TNK-BP

Cabinets From Both UK And Scottish Governments Meet In North East Scotland

The US EPA lifted a ban that prohibited BP from bidding on new leases in the Gulf of Mexico. BP was suing the EPA because of the ban. The British oil major may now participate in a lease sale being held this Wednesday. “After a lengthy negotiation, BP is pleased to have reached this resolution,… Keep reading →

Temperatures Plunge In Moscow

Russian gas independent Novatek and Gazprom oil-producing arm Gazpromneft have agreed to a $2.94bln deal to buy Italian Eni‘s stake in SeverEnergia, which is expected to produce 36 billion cubic meters of gas and liquids by 2017, equivalent to two-thirds of Novatek’s production, according to Reuters. A joint venture of Eni and Italian Enel has a 49% stake in SeverEnergia, of which Eni controls 60%. Investment… Keep reading →

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Where do we begin? Breaking Energy featured the Russian energy business in a recent Quote of the Day and it’s not that we’re picking on the country, but the murky world of Kremlin insiders – many former KGB personnel – running oil and gas companies with shares listed on public exchanges is nothing short of… Keep reading →


National oil companies have popped up in a significant number of mergers and acquisitions in the oil patch in recent years, and have led in joint venture partnerships.Flush with cash and in search of resources, Chinese companies have consistently remained in the headlines, but the biggest deal last year involved Russia’s Rosneft.

“In 2012, National Oil Companies (NOCs) were involved as buyers in the two largest deals in the oil and gas industry. Both deals came in the fourth quarter and helped push the total value of all oil and gas deals in 2012 to more than $402 billion, a 19% increase on the total a year earlier,” Dale Nijoka, Ernst & Young Global Oil & Gas Leader wrote in “National Oil Company Monitor Q4 2012,” a corporate publication. The largest deal was Rosneft’s $61 billion cash and shares acquisition of TNK-BP and the second biggest deal was China National Offshore Oil Company’s $15.1 billion Nexen takeover. Keep reading →


BP’s heads of terms agreement to sell its 50% TNK-BP stake to Russian oil giant Rosneft was major news this week. But there was little mention of how oil and gas reserves would be treated as part of the transaction.

This is perhaps the most important aspect of this deal because reserves are one of the main factors that go into valuing an oil company. “On completion of the proposed transaction, BP expects to hold 19.75 per cent of Rosneft shares, including BP’s existing holding of 1.25 per cent, and to have received $12.3 billion in cash,” according to BP’s press release. Keep reading →