OPERATIONS

BHP-Woodside merger docs due next month

BHP expects the merger of its petroleum arm with Woodside Petroleum will see full form transaction documents by November, it said today in its quarterly report.

September quarter sees production rise

September quarter sees production rise

The deal will create a global top ten oil and gas company and double Woodside's production and market cap. In return it will issue its own bodyweight in new shares to BHP's shareholders. 

BHP's production was higher over the prior corresponding period by 3% to 27.5 million barrels of oil equivalent and 2% over the June quarter. 

"Higher volumes due to increased production from Ruby and higher seasonal gas demand at Bass Strait, partially offset by lower production at North West Shelf and natural field decline," it said. 

Oil and other liquids' production was up by 11% from last year and 4% over the prior three months to 12MMboe while gas was down 3% over September 2020 unchanged from June at 88.4 billion cubic feet. 

Guidance is unchanged at 99MMboe-106MMboe for the full year. 

It reiterated plans to delist in London to create a simpler corporate structure. 

"An integration team with representatives from both companies has been established and is progressing integration planning activities, which includes developing a path to unlock estimated synergies of more than US$400 million per annum,"it said today. 

It reiterated also its plan to sell its share of the wider Scarborough project to Woodside, provided it takes sanction before December 15 and the proposed merger doesn't go ahead. The price tag is around US$1 billion. 

It spent $87 million on exploration in the period; $35 million was expensed. It plans to spend $540 million on exploration and appraisal this financial year. 

It spud wells Bongos-3 and -4 in the period in Trinidad and Tobago and the Wasabi exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico after the reporting period. 

"In Barbados, the government has approved our proposed seismic program and we plan to acquire a 3D seismic survey over a portion of the Bimshire and Carlisle Bay blocks," it said. 

It expects this to begin in December. 

Work at Shenzi North in the US Gulf of Mexico continues after the company announced it would spend $544 million on Shenzi North with production planned for calendar 2024. The company has a 72% share; Repsol holds the rest and the spend represents a 100% share interest. 

It also announced the approval of US$258 million in capital expenditure to move the Trion oil project in Mexico into the front end engineering design phase and completed onshore construction and commissioning of the Mad Dog Phase 2 project's semi submersible floating production platform, Argos. 

Production begins next year. 

 

 

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the energy sector, brought to you by the Energy News Bulletin Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the energy sector, brought to you by the Energy News Bulletin Intelligence team.

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