Exxonmobil

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) will hold another public hearing over plans by XTO Energy Inc., an ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary, to withdraw up to 250,000 gal/d of surface water from a creek in New York for natural gas wells.

A U.S. unit of Royal Dutch Shell plc is back to work in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), CFO Simon Henry said Thursday. ExxonMobil Corp. also said Thursday that it began drilling a new well in the GOM a few weeks ago.

ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Corp. is selling some operated and nonoperated assets in the Gulf of Mexico Shelf, according to the Oil & Gas Asset Clearinghouse, the transaction adviser. Projected net production in August 2011 for the package of assets is 30 MMcf/d of natural gas and 4,200 b/d of oil, with cash flow of $13 million (90% operated). The blocks to be sold include 154 producing wells and 74 platforms at Main Pass/Breton Sound/South Pass; South Marsh Island/Vermilion; East and West Cameron; Eugene Island; Ship Shoal; and High Island. Operators also include Apache Corp. and Eni U.S. Operating Co. Inc. The data room opens May 10, with bids due June 2. Contact Heather Adamson at hadamson@ogclearinghouse.com or (832) 601-7679; or Verna Ray at vray@ogclearinghouse.com or (832) 601-7662.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluid spill at a natural gas well pad operated by ExxonMobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy Corp.

A judge in Tarrant County, TX, has dismissed four lawsuits against XTO Energy in which plaintiffs alleged that XTO, now a unit of ExxonMobil Corp., shortchanged them in lease payments.

The initial 90-day open season of TransCanada Corp.’s Alaska pipeline project has closed and the company’s TC Alaska unit and partner ExxonMobil Corp. are assessing and negotiating the issues associated with the bids received from potential shippers, the companies said.

The initial 90-day open season of TransCanada Corp.’s Alaska pipeline project closed Friday. The company’s TC Alaska unit and partner ExxonMobil Corp. now will begin assessing and negotiating the issues and conditions that are incorporated within the bids received from potential shippers, the companies said.

The ExxonMobil-operated Sable Offshore Energy Project (SOEP) facility returned to normal production levels for gas day Sunday, according to Spectra Energy subsidiaries Maritimes Canada and Maritimes U.S. The facility produces between 400 and 500 MMcf/d of natural gas and 20,000 b/d of natural gas liquids near Sable Island on the edge of the Nova Scotian continental shelf in eastern Canada. The SOEP planned maintenance outage, which began in early May, was originally expected to end for gas day May 11.

XTO Energy Inc., which is to become a part of ExxonMobil Corp. by the end of June (see NGI, May 3), said natural gas-weighted production in 1Q2010 was 6% higher than in the year-ago period, climbing to 2.90 Bcfe/d from 2.73 Bcf/d. Natural gas output averaged 2.40 Bcf/d compared with 2.23 Bcf/d in 1Q2009. Total revenues were $2 billion in 1Q2010, down 7% from $2.16 billion the prior year. Earnings in 1Q2010 also were down at $330 million (56 cents/share) from $486 million (84 cents). Operating income was $656 million, or 26% below 1Q2009’s $881 million. Operating cash flow fell 16% to $1.25 billion from $1.49 billion.