Shell sells non-core Canadian shale assets to Crescent Point Energy
Feb. 17, 2021
Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its affiliate Shell Canada Energy (“Shell”), has reached an agreement with publicly listed Canadian energy company Crescent Point Energy Corp. (“Crescent Point”) to sell its Duvernay shale light oil position in Alberta, Canada for a total consideration of US$707 million (C$900 million). The transaction has an effective date of January 1, 2021.
The consideration is comprised of US$550 million in cash and 50 million shares (valued at US$157 million) in Crescent Point Energy common stock (TSX:CPG). Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close in April 2021.
“Divesting these assets underpins Shell’s effort to focus the Upstream portfolio to deliver cash,” said Wael Sawan, Upstream Director at Shell. “While we believe these assets hold value, the divestment allows us to focus on our core Upstream positions like the Permian Basin, with integrated value chains, thereby building a resilient, lower-risk and less complex portfolio.”
The transaction includes the transfer of approximately 450,000 net acres in the Fox Creek (Kaybob) and Rocky Mountain House (Willesden Green) areas, along with related infrastructure, currently producing around 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) from more than 270 wells. Crescent Point Energy will retain the field employees and several technical and commercial roles that support the assets.
Shell has been operating in Canada for more than 100 years and remains committed to the country’s energy future. Shell’s footprint in Canada includes a 40% interest in LNG Canada; shale gas positions in British Columbia (Groundbirch) and shale gas and liquids positions in Alberta (Gold Creek); the Scotford Complex in Alberta, identified as one of Shell’s six high-value energy and chemicals parks; investments in cleaner energy including the first waste-to-low-carbon-fuels plant in Québec; and a growing Retail business with around 1,400 Shell-branded sites across Canada, among others.
Notes to Editors
- Shell has approximately 500 producing wells in the Groundbirch acreage in Northeast British Columbia, of which roughly 75% of those wells have joint venture ownership, and the Gold Creek asset in the wet Montney play where Shell has about 40 wells on-stream, averaging approximately 4,000 boe/d.
- Shell’s global Upstream strategy aims for a more focused, competitive and resilient portfolio to deliver cash. It includes nine core positions globally and lean Upstream positions that will either mature into core positions, be repurposed or be monetized through divestment.
- In Shales, Shell has built resilient, low break-even positions by focusing on high-margin tight oil positions and low-cost gas assets. In the Permian Shell has a very attractive position. Shell’s acreage lies in areas with the thickest formations and provides more than 50% of total Shales production.
Enquiries:
Shell Canada Media Relations: media-desk@shell.com
Cautionary Note
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Royal Dutch Shell” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and “joint operations”, respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as “associates”. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest. This announcement contains the following forward-looking Non-GAAP measures: Adjusted Earnings, Cash capital expenditure, Underlying operating expenses, and Divestment proceeds. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of the above forward-looking Non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile the above Non-GAAP measure to the most comparable GAAP financial measure is dependent on future events some which are outside the control of the company, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures consistent with the company accounting policies and the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Royal Dutch Shell plc’s financial statements.
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