B07 Oil and Gas Extraction

Woodside moves forward on $6b Senegal oil project

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 4-Dec-19

The partners in the Sangomar joint venture have lodged a development plan for the offshore oil project with the Senegal government. The plan was submitted shortly before their licence was due to expire on 4 December. Woodside Petroleum and its partners in the $6bn project propose to undertake a phased development of the oil field, with production slated to commence in 2023. The project has been marred by a dispute between Woodside and junior partner FAR Limited over the former’s acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ stake.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PARK STUD PTY LTD, FAR LIMITED – ASX FAR, CONOCOPHILLIPS, PETROSEN

Woodside mulls $40bn projects

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 20 : 22-Nov-19

Woodside Petroleum expects to make final investment decisions on its Browse and Scarborough LNG gas projects within 18 months. CEO Peter Coleman says these decisions will be made in an increasingly competitive global environment for LNG producers. He adds that Australia is also competing with countries that have lower corporate tax regimes, less regulation and more competitive labour costs.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, BP AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, JAPAN AUSTRALIA LNG PTY LTD, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHEVRON CORPORATION

Woodside tests patience on Scarborough

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 20-Nov-19

The recently-announced 52 per cent increase in the resource estimate for the Scarborough gas field may prompt Woodside Petroleum to retain more of its stake in the project. Woodside had previously flagged plans to reduce its 75 per cent stake in Scarborough. However, CEO Peter Coleman says Woodside still intends to reduce its stake in the Pluto 2 LNG plant by up to 50 per cent, although it is not an immediate priority. A deal with BHP to process gas from the Scarborough field via the Pluto plant is expected to be finalised by March.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHEVRON CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FAR LIMITED – ASX FAR, CONOCOPHILLIPS

Santos seizes Australian oil and gas crown

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 19 : 15-Oct-19

Santos expects a $US1.39bn deal to acquire the northern Australia assets of ConocoPhillips to boost its earnings by about 16 per cent. The deal includes the US group’s controlling stake in the Darwin LNG plant, as well as its interests in the Bayu-Undan, Barossa and Poseidon gas fields. Santos will now surpass Woodside Petroleum as Australia’s biggest oil and gas producer. ConocoPhillips still has a 37.5 per cent stake in the Australia Pacific LNG project in Queensland.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, CONOCOPHILLIPS, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, QUADRANT ENERGY PTY LTD, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, WOOD MACKENZIE, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

BHP’s still pumped about petroleum

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 20 : 11-Oct-19

BHP’s head of petroleum Geraldine Slattery has told a recent question and answer session in London that oil and gas will remain an integral part of the group’s portfolio. However, whether its historical Australian oil and gas assets remain part of that portfolio is uncertain, with analysts suggesting it may seek to divest its interests in the North West Shelf and Bass Strait. Slattery added that BHP is upbeat about its long-term prospects in Mexico, where it has a stake in the Trion oil field.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

BP’s grim warning on carbon emissions

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 7-Oct-19

BP’s chief economist Spencer Dale says everyone has a responsibility when it comes to steering the world towards a goal of zero net carbon emissions. He says energy companies like BP have a role to play in achieving cleaner energy, but that they cannot get too far ahead of governments and society. Dale adds that investing in new oil and gas fields is still important in terms of meeting energy demand in developing nations, while he says there is a growing mismatch between current emissions output and the wishes of society.

CORPORATES
BP PLC

Oil Search taps Wulff as legend Botten retires

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 & 22 : 2-Oct-19

Oil Search’s incoming CEO Keiran Wulff has downplayed suggestions that the Papua New Guinea-focused LNG producer may become a takeover target after Peter Botten steps down. Wulff says that succession planning has been in the works for some time, given that Botten has been at the helm for 25 years. Wulff, who currently heads Oil Search’s operations in Alaska, will succeed Botten in February. However, Botten will remain at Oil Search until August to ensure a smooth transition.

CORPORATES
OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION

Activists call for blanket cap on Qld LNG exports

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 26-Sep-19

The Australia Institute and the Lock The Gate Alliance are among the activist groups that have urged the federal governance to impose a cap on Queensland’s LNG exports. They contend that such a cap would put downward pressure on domestic gas prices. Another option that has been advocated by some activists is to amend the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism to include a price trigger. The federal government is reviewing the ADGSM, which has not been utilised to date.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED, LOCK THE GATE ALLIANCE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, ENERGY USERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ESSO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, REMAPAK PTY LTD, CLAYPAVE PTY LTD

ExxonMobil to exit Bass Strait gas and oilfields

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 17 : 19-Sep-19

Oil major ExxonMobil is to put its 50 per cent stake in the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture on the market. ExxonMobil holds its 50 per cent interest in the GBJV through Esso, with BHP owning the other 50 per cent. It has been suggested that ExxonMobil could secure up to US2.5 billion ($3.65 billion) for its share of the GBJV, which houses offshore oil and gas assets in Bass Strait and the Longford and Long Island Point plants in Victoria. There is speculation that BHP might seek to put its share of the GBJV up for sale as well as a result of ExxonMobil’s announcement.

CORPORATES
EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, ESSO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Saudi attack to send oil prices soaring

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Original article by Vesna Poljak,{SHARE}Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 13 : 16-Sep-19

Federal energy minister Angus Taylor has stated there are no immediate threats to Australia’s oil supplies, following attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure on 14 September. The drone attacks, by Iranian-backed Yemen Houthi rebels, are the most serious thus far on Saudi oil infrastructure, according to Ben Cleary from the Tribeca Global Natural Resources Fund. Saudi Arabia reported that over five million barrels oil production a day would be foregone immediately following the attacks, equivalent to between five and six per cent of global output. The attacks are tipped to spark a surge in oil prices when trading resumes on 16 September.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY