• Calpine Corp., San Jose, Calif., is acquiring 236 billion cu. ft. equivalent of proved gas reserves from The Bayless Cos. and its partners, and from Michael Petroleum Corp., Houston, in separate transactions totaling $355 million plus the assumption of $49.5 million of debt. The purchase price is $1.71 per thousand cu. ft. of gas equivalent of proved reserves. The Bayless Cos. et al.'s assets are in the western portion of the San Juan Basin, N.M. Currently 35 wells produce approximately 6 million cu. ft. of gas equivalent per day, 96% gas. This deal was closed in the second quarter. The acquisition from Michael Petroleum is to close this month. It is of Michael Petroleum's majority interests in South Texas, totaling 204 billion cu. ft. of gas equivalent of proved reserves. The properties currently produce 43 million cu. ft. of gas equivalent per day. The deal also comes with an inventory of high-quality, low-risk drilling locations within a 94,000-acre position in proximity to Calpine's South Texas Magic Valley and Hidalgo energy centers. Separately, Calpine Natural Gas Co. plans to purchase Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc.'s interest in Michael Petroleum, for $5.5- to $5.7 million. Carrizo had obtained the interest as a finder's fee in September 2000. • Hilcorp Energy Co., Houston, has acquired certain Swift Energy Co., Houston, producing properties in Alabama and Mississippi for $9.1 million. Current net production from the properties is 165 bbl. of oil per day. The price per flowing bbl. of oil, net to Hilcorp, is $55,151. • Exco Resources Inc., Dallas, has acquired property interests in Pecos County, Texas, from partners in Pecos-Gomez LP for approximately $8.8 million cash. Exco will acquire proved reserves estimated at 7.5 billion cu. ft. of gas. Exco also acquired the Pecos-Gomez gas hedge contract, which guarantees sales volumes of 50 billion Btu per month at a fixed rate of $4.79. The purchase price per thousand cu. ft. of proved gas reserves is $1.17. • Gasco Energy Inc., Denver, has acquired Litmus EPO LLC by merging Litmus' parent company into a Gasco subsidiary. The assets of Litmus include 19,496 net and gross acres within the Uinta Basin, Utah. • Mountainview Energy has acquired the Red Creek Field in Glacier County, Mont., from Summit Resources Inc., North Cut Bank, Mont., for $475,000. The property, in northern Montana, encompasses approximately 1,500 acres of proven producing reserves. The field is currently producing 45 bbl. of oil per day. The price per flowing bbl. of oil per day is $10,555. • Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc., Houston, has acquired 50% of the working interests held by Rocky Mountain Gas Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. Energy Corp., Riverton, Wyo., and Crested Corp., Riverton, Wyo., in approximately 107,000 net prospective acres for coalbed methane in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana. Approximately 35,000 of the 107,000 net acres are subject to an option to allow the company to earn 50% of Rocky's interest in up to 12,000 additional net acres. Carrizo plans to spend up to $5 million on drilling on the acreage during the next 18 months. Two wells have been drilled and are being completed for dewatering tests. Rocky has gained additional permits to drill 44 gross wells. Carrizo will pay Rocky $7.5 million and fund a $5-million drilling program with Rocky as the operator, to earn 50% of Rocky's interest in its coalbed-methane properties. Carrizo also commits to seek financing from outside sources on a reasonable best-efforts basis in the amount of $20 million for the acquisition of additional coalbed-methane properties on behalf of the two companies. • A group of private investors, including Richard Bachman, president and chief executive officer, of Energy Partners Ltd., New Orleans, has acquired 910,852 shares from two former employees of the company. The recent stock price was about $10.50. • Empiric Energy Inc., Dallas, has acquired a 25% working interest in a 320-acre lease in the South Calvin Field in Hughes, Okla. Two wells have been completed on the land by The Wiser Oil Co. in the Sonora, Barlesville and Hartshore sands with estimated production of 750 million cu. ft. per day. Gas reserves on the wells are projected at 22.7 billion cu. ft. • Mountain Oil Inc., Roosevelt, Utah, has executed a nonbinding letter of intent to acquire Energytec.com Inc., Dallas. Energytec has producing oil wells in east Texas in the Trix-Liz and Talco fields, a second field in southwest Texas about 70 miles south of San Antonio, and a third field in the Luling area of south-central Texas. Energytec also has a 55% interest in oil and gas leases on 16,000 acres in the Big Horn Oil Field in Wyoming. Mountain Oil will issue approximately 3.1 million shares of stock in exchange for shares of Energytec.com. • Magnum Hunter Resources Inc., Irving, Texas, will participate in two exploration discoveries at South Marsh Island 93 and East Cameron 184 in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico. Magnum Hunter owns a 30% working interests in both and associated mineral acreage. Remington Oil and Gas Corp. is operator with a 57.5% working interest and The Wiser Oil Co. owns the remaining 12.5%.