UPDATE: Final Bids For Talisman's Kitan Oil Stake Due Late June
02 June 2011 - 12:57PM
Dow Jones News
Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM) said Thursday there is good interest
from potential buyers of its 25% stake in the Kitan oil development
in the Timor Sea, and it is expecting final bids toward the end of
this month.
The auction comes as benchmark oil prices continue to be above
$100 a barrel as demand recovers in major markets such as the U.S.
and unrest in the Middle East and North Africa clouds the outlook
for supply, especially in Libya where crude exports have
stopped.
Oil projects in Southeast Asia, including Kitan in the joint
development area between Australia and East Timor, tend to be
sought after by investors because they are close to major markets
like China. Unlike crude shipments from the Middle East, tankers
don't have to pass through the potential choke point of the Malacca
Strait, near Singapore.
The Kitan oil field, discovered early in 2008 in permit area
JPDA 06-105, is due to start up in the second half of this year at
an initial rate of 40,000 barrels of crude a day.
The block contains a further five oil discoveries that could
feed the Glas Dowr floating production vessel located above the
Kitan field, which contains an estimated 34.6 million barrels of
oil alone.
"We are not prepared to talk to the number of bidders or who is
on the shortlist--except to say good interest in the asset and we
are expecting final bids in the latter part of June," said David
Mann, Talisman's vice-president of corporate communications.
Kitan is operated by Italy's Eni SpA (E) with a 40% stake, and
Japan's Inpex Corp. (1605.TO) holds the remaining 35% interest.
Inpex President Toshiaki Kitamura described Kitan "as a very
good project" when contacted by Dow Jones Newswires, but declined
to comment on whether the company would be interested in increasing
its stake. Eni couldn't be reached for comment.
Calgary-based Talisman's energy assets in Australia include
minority stakes in the producing Laminaria and Corallina oil
fields, operated by Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL.AU).
In recent years, Talisman has also aggressively bought natural
gas discoveries and permits in the western region of Papua New
Guinea, with a view to converting output to liquefied natural gas
for export.
Talisman is being advised about the sale of its interest in the
Kitan oil development by Macquarie Tristone, a unit of Macquarie
Group Ltd. (MQG.AU).
-By David Winning, Dow Jones Newswires; +61-2-82724688;
david.winning@dowjones.com
--Mari Iwata in Tokyo contributed to this story.
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