PETROLEUM INDUSTRY AND TRADE – AUSTRALIA

Gas explorers respond to PM’s demands

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 : 6-Jun-17

New data shows that Australian gas producers spent $A118.5m on onshore gas exploration during the March 2017 quarter, which is 20 per cent higher than previously. However, expenditure on offshore oil and gas ­exploration fell to $A221.8m, which is the lowest level since late 2005. Spending on mineral exploration rose to its highest level in two years, although the gold sector’s expenditure fell by nearly 15 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, GLADSTONE LNG PTY LTD, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, PETROCHINA COMPANY LIMITED, QUEENSLAND GAS COMPANY LIMITED, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL

Chevron tax ruling to ‘hit investment’

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 22 : 3-May-17

Chevron’s chief financial officer, Patricia Yarrington, has told investors in the US that the oil and gas group may appeal a Federal Court of Australia ruling on the tax status of a $A2.5bn inter-company loan. She warned that the ruling will have implications for international transfer pricing guidelines, while it is likely to impact on future investment in Australia. However, Chevron’s Stephen Green has welcomed the findings of a review which recommended that any changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax should not be retrospective.

CORPORATES
CHEVRON CORPORATION, CHEVRON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Santos surprises with $1.5b capital raising

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 15-Dec-16

Australian-listed oil and gas producer Santos will issue new shares at $A4.06 apiece in a $A1.5bn equity raising. It will comprise a $A1.04bn institutional placement and a $A500m share purchase plan for existing shareholders. Santos had previously raised some $A3bn in late 2015. Santos recently revealed plans to shift non-core assets to a separate division in order to focus on its key projects. The group’s shares closed at $A4.41 on 14 December 2016.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, JB NORTH AND COMPANY PTY LTD

Santos takes ‘sweat or exit’ action

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 18 : 9-Dec-16

Australian-listed oil and gas producer Santos aims to slash its net debt by $US1.5bn ($A2bn) by 2019 as part of a restructuring program. This will including moving non-core assets to a holding company, allowing the group to focus on five key growth assets. These include the Gladstone LNG project, its Cooper Basin gas assets and the Papua New Guinea LNG venture. Santos will also make its gas processing facilities available to rival gas producers. The non-core assets could potentially be sold in the future.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ENN HOLDINGS, AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CLOUGH LIMITED, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

Analysts cool on Origin’s petroleum plan

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 8-Dec-16

Ben Wilson of RBC Capital Markets has questioned Origin Energy’s lack of information regarding the proposal to spin off its conventional oil and gas assets. However, he notes that the partial demerger will reduce Origin’s debt and the company’s complexity, and adds that Origin could eventually also offload its stake in the Australia Pacific LNG project. Mark Samter of Credit Suisse says the demerger has merits, but he believes that Origin should have pursued a trade sale rather than an IPO.

CORPORATES
ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG LIMITED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Origin Energy spins off oil and gas business

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 7-Dec-16

Australian-listed Origin Energy has revealed plans for a partial demerger in 2017, with its conventional oil and gas assets to be held by a separately listed company. However, Origin will retain its stake in the Australia Pacific LNG project in Queensland, while it will not hold a stake in the new company. Origin CEO Frank Calabria says an IPO was deemed to offer the best value, although he adds that the group would be open to an offer that represented better value than a float. JP Morgan estimates that the assets that will be spun off are worth around $A1.8bn.

CORPORATES
ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG LIMITED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SANDON CAPITAL INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX SNC, TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, ILUKA RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX ILU, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, STANDARD AND POOR’S FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED

Too early to say goodbye to tough times

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 2-Dec-16

AWE Limited CEO David Biggs says that oil and producers are unlikely to increase their capital investment until the longer-term impact of OPEC’s production cuts on the crude oil price is known. He believes that a sustained price above $US60 per barrel will be needed for oil companies to commit to increased spending. Beach Energy director Jim McKerlie agrees that the OPEC deal will not be a "gamechanger" for oil and gas producers.

CORPORATES
AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES, HORIZON OIL LIMITED – ASX HZN, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, FAR LIMITED – ASX FAR, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

Mega-project days over: Exxon

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 1-Dec-16

ExxonMobil Australia chairman Richard Owen says the energy giant will consider options for undertaking a staged development of the Scarborough gas field. He has told a business lunch in Sydney that ExxonMobil is likely to examine ways to start delivering cash flows from new oil and gas projects at an earlier stage of their development, rather than the so-called "mega-project" approach of recent years. The Gorgon LNG has commenced shipments more than six years after construction commenced.

CORPORATES
EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, CHEVRON CORPORATION, GORGON PTY LTD

Mega-project days over: Exxon

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 1-Dec-16

ExxonMobil Australia chairman Richard Owen says the energy giant will consider options for undertaking a staged development of the Scarborough gas field. He has told a business lunch in Sydney that ExxonMobil is likely to examine ways to start delivering cash flows from new oil and gas projects at an earlier stage of their development, rather than the so-called "mega-project" approach of recent years. The Gorgon LNG has commenced shipments more than six years after construction commenced.

CORPORATES
EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, CHEVRON CORPORATION, GORGON PTY LTD

Record LNG output limits Woodside pain

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 21-Oct-16

Oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum has reported that it produced 25.2 million barrels of oil equivalent during the September 2016 quarter, which is 13.5 per cent higher than the June quarter. Sales revenue rose by 19.8 per cent to $US988m ($A1.29bn), although this was nine per cent lower year-on-year. Woodside has lifted its full-year production guidance for 2016 to between 92 million and 95 million boe.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CHEVRON CORPORATION