Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, signed an agreement yesterday to sell its 22.45% non-operated interest in the Caesar-Tonga asset in the US Gulf of Mexico to Delek CT Investment LLC, a subsidiary of Delek Group Ltd (Delek). The total consideration for this deal is $965 million in cash.
The Sales and Purchase Agreement is subject to certain conditions, including regulatory approvals. The transaction is likely to close by the end of the third quarter 2019, with an effective date of January 1, 2019.
“This transaction represents our continued focus on strategically positioning our deep-water business for growth and is consistent with our Upstream strategy of pursuing competitive projects that deliver value in the 2020s and beyond.” said Andy Brown, Upstream Director, Royal Dutch Shell. “The sale will contribute to Shell’s ongoing divestment program and allow us to direct resources to the areas where we see the most value in the longer term.”
Shell’s global deep-water production is expected to exceed 900,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) by 2020 from already discovered and established reservoirs. The portfolio includes growth opportunities in our US Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and Malaysia heartlands, as well as in emerging offshore basins such as Mexico, Mauritania and the Western Black Sea.
Caesar-Tonga is located approximately 190 miles (300 kilometers) south-southwest from New Orleans, Louisiana in the Green Canyon area of the US Gulf of Mexico. The development area covers blocks GC683, GC726, GC727 and GC770 at water depths of about 4,900 feet (1,500 meters).
The field is operated by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, holder of the 33.75% interest. The remaining interest is distributed between Equinor (23.55%), Shell (22.45%) and Chevron (20.25%). The asset is tied back to Anadarko’s Constitution SPAR through subsea equipment. Current total average production at Caesar-Tonga is over 70,000 boe/d total gross. Delek will enter into a long-term purchase and sales agreement with Shell Trading (US) Company for the oil produced.
