Focus

With natural gas prices hitting a 10-year low this year, U.S. oil and gas companies have shifted their focus and added more profitable liquid-rich unconventional plays to their portfolios, leading to a dramatic increase in the number and total value of asset mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the third quarter of 2012, according to PwC US.

With natural gas prices hitting a 10-year low this year, U.S. oil and gas companies have shifted their focus and added more profitable liquid-rich unconventional plays to their portfolios, leading to a dramatic increase in the number and total value of asset mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the third quarter of 2012, according to PwC US.

Murphy Oil Corp.’s plans to spin off its downstream operations will allow it to focus more time and money on exploration and production (E&P) opportunities, including a big leasehold in the Eagle Ford Shale, executives said Tuesday.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co. is pursuing the divestment of its Barnett Shale properties in order to focus on more lucrative plays.

An overarching focus for the West should be “responsible energy development” that sets goals for providing reliable, affordable and cleaner energy longer term, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Tuesday after being elected to the chairmanship of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) at its annual meeting in Cle Elum, WA. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper was elected WGA vice president.

Operators in Pennsylvania spud fewer Marcellus Shale gas wells last month than the year before, shifted their focus to counties in wetter areas of the play and saw turnover at the top in terms of most wells spud, data from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shows.

Natural gas, particularly unconventional resources, will continue to be a major focus for ExxonMobil Corp. in the coming decades, CEO Rex Tillerson told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in Dallas last week.

Natural gas, particularly unconventional resources, will continue to be a major focus for ExxonMobil in the coming decades, CEO Rex Tillerson told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in Dallas on Wednesday.

U.S. energy independence won’t be achievable until at least 2030, even with a renewed focus on domestic energy resources, energy infrastructure and unconventionals, according to more than two-thirds of the energy executives responding to a new survey conducted by KPMG Global Energy Institute (GEI).