Oil and gas producer Cairn Energy Plc is shifting its focus to a growth portfolio onshore Egypt from declining offshore fields in the British North Sea in a flurry of deals worth around $1.5 billion which it announced on March 9.
Cairn, with partner Cheiron Petroleum Corp., agreed to buy onshore fields in Egypt’s Western Desert from Royal Dutch Shell Plc for up to $926 million and sell its stakes in British fields Catcher and Kraken to private firm Waldorf Production for $460 million.
“We’re transitioning from that portfolio in decline into one where we see that we can build greater cash flow generation into the future,” Cairn CEO Simon Thomson told a conference call.
RELATED:
Shell to Sell Egypt Onshore Assets for up to $926 Million
Cairn, which produced around 21,000 bbl/d last year, can boost its net share from the Shell assets to 50,000 bbl/d from 35,000 bbl/d within a couple of years, Thomson added. The deal would triple Cairn’s reserves.
Around $280 million of the payment for the Egyptian assets depends on the oil price and exploration successes. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and expected to close in the second half of the year.
Cairn and Cheiron plan to pay for the fields with a new reserve-based lending facility of up to $350 million, a joint junior debt facility of $100 million and existing cash, Cairn said.
Cairn is also in talks with no set deadline with the Indian government about an arbitration award worth around $1.7 billion, but Cairn is actively pursuing alternatives, such as selling the consideration or enforcement, Thomson said.
Recommended Reading
Seatrium Awarded Contract for FPSO Bound for Guyana’s Stabroek
2024-05-17 - The topsides fabrication and integration contract will be for the FPSO Jaguar, bound for the Whiptail Field in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana for Exxon Mobil.
Exxon Mobil Green-lights $12.7B Whiptail Project Offshore Guyana
2024-04-12 - Exxon Mobil’s sixth development in the Stabroek Block will add 250,000 bbl/d capacity when it starts production in 2027.
Exxon Ups Mammoth Offshore Guyana Production by Another 100,000 bbl/d
2024-04-15 - Exxon Mobil, which took a final investment decision on its Whiptail development on April 12, now estimates its six offshore Guyana projects will average gross production of 1.3 MMbbl/d by 2027.
Exxon Mobil Guyana Awards Two Contracts for its Whiptail Project
2024-04-16 - Exxon Mobil Guyana awarded Strohm and TechnipFMC with contracts for its Whiptail Project located offshore in Guyana’s Stabroek Block.
Petrobras Not in a Race with Guyana to Boost Production, CEO Says
2024-05-14 - While Brazil and Guyana aren’t necessarily competing to see which country can produce more oil, Petrobras’ CEO Jean Paul Prates jokingly said Brazil was winning, while adding that Bolivia’s falling production was an opportunity for Argentina.