The application will be heard at the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court.
Subsea Infrastructure: Challenges & Solutions
As offshore oil and gas reserves become ever more difficult and costly to recover, the demand for innovative technology has never been greater. Joe Orrell, managing director at RED Engineering, considers some of the challenges in subsea infrastructure design and the role of fast track engineering solutions. The offshore oil and gas industry, even in times of low prices and abundant supply, is driven by the almost relentless search for new fields to replace those coming towards the end of their natural productive lives.
US DOE Directs $30 Mln to Small Oil, Gas Projects
Six small U.S. oil and natural gas drilling projects will receive about $30 million in federal funding for research and development to help achieve President Donald Trump's policy of boosting output of fossil fuels, the Energy Department (DOE) said on Wednesday. The projects, selected by the DOE under the direction of Congress, are in what is known as unconventional shale development. They currently produce less than 50,000 barrels per day each. Unconventional oil and gas production uses advanced techniques such as hydraulic fracturing…
US Sets Gulf of Mexico O&G Lease Auction for March
The U.S. Interior Department said it will hold its largest offshore auction to date, nearly 77 million acres, to energy companies in March 2018 to conduct oil and gas development. The proposed lease of offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida blocks continues U.S. President Donald J. Trump's efforts to encourage domestic energy production despite relatively low oil prices, the department said. The proposed lease sale includes 14,375 blocks that are located from three to 230 miles offshore in the Gulf's Western…
Wison Launches Buoyant Tower Solutions with Storage
Wison Offshore & Marine has developed a new Buoyant Tower solution with condensate or oil storage, adopting Wison’s proprietary Buoyant Tower technology. This floating concept provides a new economic and reliable option for the oil and gas development in the shallow to medium-depth waters. Originally invented by Ed Horton and Lyle Finn, the Buoyant Tower technology was first applied to BPZ CX-15 project offshore Peru when both Ed and Lyle worked for Horton Wison Deepwater Inc. (HWD), now renamed as Wison Offshore Technology Inc. with 130+ patents originated by Ed Horton and his fellows transferred from HWD.
VA Governor urges Trump to drop VA Offshore Drilling Plan
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe urged the Trump administration to exclude his state from a federal offshore oil and gas drilling plan, citing concerns about revenue sharing and environmental issues, in a letter that his office revealed on Thursday. McAuliffe, a Democrat, had previously said that any federal drilling plan that includes his state must include a revenue-sharing program. In the letter, dated Aug. 11 and sent to Kelly Hammerle, national program manager of the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)…
US to Relax Rules Protecting Sage Grouse, a Win for Oil
The U.S. Interior Department on Monday launched an overhaul to an Obama-era plan to protect sage grouse that it says aims to both preserve the species of bird while expanding opportunities for oil development in western states where they live. The move is a win for the drilling industry which had long argued that the plan developed by former President Barack Obama was too restrictive, but a setback for conservation groups concerned the Interior Department under President Donald Trump is watering down wildlife protections.
Op/Ed: Trump Signals New Day for Offshore Energy
National Ocean Industries Association president Randall Luthi weighs in on President Trump’s Executive Order on offshore energy. It’s a new day and a new attitude for American energy. The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) applauds President Donald Trump’s Executive Order recognizing the vital role of offshore energy in an overall national energy policy. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that in the year 2040, traditional forms of energy, particularly fossil fuels, will provide almost 80 percent of our energy needs.
