MCN Energy Group announced last week it plans to exit theexploration business, and expects to take a second quarter chargeon earnings of $225 million because of low oil and gas prices andthe under-performance of certain exploration properties in theMidcontinent and Gulf Coast regions.
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UPR Touts Land Grant Success
Union Pacific Resources Group announced details of itsparticipation in four successful wells recently completed on itsLand Grant acreage. UPR’s net production from the wells is about 28MMcf/d of gas and 500 barrels of oil/d. The most prolific well, theChamplin 457 A No. 5, is located in the Whitney Canyon field inUinta County, WY. The company owns a 33% net revenue interest inthe well which began producing at an initial rate of 60 MMcf/d.
De-Leveraging UPR Sells Colorado Properties
Union Pacific Resources Group sold its interests in theWattenberg area of Colorado’s Denver-Julesberg Basin toDenver-based United States Exploration Inc. for $41 million. Theproperties, which are in Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert and Weld counties,consist of 336 producing wells, which produced about 5.5 MMcf/d ofgas and 640 barrels of liquids/d in 1997. UPR retained its royaltyinterest in the properties. The transaction closed May 15 and waseffective Jan.1.
Williams Buys Energy Systems Provider
Williams complemented its retail energy marketing group with theacquisition of Tulsa-based Excel Energy Technologies, a provider ofenergy management systems and services for retail and commercialbuildings. “Excel’s products and services, combined with Williams’energy supply management products, will give our national energycustomers the benefit of proven technologies and systems to helpthem make educated decisions about energy management,” said JerryGollnick, Williams’ senior vice president of energy marketing andtrading.
UPR Details Property Divestiture Plans
Union Pacific Resources Group announced additional details ofproducing properties it will sell to raise at least $600 million byyear-end. US and international properties make up nine bid packagesand will be made available in two phases. The first phase willinclude properties in the Gulf of Mexico, South Louisiana, SouthTexas and East Texas. Executive summaries for these packages willbe available by June 1 with closings anticipated by Oct. 1. Thesecond phase of the program will include properties in the RockyMountains, Argentina, Egypt and Australia. Executive summaries willbe available July 1 with closings anticipated by Oct. 30.
CNE Energy Services Joins LNG Venture
Connecticut Energy Corp. said subsidiary CNE Energy ServicesGroup signed a letter of intent with Conectiv to join a liquefiednatural gas (LNG) storage joint venture. This new business, to benamed Total Peaking Services (TPS), will use an existing 1.2 BcfLNG storage facility in Milford, CT. The venture has received FERCauthorization to provide open access storage; but is awaitingtariff approval, expected later this spring.
Warm Weather Cools Columbia Earnings
Warmer-than-normal weather caused Columbia Energy Group toreport first-quarter 1998 net income down from the same period lastyear. Results in the company’s marketing business were off sharplydue mainly to expenses.
UPR Acquiring Occidental Properties
Union Pacific Resources Group agreed to pay about $59 millionfor Occidental Petroleum’s interests in four oil and gas fields insouthwest Wyoming, 23 producing wells in Louisiana, increasedownership in the Masters Creek Gas Plant and nearly 127,000 netacres in the Louisiana extension of the Austin Chalk trend.
MCN Energy, American Central Form Gathering Venture
MCNIC Pipeline & Processing, a subsidiary of MCN EnergyGroup, and American Central Gas Companies, have formed apartnership to own and operate a gas gathering system in theCarthage field of East Texas. MCNIC Pipeline & Processing has a40% interest, and American Central holds 60%.
Union Pacific Resources Completes Buy of Norcen Energy
Union Pacific Resources Group (UPR) closed on its acquisition ofNorcen Energy Resources. The companies’ boards approved the dealJan. 26. UPR initiated a tender offer for the 51.5% of Norcen’s stock not owned or controlled by Noranda Inc., a shareholder of49.5% Norcen common stock.