Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras has reopened bidding for its Golfinho offshore oilfield cluster, two sources told Reuters this week, following a rise in crude prices over the last several months.
Golfinho is one of dozens of legacy production assets that Petrobras is selling to reduce debt and sharpen its focus on the prolific, deepwater presalt formation.
The company’s divestment strategy has been in some doubt following the replacement in April of former CEO Roberto Castello Branco with Joaquim Silva e Luna, a former army general. Luna has indicated that he intends to follow aspects of Petrobras’ current strategy but revealed little about any potential changes.
Still, there have been few reports of delays from potential buyers of Petrobras assets. On April 30, the company announced it was moving forward with the sale of two major pipeline units.
Petrobras had previously entered bilateral negotiations with DBO Energy, a local oil and gas firm backed by Germany’s RWE AG, to sell Golfinho, after DBO presented the highest offer in an open bidding round, Reuters reported in January.
Those talks did not result in a final deal, however, and Petrobras will accept a new round of offers from interested parties in late May, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential matters.
DBO will likely place another bid and Norway’s BW Energy Ltd. is also in the hunt, the sources said. Sector-focused private equity firm Seacrest Capital expressed interest for Golfinho in past rounds, though its status in the most current round in unclear, the sources added.
Petrobras declined to comment. DBO, BW and Seacrest did not respond to comment requests.
In the new bidding round, Petrobras is divulging production information from a well drilled in 2020, which had not been previously available, the sources said.
The cluster was producing 14,900 barrels of oil and condensate per day, according to 2020 bidding documents, although production has been in decline.
Recommended Reading
Brett: Oil M&A Outlook is Strong, Even With Bifurcation in Valuations
2024-04-18 - Valuations across major basins are experiencing a very divergent bifurcation as value rushes back toward high-quality undeveloped properties.
Marketed: BKV Chelsea 214 Well Package in Marcellus Shale
2024-04-18 - BKV Chelsea has retained EnergyNet for the sale of a 214 non-operated well package in Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties, Pennsylvania.
Triangle Energy, JV Set to Drill in North Perth Basin
2024-04-18 - The Booth-1 prospect is planned to be the first well in the joint venture’s —Triangle Energy, Strike Energy and New Zealand Oil and Gas — upcoming drilling campaign.
PGS, TGS Merger Clears Norwegian Authorities, UK Still Reviewing
2024-04-17 - Energy data companies PGS and TGS said their merger has received approval by Norwegian authorities and remains under review by the U.K. Competition Market Authority.
Energy Systems Group, PacificWest Solutions to Merge
2024-04-17 - Energy Systems Group and PacificWest Solutions are expanding their infrastructure and energy services offerings with the merger of the two companies.