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Oil and Gas Energy News Update

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Oil & Gas Post - All News Report for Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Wednesday, July 06, 2011


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Commodity Corner: WTI Slips, Brent Edges Upward

- Commodity Corner: WTI Slips, Brent Edges Upward

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Rigzone Staff
by Matthew V. Veazey

An announcement by China's central bank Wednesday contributed to a 24-cent drop in the price of light sweet crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The WTI settled at $96.65 a barrel Wednesday after the People's Bank of China announced plans to raise interest rates by one-quarter percent to 6.56 percent effective July 7. The bank's action marks the third such hike this year. Brent, meanwhile, barely ended the day in positive territory. It gained a penny to settle at $113.62 a barrel.

The interest rate hike, coupled with lingering concerns about the debt crises in Greece in Portugal, have stoked fears of softening oil demand among investors. Providing some support for oil were expectations that the U.S. Energy Information Administration and American Petroleum Institute will report lower oil stocks Thursday. A Platts survey of analysts projects that EIA and API inventory data will reveal a 2.5 million-barrel draw.

The August WTI contract peaked at $97.79 and bottomed out at $95.90. Brent fluctuated from $112.17 to $113.82.

Expectations that temperatures will moderate over the next two weeks throughout the Midwest and East Coast&mdash chilled the price of natural gas for August delivery Wednesday. The front-month contract lost 14 cents to settle at $4.22 per thousand cubic feet.

Natural gas traded within a range from $4.26 to $4.36.

August gasoline futures ended the day slightly below $3.00 a gallon after fluctuating from $2.94 to $3.00 during the midweek session.

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Circle Star Acquires Tx. Assets

- Circle Star Acquires Tx. Asset

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Circle Star Energy Corp.

Circle Star has acquired interests in certain oil and gas producing assets in Texas.

The Company has acquired mineral interests, overriding royalty interests and non-operated working interests in a set of producing and non-producing oil and gas assets throughout Texas comprised of over 30,000 gross acres. The acquisition includes production from the Eagle Ford Shale, Austin Chalk, Wolfcamp, Woodbine and Deep Bossier formations. EnCana Oil & Gas (USA), Inc., Chesapeake Energy, Newfield Exploration Company, CML Exploration, LLC and Petromax Operating are operators of the respective assets. Revenue from the properties averaged more than $125,000 per month from January to May 2011.

In related news, the Company welcomes Mr. S. Jeffrey Johnson to the board of directors where he will assume the role of Non-Executive Chairman. Mr. Johnson has over 22 years of experience in the oil & gas business. Most recently, Mr. Johnson served as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Cano Petroleum, positions he held from June 2004 to February 2011 and May 2004 to February 20011, respectively. Prior to Cano, Mr. Johnson owned and operated 2 private oil companies from 1993-2003 and was a Vice President of Touchstone Capital from 1990-1993.

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Legend O&G Begins Drilling Program in Kansas

- Legend O&G Begins Drilling Program in Kansas

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Legend O&G Ltd.

Legend O&G has drilled the first two wells of a three well program to develop its producing leases in Piqua, Kansas. The wells were drilled to a total depth of approximately 825 feet. It is anticipated the Company will commence the drilling of its third well in this development program within the next week and may consider drilling additional wells on these leases before year-end.

"Oil prices remain strong and the geological review of the leases indicate this development program can be commercially successful on the Orth-Gillespie, Gillespie South and Cress leases on the south part of our holdings at Piqua, Kansas," said Legend's President, Marshall Diamond-Goldberg.

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Westmont to Boost Production at Marcellus Wells

- Westmont to Boost Production at Marcellus Wells

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Westmont Resources Inc.

Westmont Resources has completed the review of the June 2011 production revenue for operations in our 3,400 acre leaseholds in the Marcellus Shale region in the southwest tier of Pennsylvania and northwest tier of West Virginia. Preliminary production on the leaseholds has 41 working wells, of the 120 currently drilled on the properties, producing .6 to .9 barrels of oil per day per well. Total daily production is averaging 29.93 barrels of oil per day from these 41 working wells. June production totaled 891 barrels or $112,526.30 in gross revenue from production.

Westmont began implantation of Phase 1 of it operations plan to increase production to over 3,500 barrels per month by the end of the 2011 calendar year. Westmont anticipates placing into production an additional 12 wells by the end of July 2011 for a total of 53 working wells. We anticipate revenue to increase to over $145,000 per month by the end of July 2011 from the production of these first 53 working wells. Upon completion of the first phase of our production program, Westmont anticipates having 170 of the 212 existing wells in production earning estimated gross revenues of $321,300 per month based on current oil pricing in excess of $90 per barrel.

"Our specialty is applying cutting-edge technology in order to 'wring additional value from' long-lived, low risk natural gas and oil properties - To squeeze more oil out of mature basins. These new Pennsylvania and West Virginia assets are an excellent fit with our existing core areas and will expand our portfolio. Phase 2 of our production program will include the implementation of our patented, proprietary technology to increase production by a factor of 6 with anticipated production in excess of 5 barrels a day per well. Our estimated monthly gross revenue would increase from an estimated $321,300 to over $2,295,000 after implantation of our technology on all existing wells," said Glenn McQuiston, Westmont's President.

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Laredo Finalizes Broad Oak Acquisition

- Laredo Finalizes Broad Oak Acquisition

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Laredo Petroleum Inc.

Laredo Petroleum has now completed the previously announced acquisition of Broad Oak.

The aggregate consideration paid was approximately $1 billion and consisted of approximately 2/3 of newly issued units of Laredo equity and 1/3 cash. The cash portion of the transaction was funded under Laredo's amended and restated $1 billion bank credit facility led by Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as joint lead arrangers. The amended and restated bank credit facility has an initial borrowing base of $650 million, of which $500 million was borrowed and outstanding following the closing of the acquisition.

This acquisition increases Laredo's size and positions it for continued growth in the oil-rich Permian Basin and the liquids-rich Granite Wash play. On a pro forma basis giving effect to the acquisition, Laredo has:
  • total proved reserves of 840 Bcfe, consisting of 49 million barrels of crude oil and 547 Bcf of natural gas, as of March 31, 2011;
  • average daily combined production of 130 MMcfe for the three months ended March 31, 2011, consisting of 40% crude oil and 60% natural gas plus associated natural gas liquids;
  • a land position consisting of approximately 489,000 gross acres (338,000 net acres); and
  • a total of 12 operated drilling rigs running, with eight drilling vertical wells and four drilling horizontal wells. Ten of these rigs are working in the Permian Basin and two in the Granite Wash play located in the Anadarko Basin.

The Broad Oak properties are concentrated on a contiguous land position located in the Permian Basin of West Texas primarily in Reagan County. This acreage is immediately south of, and on trend with Laredo's existing Permian Basin properties in Howard and Glasscock Counties. The combined acreage position in the Permian Basin consists of approximately 166,000 gross acres (126,000 net acres).

Randy Foutch, Laredo's Founder, Chairman and CEO said, "We welcome the Broad Oak employees to the Laredo team and intend to continue the active development and exploration of the combined company's attractive property base."

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities, Inc. served as financial advisor to Laredo. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as financial advisor to Broad Oak.

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Eagle Oil Receives Initial Payment from Questus

- Eagle Oil Receives Initial Payment from Questus

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Eagle Oil Holding Co., Inc.

Eagle Oil has received an initial payment from Questus under the Farmout Agreement between the Company and Questus.

Pursuant to the Farmout Agreement, Questus will now begin the reconditioning of an initial group of 15 oil wells at the Company's East Texas field. In addition, Questus will also service the compliance requirements of the Texas Rail Road Commission.

The Questus Agreement represents the major part of the Company's new strategy to capitalize on its oil assets through outsourcing the reconditioning of its oil well and restoring pumping operations with no additional capital investment by the Company. The Questus Agreement will potentially cover up to 120 wells. The Company is also waiting for work to commence under farmout agreements with two additional parties for up to 20 additional wells not covered under the Questus Agreement.

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Gulmar Offshore Group Strengthens Management

- Gulmar Offshore Group Strengthens Management

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Gulmar Offshore Ltd.

The Gulmar Offshore Group is in the process of strengthening its management team with a series of new recruitments. As part of this process, Steve Davey, who has been in the industry for more than 30 years in various Senior Management positions with Comex, Stena, CTC and Saipem, has now joined the new Management Team as VP Commercial. Steve will have the task to further develop Gulmar's strategy in line with the ambitious expansion plan set by Oaktree Capital Management, Gulmar main shareholder since August 2010.

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Facebook Officially Announces Partnership with Skype

- Facebook Officially Announces Partnership with Skype



Jul 6, 2011

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg announced today at its company's headquarters in Palo Alto, CA the new features of Facebook which will include group chat and video chat run by Skype.

During the press conference, Facebook's Product Manager Peter Deng discussed group chat that will have a "Add friends to chat" feature to traditional chat. He also demoed the new Facebook design that will get hold of your account and browser size and a streamlined contacts bar to the right of your page. The video chat feature was demonstrated by a Facebook team member in Seattle.

Afterwards, Mark Zuckerberg invited the CEO of Skype, Tony Bates, onstage where he said, "Skype's mission has really been to make communications as pervasive as possible."

Zuckerberg also confirmed that Facebook now 750 million users.

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Property, Mineral Rights In Conflict

- Property, Mineral Rights In Conflict

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
by Ry Rivard, Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va.

In a case that may give West Virginia landowners a stronger bargaining chip in dealings with natural gas companies, a Marion County man is suing two of the state's largest gas producers to pay up or get off his land.

Richard Cain argues that gas producers don't have a right to put large Marcellus shale wells on his land in order to get at gas on his neighbors' property. If Cain prevails, it could become more difficult and expensive for gas companies to place multi-acre Marcellus well pads.

David McMahon, a lawyer who co-founded the West Virginia Surface Owners' Rights Organization, filed the lawsuit last week in Marion County Circuit Court. Cain is suing XTO Energy, a division of Exxon Mobil, and Glenville-based Waco Oil and Gas.

The lawsuit argues XTO can't take over up to 36 acres of Cain's 105-acre property just to put in Marcellus shale wells. The plans make Cain, a 61-year-old farmer and crane operator, "heart sick," McMahon said in a telephone interview last week.

Cain bought the land in 1989 to eventually give to his children. But he only owns the top of the land -- more than a century ago, the mineral rights had been sold off.

The law gives mineral owners the right to come on a surface owner's land to get at coal, gas or oil beneath. Cain doesn't dispute that companies can use his land to get gas from beneath his 105 acres or even from the other 33 acres near him that were part of an original 138-acre tract.

But Cain argues the law doesn't give XTO or Waco the right to use his land as staging area for several large well pads that will drain gas from hundreds and hundreds of acres around his property that the companies have the mineral rights to.

The companies "do not have any rights at all to use his surface to drill horizontal wells to, or to explore for or produce gas from, any neighboring mineral tracts," the lawsuit reads.

A spokesman for XTO said the company does not comment on pending litigation. Waco did not return a phone call Friday afternoon seeking comment.

Cain's case arises mostly because of a change in technologies. Traditionally, drillers were using vertical gas wells with a relatively small footprint. These vertical wells were like straws and didn't draw gas from very far away.

But now drillers are building pads with several acre footprints and wells that run horizontally underground for nearly a mile apiece. Cain's case is testing whether these horizontal wells should be treated differently in the eyes of the law.

According to the lawsuit, XTO has received approval for one 12-acre well pad on the southwest corner of Cain's land. From it, at least three and up to six horizontal wells will be drilled underground.

XTO plans to put two more pads on his land. If the two pads disturb the same 12 acres as the first one, nearly 40 percent of Cain's land will have been taken without his permission.

None of the underground wells on the first well pad will drain much of Cain's gas, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the three wells will travel underground away from the corner of his land for 5,500 feet, 4,600 feet and 3,300 feet.

Even though XTO may be getting little gas from Cain's property, there could be advantages to its putting wells there. Companies drill down nearly a mile before they turn horizontally through the shale formation from where they get gas. These vertical legs also need room, though, because they slope a bit before become horizontal and run through the shale -- so moving the well pad on the surface even slightly can hurt companies by giving them less access to the profitable gas.

McMahon alleges XTO is shifting the burden of the multi-acre well pads to Cain's property.

If Cain prevails, companies that don't own surface rights will have to spend more time negotiating.

Plus, there's the cost. Under state law, the companies have to pay surface owners for lost income, expenses and damages. But McMahon said the formula in law isn't enough for the loss Cain faces.

"I think that the value shouldn't just be what it's worth to the seller, but what it's worth to the buyer, who is the driller in this case, and I think it's $25,000 a well in this case to the buyer," McMahon said.

The lawsuit also gives a look at the dealings between reluctant surface owners and companies eager to drill.

XTO began efforts to use Cain's land in June 2010, according to the lawsuit.

Cain "delayed as much as he could" to see if lawmakers would pass new rules in Charleston that could clarify or even add to his rights. They didn't.

An XTO agent didn't give Cain any say on where the company would locate its wells or its access roads. But, according to the lawsuit, an agent suggested XTO could pay Cain several thousand dollars for each pad -- the highest offer being $12,000.

An XTO agent also told Cain, "We will leave you a little," the lawsuit said.

On April 5 of this year, Cain sent XTO a letter that read, "You do not have permission to enter this property" to develop horizontal wells that would primarily take his neighbor's gas.

On April 14, XTO replied that they didn't need his permission.

When Cain went to his land April 17, he found part of his property had been cleared and his timber had been cut down.

Copyright (c) 2011, Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va.

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Toreador Comments on France's Fracking-Ban

- Toreador Comments on France's Fracking-Ban

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Toreador Resources Corp.

Toreador commented on the recent French law, voted on June 30, 2011, banning the use of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction.

Craig McKenzie, President and CEO of Toreador, said, "As a longstanding operator in France, we have demonstrated our expertise and ability to conduct our Paris Basin operations in full respect of the environment and local residents where we operate. Notwithstanding the new law, we believe the oil resource potential of the Paris Basin can create jobs, provide local economic development, generate substantial revenues for the State and benefit all stakeholders. We reaffirm our commitment to define and develop this basin to reach its potential for all stakeholders, in compliance with French legislation and through cooperation with French authorities."

Added McKenzie, "It is important to note that our plan to evaluate our exploration licenses does not call for hydraulic fracturing. We will not conduct hydraulic fracturing operations within any of our permit areas. We will make full disclosures and representations to the French regulatory authorities as may be required."

Concluded McKenzie, "As we recently outlined at our annual shareholder's meeting, the company has been able to significantly advance its assessment of traditional exploration and development opportunities across its entire Paris Basin portfolio. It is our goal to bring these plans forward and to take the operational and strategic steps to create long-term value for our shareholders."

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Clough, SapuraCrest In Talks over Construction Business

- Clough, SapuraCrest In Talks over Construction Business

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Clough Ltd.

Clough confirmed that it is currently in discussions with SapuraCrest Petroleum Berhad (SapuraCrest) regarding its Marine Construction business. These discussions may result in a sale transaction, cooperation and/or other business arrangement.

While the parties continue to make good progress with their discussions, no binding arrangements have been entered into and there is no assurance that any transaction

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Helmerich & Payne to Build 12 Additional FlexRigs

- Helmerich & Payne to Build 12 Additional FlexRigs

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Helmerich & Payne Inc.

Helmerich & Payne has entered into agreements to build and operate 12 additional FlexRigs. These rigs will be built under multi-year term contracts with eight exploration and production companies, and are scheduled to be completed and begin operations in the U.S. during fiscal 2012. The names of the customers and other terms were not disclosed. The Company does not expect these contracts to have a significant impact on its previously announced fiscal 2011 capital expenditures estimate.

President and CEO Hans Helmerich commented, "After a severe industry downturn in recent years, it is satisfying to report that since March 2010 we have now announced a total of 57 new builds, representing a 30 percent increase in the number of FlexRigs in our fleet. Given the increasing challenges and level of complexity related to drilling oil and gas wells today, demand for new and highly capable land rigs in the U.S. continues to grow and our FlexRigs continue to lead the way."

Since 2005, the Company has now committed to build a total of 197 new FlexRigs, all under multi-year term contracts with attractive dayrates and economic returns. Including the 12 announced new builds, 26 remain under construction and are scheduled to be completed at the rate of approximately three FlexRigs per month. Upon completion of these commitments in fiscal 2012, the Company's global land fleet is expected to include a total of 247 FlexRigs, of which 236 are assigned to the U.S. land market.

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Abraxas Buys Drilling Rig

- Abraxas Buys Drilling Rig

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Abraxas Petroleum Corp.

Abraxas has purchased a drilling rig and hired an experienced rig operator.

Abraxas purchased a used Oilwell 2000 hp diesel electric drilling rig, which will be refurbished and mobilized to the Williston Basin to drill Bakken/Three Forks wells using a multi-well pad drilling system. Abraxas anticipates that the rig will be ready to spud its first well in October 2011 in the North Fork area of McKenzie County, North Dakota where the Company has 60 gross (18 net) identified drilling locations.

The rig will be owned and operated by Raven Drilling, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Abraxas. Abraxas has hired an experienced rig operator, Tom Coons, who will run the day-to-day operations of the rig and its crew. Mr. Coons has worked for Abraxas as a drilling consultant in the Rocky Mountain region since 1997 and he has drilled numerous wells in various basins throughout his 40 year career in the business.

"Due to the severe shortage of equipment and services in the Williston Basin, we felt it was prudent to secure our own drilling rig in order to get our operated wells drilled on a timely and cost-efficient basis. The multi-well pad drilling system should save a lot of capital costs as the rig walks from location to location which reduces the mobilization costs, in addition to other cost savings by using the same mud system for multiple wells. On the completion side, we are still in the process of negotiating long-term availability of services; nonetheless, we are beginning to see additional availability in the basin, both of which will be of benefit to us once we get our operated wells drilled and ready for fracture stimulation," commented Bob Watson, Abraxas’ President and CEO.

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Union Drilling Enters Multi-Year Contract for New Rigs

- Union Drilling Enters Multi-Year Contract for New Rigs

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Union Drilling Inc.

Union Drilling has entered into contracts to purchase two new drilling rigs based upon executed three-year contracts with a long-standing customer. The 1,500 horsepower AC electric drilling rigs, designed for pad drilling and efficient rig moves, have an aggregate cost of approximately $35 million. Upon completion, which is expected in the first quarter of 2012, the rigs will be deployed to Arkansas for work in the Fayetteville Shale.

Christopher D. Strong, Union Drilling's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "This type of investment is exactly what we had in mind when we entered into an expanded revolving credit facility earlier this year. These two new rigs represent an excellent opportunity to generate attractive returns for our shareholders while expanding our relationship with a key customer."

Since January 2011, the Company has added two 1,000 horsepower rigs to its fleet and two more 1,000 horsepower rigs are expected to be completed for operations in the Marcellus Shale by the end of 2011.

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Namibia Sees 11 Billion Barrels In Offshore Oil Reserves

- Namibia Sees 11 Billion Barrels In Offshore Oil Reserves

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
WINDHOEK

An estimated 11 billion barrels in oil reserves have been found off Namibia's coast, with the first production planned within four years, mines and energy minister Isak Katali announced Wednesday.

The finding could put Namibia on par with neighboring Angola, whose reserves are estimated at around 13 billion barrels and whose production rivals Africa's top producer, Nigeria.

Katali said that Enigma Oil & Gas, owned by London-listed Chariot Oil & Gas, has identified 11 prospects along the southern coast.

"The largest of these, the Nimrod Prospect in 350 meters (1,150 feet) depth, and most likely reserves in the event of success are estimated to be greater than four billion barrels," he told parliament.

"Enigma expects to find oil rather than gas," Katali said, adding that first production could begin as early as 2015.

Enigma holds a 50% equity in the offshore Southern Block together with Brazil's Petrobras.

According to Katali, another Brazilian company, HRT Oil & Gas Ltd, has raised $1.3 billion on the Brazilian stock market, with $300 million earmarked for oil and gas exploration in Namibia.

He said that HRT has certified about 5.2 billion barrels of potential reserves.

"This finding could turn offshore Namibia into a great producer of oil and gas in a short time," Katali said.

In his statement to Parliament, Katali added that HRT would drill three to four wells in that area as early as next year.

Another find off Namibia's central coast called Delta Prospect contained recoverable resources of up to two billion barrels of oil, by Arcadia Expro Namibia and British firm Tower Resources, he said.

"We expect that six to eight wells to be drilled in Namibia's waters in the next 18 months, the highest number in Namibia's exploration history," he said.

Namibia has long been seen as a potential new source of oil, hampered by a lack of exploration to determine the extent of its reserves. Its offshore geology is similar to Brazil, which is seeing a boom in oil.

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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GE Unit Receives $45M Contract to supply TLP Tensioner System for Chevron

- GE Unit Receives $45M Contract to supply TLP Tensioner System for Chevron



Jul 6, 2011

GE (NYSE:GE) Oil & Gas' Drilling & Production business has been awarded a contract of approximately $45M to supply and service the industry's largest tension leg platform to Chevron (NYSE:CVX) for deployment in its Big Foot oil and gas field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Installation of the TLP is scheduled to begin in November 2012 and first oil is expected in 2014.

Chevron has a potential upside of 17.1% based on a current price of $104.86 and an average consensus analyst price target of $122.75.

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S&P Lifts BP Outlook To Stable; Sees Less Downside Risk

- S&P Lifts BP Outlook To Stable; Sees Less Downside Risk

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
by Melodie Warner

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its credit outlook on BP to stable from negative, saying it sees less downside risk to the oil company's credit quality and little evidence of further erosion to its business standing.

The ratings company also affirmed BP's long-term corporate credit rating of A, which is five steps below the coveted AAA.

"The stable outlook reflects our view that BP is well positioned to meet potentially substantial additional fines and other payments related to the Gulf of Mexico disaster," the firm said. For its analysis, S&P assumes that all Gulf of Mexico-related payments will total less than $55 billion and will be spread over several years.

The ratings firm noted BP's first-quarter average realized oil price was 19.2% higher than the fourth quarter, and rose 31% from a year earlier. BP's refining margins also expanded in 2011, while its underlying downstream operating profit increased to $2.1 billion in the first quarter, from a quarterly average of $1.2 billion in 2010, despite a 6% decline in refining throughput, S&P said.

But, a sustained decline in oil prices below $70 a barrel alongside underlying operating cash flow of less than $25 billion could put downward pressure on the ratings, S&P said. Any upside rating potential is limited until there is more clarity on the penalties BP could face in the U.S. for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Nautical Spuds Kraken Appraisal Well

- Nautical Spuds Kraken Appraisal Well

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Nautical Petroleum plc

Nautical announced that the drilling of the 9/02b-5 well has commenced on the Kraken discovery located on North Sea Block 9/2b.

The appraisal well spudded at 13-30 hrs this afternoon. The well is being drilled approximately one kilometer to the south west of the 9/02-1a discovery well, to further appraise the core area of the field and establish a commercial flow rate.

Initially a pilot well will be drilled, cored and logged. This will be followed by a horizontal sidetrack of up to 600 meters. A Logging Whilst Drilling (LWD) suite will be run over the horizontal section to provide further understanding of the reservoir quality and distribution. The horizontal sidetrack will be completed with a gravel pack and tested using an Electric Submersible Pump (ESP). Upon completion of the drilling program the well will be suspended to be used as a future development well.

The drilling is being performed by the semi-submersible rig the Wilhunter and is expected to take approximately 60 days in total, subject to weather and any operational downtime. The initial pilot well is expected to take 20 days.

Nautical has a 50% interest in North Sea Block 9/2b and is the operator. The other participants are Celtic Oil Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of First Oil Expro Limited (30%) and Canamens Energy North Sea Limited (20%).

Commenting on this announcement Steve Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Nautical said, "We are delighted to commence this key activity, which is aimed at confirming Kraken's commerciality. Assuming success, it is our intention to submit a preliminary Field Development Plan (FDP) for the first phase of the development to the Government by September 2011, with a target for full FDP approval by June 2012. Success will represent a significant step towards the commercialization of Kraken."

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Apache Corp Announced The Results Of Two Development Wells

- Apache Corp Announced The Results Of Two Development Wells



Jul 6, 2011

Apache Corp. (NASDAQ:APA) announced the results of two development wells completed in June at the company's Forties field in the UK sector of the North Sea.

Charlie 4-3 commenced production at a rate of 12,567 barrels of oil per day (b/d), which is the highest in the Forties since 1990 and follows the previously disclosed Charlie 2-2, completed in March with an initial production rate of 11,876 b/d. Delta 3-5 commenced production at 8,781 b/d.

The company acquired a new 4-D seismic survey over Forties during 2010, enhancing the company's ability to identify accumulations of by-passed oil within the field area.

James L. House, region vice president and managing director of Apache North Sea Ltd. said, "The safe and very successful delivery of our 2011 drilling program reflects the experience, teamwork, technical skill and commitment of the Apache North Sea region."

Apache has a potential upside of 18.1% based on a current price of $124.49 and an average consensus analyst price target of $147.05.

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Colombia Well Delivers for Ecopetrol

- Colombia Well Delivers for Ecopetrol

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Ecopetrol S.A.

Ecopetrol has proven the presence of hydrocarbons in exploratory well Fauno-1, located in the Municipality of Puerto Gaitan, in the Meta province (Colombia).

This well, part of the exploratory campaign carried out by the Company in the Cano Sur block in the Llanos Orientales, is in addition to three other wells in the same block that were previously announced as successful (Mito-1, exploratory; Mago-1, stratigraphic; Draco-1, stratigraphic).

Ecopetrol S.A. is the operator and owner of all the rights to the Cano Sur Hydrocarbon Exploration and Operation Contract that was signed with the National Hydrocarbon Agency of Colombia (ANH), which covers an area of approximately 611,343 hectares.

The Fauno-1 well results confirm the potential of the Cano Sur block, where the company is continuing with an exploratory campaign, which includes the drilling of more than 20 exploratory and stratigraphic wells in 2011.

The Fauno-1 well, located in the eastern sector of the block, was drilled vertically to a depth of 3,256 feet. Technical data indicates that the well was completed with an artificial lifting system using a progressive cavity pump (or PCP), and that the hydrocarbon accumulation is located in the basal sands of the Carbonera formation.

Production tests carried out show production to date of 12.3 degrees API crude oil (heavy), with an average flow of 170 barrels per day, and a water and sediment of 22%, leaving an average daily rate of 132 barrels of crude oil. In initial tests the well produced 695 barrels.

Production conditions and yield for the deposit discovered in Fauno-1 will continue to be evaluated during the coming weeks.

The Company believes the results obtained from this block and from others in the area confirm the importance of the Llanos Orientales for Ecopetrol's growth strategy, and for achieving the goals proposed by the Company in the coming years, which include reaching one million barrels in equivalent production in 2015.

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Statoil Gets Go-Ahead to Drill Aldous Wells

- Statoil Gets Go-Ahead to Drill Aldous Well

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Det norske oljeselskap ASA

Statoil has as operator of production license 265, received the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway's consent for drilling two exploration wells on the prospects Aldous Major and Aldous North. Det norske has a 20 percent share in the license.

Det norske has expectations for the Aldous wells, as there is a chance that the prospects are an extension of Lundin's major discovery on Avaldsnes in 2010.

There have been several encouraging discoveries in this area in the North Sea.

In PL 265 a promising gas discovery at Ragnarrock was made 2009. In wellbore 16/2-4 Statoil discovered both oil and gas in the license, in 2007.

The wells 16/2-8 and 16/2-9S are two of four planned wells in the area in 2011, to define the discoveries in both PL 265 and Avaldsnes.

Expected start of the first well is in week 28. The second well will be drilled immediately after. The whole operation is expected to take around 75 days. The wells will be drilled by the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Leader.

Licensees in production license 265:
  • Statoil (operator) 40 percent
  • Petoro 30 percent
  • Det norske 20 percent
  • Lundin 10 percent

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GE O&G Wins Gig at Chevron's Big Foot Field

- GE O&G Wins Gig at Chevron's Big Foot Field

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
GE O&G

GE O&G' Drilling & Production business has received a contract of approximately $45 million to supply and service the industry's largest tension leg platform (TLP) marine riser Tensioner Systems to Chevron for deployment in its Big Foot oil and gas field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

A TLP is a vertically moored floating structure suited for use in a wide range of water depths. GE is making key design modifications to develop 'push-up' style marine riser Tensioner equipment to enable the Chevron Big Foot oil and gas field TLP to deal with the challenging wave and current movement conditions of deepwater applications. To date, TLPs have been successfully deployed in water depths approaching 5,000 feet. The GE-Chevron Big Foot unit will be the first to operate in depths of 5,200 feet.

Manuel Terranova, senior vice president—global regions and sales, Drilling & Production, GE Oil & Gas said, "For this deepwater application, we are utilizing innovative technology to deliver customized 'push-up' style TLP Tensioners that offer Chevron an efficient and reliable solution for their challenging deepwater requirements. We are pleased to be supporting this important Chevron project which will contribute to the stability of future U.S. energy supply."

The Big Foot TLP will be Chevron's sixth operated facility in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and will be located approximately 225 miles south of New Orleans. The TLP will include an on-board drilling rig and will have a production capacity of 75,000 barrels of oil and 25 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. Installation of the TLP is scheduled to begin in November 2012 and first oil is expected in 2014.

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Aker to Provide Subsea Equipment for MWCC Containment System

- Aker to Provide Subsea Equipment for MWCC Containment System

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Aker Solutions

Aker Solutions has been selected for the design, procurement, and fabrication of the subsea containment and diverter assembly for the expanded containment system being developed by Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC). Contract value is undisclosed.

Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) is a not-for-profit, stand-alone organisation committed to improving capabilities for containing a deepwater well control incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Members include ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell, BP, Apache, Anadarko, BHP Billiton, Statoil and Hess.

MWCC's expanded containment system is being engineered for use in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in water depths up to 10 000 feet (3 000 meters) and will have the capacity to contain 100 000 barrels of liquid and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day and is designed for a 15 000 psi maximum working pressure.

"We are pleased to assist MWCC in the development of its expanded containment system," said Erik Wiik, President, Subsea North America, Aker Solutions. "This is also a testament to the experience and performance of Aker Solutions' employees in Houston, Texas."

Aker Solutions will provide the subsea containment assembly equipped with a suite of adapters and connectors to interact with various interface points consistent with the well designs and equipment typically used by oil and gas operators in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Engineering and project management for the containment and diverter assembly will be provided from Aker Solutions' Houston office. Aker Solutions' contract party is Aker Subsea Inc.

The contract has been signed and booked as order intake in 2Q 2011.

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Honda Reported 29.9% Decline In Auto Sales In China In June

- Honda Reported 29.9% Decline In Auto Sales In China In June



Jul 6, 2011

Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) reported a 29.9% decline in its automobile sales in China in June as the lingering effect of the earthquake in Japan continues to crimp production.

The automaker said sales in China declined to 35,105 units in June, while sales in the first half of the year totaled 271,369 units, down 12.3% year-over-year. Honda sold 646,631 units in China last year, and is targeting around a 12% increase to 730,000 units this year.

Honda Motor has a potential upside of 17.2% based on a current price of $39.41 and an average consensus analyst price target of $46.2.

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Oilex Reaches TD at Cambay HZ Well

- Oilex Reaches TD at Cambay HZ Well

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Oilex Ltd.

Oilex advised that as at 23:30 Indian Standard Time on July 5, 2011 the Cambay-76H horizontal well has been drilled to a total depth of 2,740 meters and the completion string has been run successfully. The drilling rig will now be demobilized in preparation for mobilizing the multi-stage fracture stimulation equipment and related services.
  • Report date: July 5, 2011
  • Status: Preparing to demobilize drilling rig in preparation for fracture stimulation operations
  • Past Week's Operations
    • Drilled remainder of 8 ½" horizontal hole from 2,596 to 2,740 meters
    • Run completion string for multi stage fracture stimulation from 2,195 to 2,719 meters
  • Objective: Cambay Eocene "tight" reservoir Y Zone
  • Total Depth (TD): 2,740 meters

Well log data indicated porous hydrocarbon-bearing intervals with elevated gas readings throughout the horizontal section drilled in the Y Zone.

After drilling the hole to Total Depth, the completion string for the planned multi-stage fracture stimulation program was successfully run in the horizontal well section. The Black Pearl drilling rig will now be demobilized from the well site so the high volume fracture stimulation equipment and related services can be mobilized in preparation for carrying out the Y Zone fracture stimulation operations.

The participating interests in the Cambay PSC are:
  • Oilex Ltd (Operator) 30%
  • Oilex NL Holdings (India) Limited 15%
  • Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd 55%

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OMV Wins Exploration Permit in Taranaki Basin

- OMV Wins Exploration Permit in Taranaki Basin

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
OMV

OMV New Zealand announced the award of the Petroleum Exploration Permit 53537 in the Taranaki Basin. OMV New Zealand holds a 65% interest in the permit and is the operator. Octanex NZ Ltd holds a 35% interest.

PEP 53537 is located west of PEP 51906, which is also held by the same Joint Venture partners. The OMV-operated Maari oilfield lies 25 km to the southeast of PEP 53537.

"OMV has been involved in the Taranaki region since first coming to New Zealand in 1999 and it remains a cornerstone of our New Zealand operations, in terms of both production and exploration," Peter Zeilinger, OMV New Zealand's Managing Director, stated.
PEP 53537 work commitments include 2D and 3D seismic acquisition and reprocessing in the first 18 months, followed by technical studies. A "drill or drop" commitment is due by July 5, 2013.

OMV and Octanex are currently nearing completion of their seismic survey in the adjacent permit PEP 51906. It is intended to commence a 2D seismic survey in PEP 53537 immediately thereafter, using the same seismic vessel.

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Sterling to Plug, Abandon Sangaw North Well

- Sterling to Plug, Abandon Sangaw North Well

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Sterling Energy plc

Sterling provided the following update for the Sterling operated Sangaw North block in Kurdistan (53.33% working interest).

Flow testing operations have been completed in the cased hole section of the Sangaw North-1 well. Two flow tests were conducted; the first across a 100 meter interval within the Jurassic aged Sargelu formation and the second across a 100 meter interval within the Cretaceous aged Kometan formation.

During the first flow test, formation gas and water were observed in small quantities at surface but sustainable flow rates were not achieved. The Company believes that the Jurassic aged Sargelu formation does not contain a sufficient natural fracture network to support sustained flow.

During the second flow test, within the Cretaceous aged Kometan formation, the well flowed at a stabilized rate of approximately 0.4 million standard cubic feet of gas and 4,500 barrels of formation water per day during an 8 hour flow period through a 60/64ths inch choke with a wellhead pressure of 280 pounds per square inch. Approximately 83 percent of the produced gas was hydrocarbon gas with the remainder comprising 10 percent hydrogen sulphide and 7 percent carbon dioxide.

Neither flow test produced hydrocarbons at commercial rates and the Sangaw North-1 well will now be plugged and abandoned. The operations to plug and abandon the well are expected to take approximately 2 weeks, after which the drilling rig will be demobilized from the location.

The current exploration phase of the Production Sharing Contract for the Sangaw North area will expire in November 2011 and the joint venture partnership (Sterling, Addax and KNOC) may elect to enter the next exploration phase which runs until November 2013; the Sangaw North-1 well has fulfilled the work commitment for this next phase. During the coming months Sterling will integrate and analyse the seismic, drilling, logging and testing data before making recommendations to the joint venture group.

Angus MacAskill, Sterling's Chief Executive said, "We are disappointed that flow testing has not demonstrated commercial hydrocarbon flow rates in the Sangaw North-1 well. An integrated interpretation of all the data acquired during well operations will be conducted to determine the remaining potential of the Sangaw North structure prior to a decision on future operations."

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Eni Flows First Oil from GOM Appaloosa Field

- Eni Flows First Oil from GOM Appaloosa Field

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Eni S.p.A.

Eni has started oil production from the Appaloosa field, located in the US Gulf of Mexico deepwater, 60 miles offshore the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans, in 2500 feet (approximately 760 meters) of water depth.

The producing well is located within the MC 459 Federal Unit (comprising blocks MC 459, 460 and portions of MC 503 and 504). Eni holds a 100% working interest in the field.

Appaloosa production commenced on June 21, 2011 through a subsea development and a twenty-mile long flow line tied back to the Corral Platform (operated by Eni). The well is presently flowing at a rate of approximately 7,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. This is the second Eni field producing on the Corral Platform, which in aggregate is now processing 46,600 gross barrels of oil equivalent per day (33,000 net to Eni).

This development, the second start-up this year for Eni in the US following the Nikaitchuq field start up in Alaska, further strengthens Eni's role as an operator and enhances Eni's position as one of the top producers in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the US, Eni owns lease interests in 333 blocks in the Gulf of Mexico and in 411 leases in the Barnett gas shales onshore Texas, in partnership with Quicksilver. In addition, Eni owns interests in 140 leases in Alaska, between offshore and the North Slope, where it is currently operating the Nikaitchuq oil project.

Eni's total daily net production in the US is in excess of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent (60% of which is operated).

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Apache Reports Record IP Rate at Forties Field

- Apache Reports Record IP Rate at Forties Field

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Apache Corp.

Apache announced the results of two development wells completed in June at the company's Forties field in the UK sector of the North Sea.
  • Charlie 4-3 commenced production at a rate of 12,567 barrels of oil per day (b/d). This well's initial production (IP) rate is the highest in the Forties since 1990 and follows the previously disclosed Charlie 2-2, which was completed in March with an IP rate of 11,876 b/d.
  • Delta 3-5 commenced production at 8,781 b/d.

Apache acquired a new 4-D (time-lapse) seismic survey over Forties during 2010, which enhances the company's ability to identify accumulations of by-passed oil within the field area. Charlie 4-3 and Delta 3-5, the eighth and ninth development wells brought on production at Forties during 2011, successfully targeted two of these accumulations. Additional 4-D driven targets are being identified across the field. Apache expects to drill a total of 16 wells in the Forties field during 2011.

"The safe and very successful delivery of our 2011 drilling program reflects the experience, teamwork, technical skill and commitment of the Apache North Sea region," said James L. House, region vice president and managing director of Apache North Sea Ltd.

When Apache acquired Forties in 2003, the field was producing 40,000 b/d. With the onset of these new wells in mid-June, gross daily production rates have reached as high as 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent, even with output constraints due to construction projects and temporary pipeline closures. At the Charlie platform alone, Apache development drilling has increased production from a low of less than 5,000 b/d in 2006 to a present rate of approximately 30,000 b/d. Apache expects full transmission capacity to become available during the third quarter as planned repair and maintenance work is completed and the Bravo pipeline comes back online.

Apache owns a 97.14 percent interest in the Forties field. Forties is the largest single oil accumulation discovered in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea and 40 years after its discovery is the second-highest producing oil field.

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PetroVietnam to Start Output at 5 New Fields in 2nd Half

- PetroVietnam to Start Output at 5 New Fields in 2nd Half

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
HANOI
by Vu Trong Khanh

State-run Vietnam Oil & Gas Group said that it is starting production at new fields in the second half of the year and beginning construction on a second refinery, as it seeks to increase production to feed its fast-growing economy.

The company, known as PetroVietnam, said it will begin producing at five oil fields, including two that are overseas. The announcement comes amid uncertainty about Vietnam's offshore program due to an increasingly bitter territorial dispute with China, which has involved Chinese harassment of Vietnamese oil prospecting activities.

PetroVietnam said it expects to begin production at Russia's Nenetsky field this month and at Dana field in Malaysia's SK305 Block in August.

Production at Te Giac Trang and the second phase of Dai Hung field will start in August, while output at Chim Sao field will begin in September, it said. The fields are between 100 kilometers and 350 kilometers off Vietnam's southern coast, an area that is far away from the area of dispute with China.

The company reported two new commercial findings in the first half, raising its proven crude oil reserves by 10.2 million metric tons.

Late last month, Vietsovpetro, a joint venture between PetroVietnam and Russia's JSC Zarubezhneft, announced that it had discovered additional oil in the Bach Ho field off Vietnam's southern coast, with tests confirming strong oil flow of 4,560 barrels a day.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd., or Petronas, said last month that it and PetroVietnam have discovered oil offshore Vietnam, with confirmed oil flow of 5,200 barrels a day.

PetroVietnam said Wednesday that it will continue oil exploration Vietnam's continental shelf in the second half of this year, aiming to raise its proven crude oil reserves by 20 million-25 million tons in the period. It didn't say how large its current reserves are.

Meanwhile, the company said it and its partners will start building the Nghi Son oil refinery in northern Vietnam in the third quarter.

PetroVietnam said previously that it would work with Kuwait Petroleum Corp., Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui Chemicals on the 200,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Thanh Hoa province.

PetroVietnam is targeting output of 7.8 million tons of crude oil in the January-June period, which will take its full-year output to 15 million tons, flat from last year.

It will sell 7.3 million tons of crude oil in the period, including 1.66 million tons to the Dung Quat refinery, which will likely produce 2.48 million tons of oil products in the second half, taking its 2011 output to 5.6 million tons, the company said.

The 130,000-barrel-a-day refinery is scheduled for a maintenance shutdown for two months starting July 15.

PetroVietnam had pretax profit of VND49.9 trillion in the January-June period, up 44% from a year earlier and meeting 68% of its full-year target, the company said.

Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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McDermott Awarded Subsea Contract for Macedon Proj.

- McDermott Awarded Subsea Contract for Macedon Proj.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
McDermott International Inc.

McDermott announced the award of a significant subsea contract to its Australian subsidiary for a deepwater offshore engineering and construction project, including structural transportation and installation of subsea infrastructure. The new contract for work offshore Western Australia is included in the company's second quarter 2011 backlog.

"We are extremely pleased to win this significant subsea award in the Asia Pacific segment as it reinforces McDermott's strengthening position in subsea construction projects," said Stephen M. Johnson, McDermott's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are also gratified by our customer's confidence in providing McDermott with the opportunity to demonstrate our growing expertise in reliably delivering complex deepwater projects within a challenging time frame."

The award is for the Macedon Gas Project, situated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which will be McDermott's first SURF (Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines) project in Australia. McDermott will carry out detailed engineering, procurement, fabrication, transportation and installation of a 77 kilometer, 20-inch diameter pipeline and will install subsea umbilicals and flexible flowlines using vessels from the company's globally diverse fleet in water depths up to 180 meters.

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PetroNeft Confirms 2P Reserves in Western Siberia

- PetroNeft Confirms 2P Reserves in Western Siberi

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
PetroNeft Resources plc

PetroNeft, owner and operator of Licenses 61 and 67, Tomsk Oblast, Russian Federation, provide an update on its operations.

Highlights
  • Kondrashevskoye No. 2 sidetrack well confirms 2P reserves
  • Lineynoye 206 contains thickest oil pay encountered to date
  • Lineynoye/West Lineynoye has materially thicker pay and extends significantly further north than originally anticipated
  • Several new oil bearing structures are now likely to the north of Lineynoye/West Lineynoye
License 61 Exploration/Delineation program

The Kondrashevskoye No. 2 sidetrack has been drilled down dip from the Kondrashevskoye No. 2 well and penetrated the oil water contact in the objective J1-1 sandstone interval at -2,465 m true vertical depth ("TVD"). The reservoir interval of 3 meters in the sidetrack section was slightly thicker than in the vertical well with the top meter of the reservoir oil bearing.

Based on the results, the well has most likely confirmed the existing independent Ryder Scott 2P reserves of 8.1 mmbo attributed to the field and we will now update the reserves with the Russian State Reserve committee in preparation for field development. The exact timing of development will depend upon how the economics of this field compares with other nearby fields, most notably Arbuzovskoye.

Production casing has been run and cemented in the well so it can be used when the field is developed. The drilling crew is in the process of moving to the potentially high impact Sibkrayevskaya exploration prospect which will commence drilling shortly.

License 61 Development program

The Lineynoye 206 development well drilled from Pad 2 to the north contained 21.9 meters of gross sandstone with 18.5 meters of net pay which is the thickest net pay interval encountered to date in the drilling program. The reservoir interval was completely saturated with oil and confirmed an oil-down-to of -2,437.5 m TVD, some 15 meters deeper than the previously mapped structural spill point of the field to the north.

The results of this and other recent Pad 2 wells have shown that the northern part of the Lineynoye field has materially thicker pay and extends significantly further north than originally anticipated. This has positive implications for reserves and productivity in this region of the field and for the likelihood of several new structures north of Lineynoye/West Lineynoye to be oil bearing.

Dennis Francis, Chief Executive Officer of PetroNeft Resources plc, commented, "We are pleased to have proved reserves for economic development at Kondrashevskoye and will incorporate this discovery along with Arbuzovskoye in our 2012 development planning. Pad 2 drilling continues to be very encouraging with the thickest oil pay encountered yet indicating an increased probability that oil has migrated north from the Lineynoye/West Lineynoye field into the various structures contained in the undeveloped Emtorskaya High area."

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