Corvus field appraisal drilling confirmed more gas resources offshore Western Australia. Drillers reported a 2,093-ft gross interval, one of the largest columns to be discovered on the North West Shelf, said Santos Ltd. of Adelaide. Source: News
Majors scoop up acreage in offshore Argentina bid round
Units of ExxonMobil Corp., Equinor, and Wintershall were among the companies that submitted winning bids in Argentina’s Apr. 16 licensing round—the first open bid round for Argentinean offshore acreage in more than 20 years—where 38 blocks were on offer, 18 of which were licensed. Source: News
Dixit appointed CEO of Cairn Oil & Gas
Ajay Kumar Dixit has been named chief executive officer of Cairn Oil & Gas, part of Vedanta Ltd. based in Gurgaon, India. He succeeds Sudhir Mathur, who has left the company. Source: News
BHP Petroleum plans more appraisal drilling off Mexico
BHP Petroleum plans additional appraisal drilling on Trion block offshore Mexico during this year’s second half, the company said in an operational update. Previously, BHP sold its US shale operations to focus on conventional oil and gas in the US Gulf of Mexico and Australia. Source: News
DOE announces up to $39 million in oil, gas R&D project grants
The US Department of Energy announced up to $39 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development projects that aim to improve oil and natural gas technologies. Selected projects will fall under two DOE Office of Fossil Energy funding opportunity announcements, DOE said on Apr. 16. Source: News
EIA: US shale production to reach 8.46 million b/d in May
The US Energy Information Administration forecasts crude oil production from seven major shale formations will climb 80,000 b/d in May to a record 8.46 million b/d, EIA said in its Monthly Drilling Productivity Report. Source: News
Colorado’s governor signs Senate Bill 181 into law
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed S.B. 181, which imposes new restrictions on oil and gas activities in the state, into law on Apr. 16. The measure was designed to strengthen local governments’ authority over such operations, its sponsors said when they introduced it on Mar. 1. Source: News
MARKET WATCH: Brent crude prices approaching $72/bbl
Brent crude oil prices on the London market gained more than 50¢ to settle at $71.72/bbl on Apr. 16 and continued rising Apr. 17 in early trading on concerns about tightening world oil supplies. Crude oil supplies have declined this year with US sanctions on Venezuela and Iran. Meanwhile, major producers, including Russia, also are […]
Jones Energy files voluntary bankruptcy
Jones Energy Inc. has filed a prepackaged plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code designed to convert to equity all its funded debt. The company said the plan will enable it to maintain operations as usual. Source: News
Watching Government: Licensing professional engineers
A US House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee’s Apr. 3 pipeline safety hearing concentrated on conditions creating too much pressure during Columbia Gas of Massachusetts’s replacement of century-old pipes in its Merrimack Valley system near Boston in September 2018. The resulting explosions damaged 40 homes, killed one person, and injured 25 more. Source: News