Shell sells Pinedale gas field assets to Ultra Petroleum
August 14, 2014
In joint news releases today (Thursday, August 14, 2014), Ultra Petroleum and Shell SWEPI announced a purchase exchange and sale agreement for Ultra to acquire 100% of Shell’s Pinedale oil and gas field properties. The sale includes an exchange where Shell will acquire 155,000 net acres of Ultra assets in the Marcellus and Utica Shale areas in Pennsylvania and receive a cash payment of $925 million from Ultra. Ultra will take over operation of Shell’s Pinedale asset in Wyoming including associated gathering and processing contracts, subject to closing. See the company news releases below for more details.
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Ultra Petroleum Announces Pinedale Acquisition
Source: http://www.ultrapetroleum.com/fw/main/default.asp?DocID=97&reqid=1958525
Ultra Petroleum Corp media release
HOUSTON, August 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultra Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: UPL) announced today that the company has signed a purchase and sale agreement to acquire all Pinedale field properties from SWEPI, LP, an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, plc ("Shell") in exchange for a portion of Ultra's Marcellus Shale properties and cash consideration of $925.0 million. Ultra Petroleum expects to finance the acquisition through the issuance of new debt at the subsidiary and parent level. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter with an effective date of April 1, 2014.
About Ultra Petroleum
Ultra Petroleum Corp. is an independent energy company engaged in domestic natural gas and crude oil exploration, development and production. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol "UPL". Additional information on the company is available at www.ultrapetroleum.com
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Shell divests U.S. onshore gas assets in Pinedale and Haynesville, adds acreage in Marcellus and Utica
Source: http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/investor/news-and-library/2014/shell-divests-us-onshore-gas-assets-pinedale-haynesville-adds-acreage-in-marcellus-utica.html
Shell media release, August 14, 2014
Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell") announces today two separate transactions whereby the company will exit its Pinedale and Haynesville onshore gas assets in exchange for approximately $2.1 billion of cash, plus additional acreage in the Marcellus and Utica Shale areas in Pennsylvania.
In one agreement with Ultra Petroleum, Shell will acquire 155,000 net acres in the Marcellus and Utica Shale areas in Pennsylvania and receive a cash payment of $0.925 billion from Ultra in exchange for 100 percent of Shell’s Pinedale asset in Wyoming, including associated gathering and processing contracts, subject to closing.
In a separate agreement with Vine Oil & Gas LP and its partner Blackstone, Shell has agreed to sell 100 percent of its Haynesville asset in Louisiana, including associated field facilities and infrastructure for $1.2 billion in cash, subject to closing.
"We continue to restructure and focus our North America shale oil and gas portfolio to deliver the most value in the longer term. With this announcement we are adding highly attractive exploration acreage, where we have impressive well results in the Utica, and divesting our more mature, Pinedale and Haynesville dry gas positions," said Marvin Odum, Shell’s Upstream Americas Director.
The Shell net production from Pinedale in the second quarter 2014 was 190 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) of dry gas (32 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (kboe/d)). During the first half of 2014, Ultra’s net production from the assets Shell is acquiring in Pennsylvania averaged 109 mmscf/d (19 kboe/d).
"We first entered the Pinedale Anticline in 2001, and I am proud of our operational excellence, community engagement, and leadership in responsible energy development over that time," said Odum.
Shell’s Pinedale asset (which includes 19,000 net acres of leasehold interest, 1,108 gross wells and associated facilities, and an average of 0.7 percent overriding royalty interest in 11,500 acres) will be exchanged for cash and Ultra’s 100 percent interest in the Marshlands area (63,000 net acres) as well as its entire interest (92,000 net acres) in the Tioga Area of Mutual Interest (AMI), an unincorporated joint venture with Shell. After completion of this transaction, Shell will have a 100 percent interest in the Tioga AMI. The agreement is effective 1 April 2014, and is expected to close this year.
Shell’s Haynesville asset includes 107,000 net acres in north Louisiana. The transaction includes 418 producing wells, 193 of them operated by Shell. As of 1 July 2014, the gross production from the Haynesville asset was approximately 700 mmscf/d of dry gas, with Shell’s net working interest share at approximately 250 mmscf/d (43 kboe/d). The agreement is effective 1 July 2014, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.
"We very much appreciate the support we have had in north Louisiana, and we will continue to operate in the state, as we have for decades, through our downstream, retail, midstream, and New Orleans-based deep-water operations," said Odum.
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Shell reshuffles US shale assets in two major deals
Source: http://www.ogj.com/articles/2014/08/shell-reshuffles-us-shale-assets-in-two-major-deals.html
Oil & Gas Journal, August 14, 2014
Royal Dutch Shell PLC has agreed to two separate transactions in which it will exit its Pinedale and Haynesville onshore gas assets in exchange for $2.1 billion in cash and acreage in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions.
In one deal, Shell will sell its 107,000 net acres in the Haynesville of North Louisiana, along with associated field facilities and infrastructure, to Blackstone affiliates Blackstone Energy Partners and Vine Oil & Gas LP, Dallas, for $1.2 billion in cash.
Vine, formed by Blackstone earlier this year, is an exploration and production company targeting US shale and led by Eric Marsh, a former executive vice-president of Encana.
The transaction encompasses 418 producing wells, 193 of which are Shell-operated. Gross production from Shell’s assets, as of July 1, totaled 700 MMscfd of dry gas, with the company’s net working interest share totaling 250 MMscfd.
The agreement is effective July 1 and expected to close in the fourth quarter. Shell says it will continue to operate in Louisiana through its downstream, retail, midstream, and New Orleans-based deepwater operations.
In another deal, Shell will acquire 155,000 net acres in the Marcellus and Utica areas of Pennsylvania and receive a cash payment of $925 million from Ultra Petroleum Corp., Houston, in exchange for Shell’s 19,000 net acres of leasehold interest in Pinedale, Wyoming, including associated gathering and processing contracts. The Pinedale assets encompass 1,108 gross wells and associated facilities, and an average of 0.7% overriding royalty interest in 11,500 acres. Shell’s second-quarter net production from Pinedale totaled 190 MMscfd of dry gas. Ultra’s first-half net production from the Marcellus and Utica assets averaged 109 MMscfd.
Shell will receive 63,000 net acres in the Marshlands area as well as 92,000 net acres in the Tioga area of mutual interest (AMI), an unincorporated joint venture with Ultra, giving Shell 100% interest in Tioga AMI.
The agreement is effective Apr. 1 and expected to close this year.
Ultra says the deal with Shell will increase its net proved reserves by 1.8 tcfe and expand company-operated production to 82% from 62%.
Shell’s recent shale activity
Marin Odum, Shell Upstream Americas director, meanwhile explained the deals from his company’s perspective: "With this announcement we are adding highly attractive exploration acreage, where we have impressive well results in the Utica, and divesting our more mature, Pinedale and Haynesville dry gas positions."
Shell has recently been involved in a flurry of deal activity relating to its shale assets.
In June, company affiliate East Resources Inc. and an unnamed private company sold 48,000 net acres in the Marcellus and 27,000 net acres in the Utica to units of start-up American Energy Partners LP. The transactions totaled $1.75 billion.
Notably, East Resources was acquired in 2010 by Shell for $4.7 billion during Shell’s large-scale venture into US unconventional oil and gas.
In May, the company sold 100% working interest in 106,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford to Sanchez Energy for $639 million.
Two months earlier, Shell divested its acreage position in the Mississippi Lime in Kansas, its Utica position in Ohio, and a portion of its acreage in the Sandwash Niobrara basins in Colorado.
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