Alberta Makes Concessions To Oil-Sands Producers In Parks Plan

- Alberta Makes Concessions To Oil-Sands Producers In Parks Plan

Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Dow Jones Newswires
CALGARY
by Edward Welsch

A final version of the Alberta government's land conservation plan for the oil-sands region released Monday made some concessions to oil companies after the original plan threatened to cancel parts of several oil-sands leases in order to preserve them for caribou habitat.

"What we think this plan achieves is a balance between the environment, development and the community aspect of living and working in Alberta," Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight said during a press conference.

Knight said there may still be parts of some oil-sands leases cancelled, but that the effect would be "very, very little," and the plan "is going to be quite satisfactory to most operators in the area."

The original parks plan released in April, which sets aside more than 7,000 square miles for recreational parks and wildlife including caribou, was panned by some of the oil-sands developers who were seeing parts of their leases cancelled.

However, most developers in the area, including Cenovus Energy Inc. (CVE) and Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. (ATH.T) said they had worked with the government to ensure that the parts of their leases that would be revoked were on plots that weren't economically viable.

Knight said the government worked with other companies to shift conservation land around for the final conservation plan, but he declined to provide any specific details.

Jennifer Grant, director of oil-sands research for the Canadian environmental think tank Pembina Institute, said it appeared that the government had shifted some lands around to accommodate oil-sands leases owned by Sunshine Oil Sands Ltd., a privately owned developer that was particularly hard hit under the draft plan.

Executives of Sunshine Oilsands, which is planning an initial public offering in Hong Kong later this year, weren't immediately available to comment because they were traveling in China.

"The government's efforts to accommodate industry interests are apparent in this version of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, with the adjustment of some protected areas," Grant said. She said more loopholes were introduced in the latest plan that allow companies to get exemptions to environmental standards.

Knight said though the plan had critics, it set aside a large portion of land for protection that wasn't there during the industry's last resource boom in the mid-2000s.
Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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New World O&G to Take Oil Concessions in Denmark

- New World O&G to Take Oil Concessions in Denmark

Monday, July 04, 2011
New World O&G plc

New World O&G has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Danica Jutland ApS, granting the Company a 65-day exclusivity period in which to undertake due diligence on two oil concessions totaling 4,107 sq km, located in the productive Jutland on-shore area in South Western Denmark ('the LOI'). Any potential investment by the Company would be in accordance with its investing policy as set out in its Admission Document.

Overview

• The LOI provides a 65-day exclusivity period to conduct due diligence on two concessions - License No. 1/09 and License No. 2/09, located on-shore in Southern Denmark ('the Licenses').
• The Company has engaged RPS Energy to undertake a Competent Person's Report in the form of a letter of opinion ('CPR') to assist New World in determining the prospectivity of the Licenses.
• Upon completion of the CPR and subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence, it is intended that definitive transaction documents will be agreed in the form of a Farm-out and Operating Agreement with the Company being named as Operator, followed by New World being named on the Licenses for both concessions.
• The LOI contemplates (subject to due diligence including the CPR being satisfactory) a staged investment in 2D seismic, initially of US $2.5 million, followed by the right to acquire further interests on the basis of an agreed drilling program if the Company then decides to take the opportunity further. At completion of the initial stage, a 12.5% working interest in each of the Licenses would be transferred to the Company. Upon full completion of the earn-in work program, the Company has the option to obtain up to an 80% working interest in the project.

New World CEO William Kelleher said, "We are continuing to deliver on our previously stated investing policy, by bringing quality projects to the table. This region in Southern Denmark is relatively under-explored but is located at the center of the Southern Permian Basin with significant production in the immediate region. Our policy envisaged Europe to be part of the longer term strategy, however a good investment opportunity has arisen now, and the Board believes that the time is right to take advantage of the region's significant opportunities, with stable governments, and generally favorable investment regimes."

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Carnarvon Boosts Reservoirs in Thai Concessions

Carnarvon Boosts Reservoirs in Thai Concessions

Friday, April 08, 2011

Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd.

Carnarvon announced the results of an independent reserves evaluation of its Thailand concessions as at December 31, 2010.

Carnarvon has a 40% equity interest in the SW1, L33/43 and L44/43 on-shore concessions (Pan Orient Energy Corp. 60%). The reserves estimates data has been certified by international energy consultants Gaffney, Cline and Associates (GCA).

At the end of the calendar year, proved and probable reserves at Carnarvon's Thailand concessions totaled 20.4 million barrels. This comprised proved reserves of 4.7 million barrels plus probable reserves of 15.7 million barrels.

The estimates include new oil field discoveries in 2010 in the Wichian Buri Extension (WBExt) field within the L44/43 concession and the L33 field in the L33/43 concession. The increase in reserves in these fields was offset by a downward revision of previously announced reserves in the NSE Central and NSE-F1 fields within the L44/43 concession. Carnarvon indicated the potential for the downward revision at these two reservoirs in October 2010.
The net present value of proved and probable reserves after tax for the three concessions in Thailand, using forecast oil prices and discounted at 10%, is A$307 million, representing A$0.45 per Carnarvon share, based on the current 687.8 million shares outstanding and an exchange rate of A$1.00 / US $1.04.

CEO Comment

Carnarvon CEO Ted Jacobson said, "These reserves estimates provide us with a much better understanding of this series of oil fields and give us greater confidence in the assessment of remaining oil.

"These are important assets for Carnarvon; they provides us with important cash flow and exploration and appraisal upside whilst enabling us to continuing to focus on upside via exploration and acquisitions in other regions.

"While we expected the revisions in reserves for the NSE Central and NSE-F1 reservoirs, the greater percentage of more conventional sandstone reservoirs means a longer, more consistent and predictable production for Carnarvon moving forward once these sandstone reservoirs have been fully developed.

"We have a long future in this range of assets and are excited about the broader opportunities for Carnarvon that the long term positive cash flows can achieve," said Mr Jacobson.