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10 May 2008
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LAST WEEK'S STORIES

 Friday, 9 May 2008

NWS sells more gas to Japanese customer
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

THE North West Shelf Venture has executed an agreement with Japan’s Osaka Gas to supply an additional 500,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas per annum over a six-year period starting from April 2009.
Full Story...



Samson exits Oklahoma
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

PERTH-based Samson Oil and Gas has sold off its Amber Field assets in Grady County, Oklahoma after settling a purchase and sale agreement with Kaiser-Francis Anadarko Partnership for $US4.76 million.
Full Story...



Donga swab a worry: Bow
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

BOW Energy has suspended its Donga-4 well in the Surat-Bowen Basin after a swab test failed to find hydrocarbons.
Full Story...



Oil climbs to new heights
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

OIL prices broke new records in a relentless climb upwards following unrest in Nigeria and lower production from Russia, as oil watchers say most signs point towards further increases.
Full Story...



NZ, Aussie juniors spud onshore NZ well
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

NEW Zealand minnow Green Gate and Sydney-based explorer Gas2Grid have spudded their Kate-1 wildcat onshore Canterbury Basin.
Full Story...



WA budget puts money where it matters: APPEA
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

THE Western Australia State Budget handed down by Treasurer Eric Ripper confirms the contribution of the resources sector to the state’s strong economy, APPEA’s WA director Richard Ellis said today.
Full Story...



Blue keeps drilling in Surat Basin
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

JUNIOR explorer Blue Energy’s recent success at Azue-1 in Surat Basin, Queensland has prompted the company to continue its exploration program in the ATP 817P permit.
Full Story...



Junior to drill NSW Surat
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

ORION Petroleum expects to spud its Willaroo-1 exploration well in the New South Wales portion of the Surat-Bowen Basin this weekend.
Full Story...



Origin eyes NZ bounty
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

Origin Energy and its partners will be targeting almost 2 billion barrels of oil and 24 trillion cubic feet of gas in international offshore exploration programs – with New Zealand holding the most potential for significant discoveries.
Full Story...



Cobra on the move, Paua near total depth
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

OIL Search’s Cobra-1A well has made 95m progress for the week and is setting a 9-5/8-inch casing, with the well at 1701m of its total planned depth of 3100m.
Full Story...



Origin undervalued: King
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

ORIGIN Energy has hinted it might hold out for a bigger bid from BG after managing director Grant King said the UK company had to address Origin’s true resource position.
Full Story...



Personnel movements, week ending May 9
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

MITCHELL Wells, Amadeus; Anthony Gilby, Sunshine Gas; Maclean, Dean Richardson, Baraka;
Full Story...



Gippsland raises funds for exploration
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

GIPPSLAND Offshore Petroleum has raised $1.5 million from a recent placement of 15 million shares for general working capital and future exploration.
Full Story...



Otto secures Philippines block
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

OTTO Energy subsidiary NorAsian Energy has been awarded SC 69 over Area 8 in the offshore Visayan Basin, Philippines.
Full Story...



US Empire to expand in Tasmania
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

US exploration company Empire Energy Corporation is set to begin a $31 million drilling program in the next phase of its onshore search for oil and gas in the Tasmanian Basin.
Full Story...



Enterprise enters coal industry for $235m
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

ENTERPRISE Energy is poised to become a coal player after announcing its intention to acquire private coal explorer Bandanna Coal, which has exploration interests in Queensland's Bowen and Galilee basins.
Full Story...



Red Fork excited in Oklahoma
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

OKLAHOMA-focused Red Fork Energy has made a potential oil discovery at its first West Tulsa well Fuss 1-34, with a log analysis indicating a probable hydrocarbon pay of about 30 feet.
Full Story...



Eden to test Welsh CSM well
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

EDEN Energy is preparing to carry out permeability tests at its second coal seam methane well in Wales, which intersected 18 seams.
Full Story...


 Thursday, 8 May 2008

BHP thinks big with petroleum
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

BHP Billiton’s petroleum division is anything but a liability, according to chief executive Marius Kloppers. Rather, oil and gas is a key platform for the company’s future growth as it moves to make its offer for Rio Tinto formal with a submission to European regulators.
Full Story...



Seeing Green in Gippsland
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

COAL seam methane explorer Greenpower Energy has signed a coordination agreement with geothermal company Greenearth Energy to combine Victorian exploration activities including drilling and data acquisitions.
Full Story...



PNG partners in dispute over costs
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

RIFT OIL will spud its PNG exploration well Puk Puk-1 on May 10, while the company has been approached by other interested parties as it pursues its joint venture partner, Austral Pacific, for unmet expenditure.
Full Story...



US company tight-lipped on NZ shale play wildcat
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

US INDEPENDENT Discovery Geo Corporation has completed its first onshore well in New Zealand, the Ranui-1 wildcat in East Coast Basin licence PEP 38342, but did not say whether it was successful.
Full Story...



Tapping into LNG
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

TAP Oil is aiming to improve its exploration record by drilling high-impact yet moderate-risk prospects in Australia and overseas, including acreage with serious potential for LNG production, chief executive Peter Stickland said yesterday.
Full Story...



Neptune secures European patent
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

ENGINEERING services company Neptune Marine Services has acquired a European patent for its unique NEPSYS underwater dry welding technology.
Full Story...



Gas prices set to heat up investment portfolios
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

NATURAL gas has long struggled to compare with the high-priced excitement of investing in black gold and the radioactive thrill of punting on uranium exploration. But gas is slowly shedding its pedestrian image thanks to two megatrends – liquefied natural gas and climate change.
Full Story...



CSM-LNG: having many wells reduces risk
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

"OBVIOUSLY, Slugcatcher has very little experience in risk assessment on sparing," writes PNN reader Drew Sage in regard to this week’s Slugcatcher column, “Coal gas LNG? Bah, humbug!”
Full Story...



Mauritanian sidetrack a success: Roc
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

A PC Mauritania-led joint venture has suspended its Banda NW ST-1 sidetrack well in PSC B permit, offshore Mauritania, junior partner Roc Oil said yesterday.
Full Story...



Nido seeking Palawan partner
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

NIDO Petroleum is looking for a partner with deepwater exploration and development expertise to take up a significant working interest and possibly operatorship in three offshore blocks in the northwest Palawan Basin, Philippines.
Full Story...



Delays for Essential in Victoria
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

ESSENTIAL Petroleum has resumed drilling operations at the East Wing-1 well in the onshore Otway Basin, Victoria, after completing repairs to the rig.
Full Story...



Coal gas LNG cynicism? Bah, humbug!
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

“LIKE Slugcatcher, I too have been around long enough to be familiar with all the pipedreams he listed and have more than passing familiarity with some of them. However I think the Slug on this occasion is being overly pessimistic,” writes PNN reader Tony Norris.
Full Story...



Thai well has Carnarvon asking for more
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

CARNARVON Petroleum is eyeing greater flow rates from its POE-9A appraisal well in Thailand that is currently producing about 682 barrels of oil a day on clean-up.
Full Story...



Wading upstream
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

SINCE starting his career in the downstream petroleum sector, Origin Energy’s New Zealand country manager, Chris Bush, has gradually moved upstream.
Full Story...



Incremental, Otto move to FEED in Turkey
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

THE six gas wells drilled to date in Incremental Petroleum and Otto Energy’s Edirne Gas project in Western Turkey have discovered sufficient gas to proceed to front-end engineering design.
Full Story...


 Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Shareholder movements, week ending May 9
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

ANZ/OPES Prime fallout - Boss, Sundance Energy, ANZ out of Po Valley; ABN AMRO out of AWE; Barclays into Babcock & Brown; Mathews into, Deutsche Bank out of Beach; Fontaine, Bounty; Mather into Bow; Sandy out of Caspian; Power into Elk; FMR, FIL out of European Gas; Hogan, Taylor, Ellenor, Bay, Loudon, Lutyens into L&M; Lane out of Tap; Macquarie out of 3D.
Full Story...



Greymouth buys remaining Swift NZ assets
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

NEW Zealand private company Greymouth Petroleum is acquiring Texas-based Swift Energy’s remaining New Zealand assets, including an 80% interest in the Kowhai gas-condensate discovery onshore Taranaki, for $US15 million ($A15.8 million).
Full Story...



$13 billion not enough for Origin: analysts
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

ARE the market and UK giant BG Group undervaluing Australian coal seam methane?
Full Story...



Visa reforms could help realise petroleum potential: APPEA
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

PROPOSED reforms to temporary skilled migration arrangements would be an important step in helping the nation to harness the potential of the oil and gas industry to generate greater prosperity for all Australians, APPEA chief executive Belinda Robinson said today.
Full Story...



Gas flows from InterOil’s long-awaited Elk-4
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

INTEROIL has made a gas and gas liquids discovery in the Antelope structure with its Elk-4 well in the Eastern Papuan Basin.
Full Story...



Basker sidetrack a winner: Anzon
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

ANZON Australia may have the last laugh following its failed merger with Nexus Energy after producing more strong flows during testing of its Basker-6ST 1 well in the Basker oil field.
Full Story...



Arrow drills first overseas well
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

OPERATOR Arrow Energy has spudded its first international well, the ATR-1 well in India's Tatapani-Ramkola Block.
Full Story...



Oilex to spud another well in India
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

PERTH-headquarted Oilex expects to drill its Cambay-19Z well in Gujarat India in about seven days, while over in Oman the company has run casing in the wildcat Alyanbou-1 well.
Full Story...



Coal gas LNG? Bah, humbug!
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

THE money men have spoken. They love the idea of turning Australian coal seam methane into a profitable project exporting liquefied natural gas to Asia. Now for the technical people, Slugcatcher issues a simple challenge: prove you can do it.
Full Story...



Brisbane Super 14 tickets to be won
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

PNN readers can win premium tickets to a Queensland Reds Super 14 rugby game this weekend, courtesy of the tournament's Australian sponsor, specialist banking group, Investec.
Full Story...


 Tuesday, 6 May 2008

One out of three not so good at West Seahorse
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

3D OIL plans to suspend its West Seahorse-3 well, in VIC/P57, offshore Gippsland, as a future producer. The company found an eight-metre oil column in the Top Latrobe reservoir, but two other prognosed oil accumulations came up dry.
Full Story...



Cuisinier cooking in Cooper
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

OPERATOR Santos has cased and suspended Cuisinier-1 in the Barta Block of Cooper-Eromanga Basin permit ATP 752P as a future oil producer, joint venture partner Bow Energy said today.
Full Story...



Metgasco cashed up and ready to run
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

METGASCO has raised $7.6 million through a sale and placement of shares to its shareholders for its coal seam methane reserve development and pilot testing programs in New South Wales.
Full Story...



Mosaic to drill Surat gas well
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

MOSAIC Oil says drilling on the Taylor-18 gas and condensate well in the Surat Bowen Basin is expected to start within the next 24 hours.
Full Story...



Adelaide, Austin to drill Cooper
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

PARTNERS Austin Exploration and Adelaide Energy have found a fault line in PEL 105 in the Cooper Basin that has created a trap that could hold upside reserves of up to 6.2 billion cubic feet of gas and 1.04 million barrels of condensate.
Full Story...



Aussie juniors to fund California well
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

AUSTRALIAN joint venture partners Sunset Energy and Solimar Energy will fund 50% of the cost of drilling the initial well to earn a 40% working interest in the Silverthread project in the Ventura Basin, California.
Full Story...



Flow doubles from Rayburn: Strike
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

STRIKE Oil's Duncan-2 well in Texas is producing stabilised flow rates of 10 million cubic feet of gas per day and 224 barrels of condensate, doubling the production rate of its Rayburn Project.
Full Story...



Exoma gets win with first well
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

THE scoreboard reads 1-1 for US-focused junior explorer and developer Exoma Energy, which is waiting to see if its next well will put it ahead of the game.
Full Story...



Incitec deal boosts Metex UCG
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

METEX Resources has taken a step forward towards commercialising its underground coal gasification project in Queensland after signing up Incitec Pivot as a cornerstone investor.
Full Story...



Emerald finds funding for Appalachian project
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

EMERALD Oil and Gas has signed a memorandum of understanding with Florida-based investment fund Avanti Corp to provide up to $US25 million for drilling the Kentucky and West Virginia gas project.
Full Story...



BSOC begins Bass Basin seismic
(Tuesday, 6 May 2008)

BASS Strait Oil Company has started a 2D seismic survey over its exploration tenements in the Bass Basin's Durroon Sub-basin, off the north coast of Tasmania.
Full Story...


 Monday, 5 May 2008

Basker-6 kills off Nexus-Anzon merger
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

NEXUS Energy and Anzon Australia have killed off their plan to merge after failing to agree that revised merger terms were necessary following the disappointing Basker-6 and Basker-6ST1 wells at the Basker oil field.
Full Story...



Otto finally nails Argentine block
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

AFTER a lenghty wait, Perth-based Otto Energy has been awarded the Santa Rosa Licence, onshore Argentina for a six-year exploration period, the company announced today.
Full Story...



Success at Waggamba well
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

MOSAIC Oil has completed its Waggamba-4H well in the Surat Bowen Basin for production after flowing 4 million cubic feet of gas per day on a clean-up flow test.
Full Story...



Safety by the book: NOPSA
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

THE National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority has released a new guidebook to help health and safety representatives carry out their roles more effectively.
Full Story...



Strike cashed up for US drilling
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

STRIKE Oil has secured a $US11.7 million ($A12.5 million) debt facility from Commonwealth Bank of Australia to fund a US Gulf Coast drilling program of up to eight wells drilled by December 2008.
Full Story...



Granite grabs first Queensland geothermal permit
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

The Queensland Government has issued Granite Power the first exploration permit for geothermal energy exploration in Queensland, the Minister for Mines and Energy announced yesterday.
Full Story...



Marion selling out of Oklahoma
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

MARION Energy has announced plans to sell its gas assets in Oklahoma to focus on the company’s Clear Creek and Helper projects in Utah.
Full Story...



Australian petroleum production surges ahead
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

LATEST production figures for Australia reveal significant movement among Australia’s top 20 oil and gas producers.
Full Story...



Arrow hitting targets
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

COAL seam methane producer Arrow Energy is pushing forward in several domestic gas and electricity projects, while also expanding its activities in India, China and Vietnam.
Full Story...



Santos still front-runner in CSM-LNG: Knox
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

SANTOS acting chief executive David Knox says he remains confident that his company will be the first in the world to convert coal seam methane to LNG.
Full Story...



Could CSM-LNG leapfrog offshore LNG?
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

A COUPLE of years ago, coal seam methane-to-LNG was little more than a gleam in the eyes of true believers, but today it is being taken very seriously indeed.
Full Story...



Oil Search clears the decks for PNG LNG
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

FINDING funds for its PNG LNG project obligations is Oil Search’s top priority as the company moves to cut its exploration budget and seeks ways to boost production from its ageing fields.
Full Story...



Santos can’t escape takeover speculation
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

BG GROUP’S shock bid for coal seam methane operator Origin Energy has renewed speculation on the future of a more obvious takeover target.
Full Story...


 Saturday, 3 May 2008

The month in petroleum: April 2008 – oil, domestic gas and industry moves
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Saturday, 3 May 2008)

GAS a winner in 2007; Australia bulks up; Gigantic Julimar for domestic gas, not LNG; Good news, bad news for Nexus; Tui delivers more upside but Cliff Head looks lonely; AWE, Arc merge, as do Great Artesian and Drillsearch - will Origin and BG be next?
Full Story...



The month in petroleum: April 2008 – LNG
Exclusively for Premium Subscribers
(Saturday, 3 May 2008)

VOELTE dismisses APPEA LNG targets; Wheatstone to bypass Burrup; Doubts over gas supply for Pluto Train 2; Shell floats LNG concept; BHP assesses Thebe; NWSV clears North Rankin 2; Santos covers all options at Gladstone LNG.
Full Story...




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