Gas exploration and production company Energean Plc said on Dec. 7 it was in exclusive talks to buy out its private equity shareholder Kerogen Capital to fully own its Israeli offshore fields.
London-listed Energean, which holds a 70% interest in its Israeli unit, which has secured offtake agreements for 7 billion cubic meters a year of gas, said the Karish project is expected to go onstream in the fourth quarter of 2021.
"Based upon consensus (1072p/share) valuations of Energean’s 70% stake, Kerogen’s interest is worth $1 billion—plus/minus Kerogen’s 30% share of the drawn $1.45 billion project finance facility," RBC analysts said in a note.
Energean and Kerogen have entered a 30-day exclusivity agreement on a potential deal, which would require shareholder and regulatory approval.
Energean said it expects to fund the potential deal without issuing equity.
The Israeli licenses hold 98 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves and 100 million barrels of oil, according to a third-party analysis.
Energean said it expected to close its acquisition of Edison's upstream assets, excluding its Algerian and Norwegian units, this month.
Recommended Reading
Oil and Gas Investor A&D Trends: Fools, Liars, Charlatans
The oil and gas industry was not sunk, but 2020 did damage that will take time to assess before deeming it as salvageable or a wreck.
SEC Launches Probe of Exxon Mobil on Permian Basin Asset Valuation
Several people involved in valuing the Exxon Permian Basin asset during an internal assessment in 2019 said employees were being forced to use unrealistic assumptions, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Pre-Qualification Sector Needs a Customer-friendly Reset
Despite their rise across many sectors—including oil and gas—to simplify the connection between service providers and hiring firms, pre-qualifying company procedures have become too cumbersome, says CanQualify’s COO, Aaron Harker.