Sales

Houston-based investment firm Riverbend Energy Group said it has found a buyer for the sale of $1.8 billion in upstream equity interests. The assets include nonoperated interests across the Bakken/Three Forks, Utica, Fayetteville and Haynesville shale formations. The properties produce about 47,000 boe/d from 11,000 wells, the company said. A spokesperson would not comment on…

News that Continental Resources Inc. may be taken private should come as no surprise, according to North Dakota’s top oil and gas regulator. Continental is the largest producer in the oily Bakken Shale, which accounts for 96% of the state’s production. Executive Chairman Harold Hamm announced he is seeking to purchase all outstanding shares in…

Calgary-based Enerplus Corp. is selling off a small bundle of oil and natural gas interests in Montana and North Dakota for $115 million, but the Williston Basin remains a priority, the CEO said.   Stakes are being sold in Montana’s Sleeping Giant field and North Dakota’s Russian Creek area of the Williston, home to the Bakken…

Royal Dutch Shell plc, the undisputed global leader of natural gas trading, reported a shortfall in sales and volumes during the second quarter, but many maintenance-related issues are expected to be resolved within weeks. Shell’s Integrated Gas business, which includes the estimable liquefied natural gas (LNG) arm, long has been a standout performer. However, in…

France’s Total SE plans to base its growth strategy on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable electricity during the 2020-2030 period and propose a name change to shareholders to reflect the shift in focus, management said Tuesday.  “The writing is on the wall,” said CEO Patrick Pouyanné upon presenting the major’s 2020 earnings to analysts…

Oilfield technology specialist National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NOV) is facing “logistical challenges” in North America’s onshore near-term, as customers delay buying equipment and from rising material costs, including for steel, CEO Clay Williams said Friday.

The Department of Interior plans to prioritize conservation of a mule deer migration corridor in southwest Wyoming through both deferred oil and gas lease sales and lease stipulations, Secretary Ryan Zinke and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said Wednesday.

More sales in the Permian Basin and an increasingly positive outlook for international markets have given Weatherford International plc a “light wind at our back,” CEO Mark McCollum said last Friday.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said seven state offices collectively generated $170.7 million in bonus bids from oil and natural gas lease sales during 3Q2017. The sales covered 218 parcels consisting of more than 134,800 acres. New Mexico had the largest sale with more than $130 million, while Wyoming garnered $38.7 million. Other states generated under $1 million each. The 20 of 29 scheduled onshore lease sales in 2017 have brought in $316.2 million in bonus bids, versus 20 in 2016 that produced $192.5 million. BLM officials said oil and gas development on federally managed lands in the last fiscal year supported 201,000 jobs and $42 billion in economic output.