The Article6 Nov 2018 10:08
88E Bolsters Multi Billion Barrel Oil Resource: Farm Out by Year End?
PUBLISHED: 06-11-2018
Investing in global oil majors such as Woodside (ASX: WPL) and Oil Search (ASX: OSH) is one way of getting exposure to the often-lucrative oil and gas industry, given both companies are producers and have multiple assets.
However, whilst not risk free, smaller oil explorers such as 88 Energy (ASX | LSE: 88E) can be much more leveraged to success given the potential payoff if they can discover large volumes of oil.
Currently capped at just A$100 million, 88E is exploring for large scale, multi-billion barrel oil resources across the North Slope, onshore Alaska, and the company is gearing up for a significant amount of activity over the coming months.
88E has just bolstered its conventional resource size at Project Icewine, and now has 2.2 billion barrels net (gross mean prospective resource) to its name – not counting its mammoth unconventional portfolio, which also runs into the billions of barrels of prospective resources.
When it comes to prospective conventional resources, 88E’s 2.2 billion net gross mean prospective resource is more than any other ASX listed company that we could come across.
Given such a large prospect portfolio, 88E must be closing in on a farm out deal for its conventional asset at Project Icewine by years end.
Aside from Project Icewine, 88E has a stake in the Winx-1 well, slated for drilling in February 2019.
The drill target is immediately adjacent to and a direct analogue of the Horseshoe 1/1A oil well drilled in 2017.
Horseshoe is part of the billion barrel plus Nanushuk oil play fairway – one of the largest conventional oil fields discovered in the US in more than 30 years.
We will soon see if 88E and its consortium partners can contribute to yet another discovery on the Slope in February.
88E has a history of being able to deliver significant gains for investors when entering into a high newsflow period, regardless of broader market conditions – and with a potential farm-out by year end followed by high impact drilling, we think that history has a good chance of repeating....
The Alaskan North Shore is considered one of the most prolific petroleum provinces onshore USA.
The region has produced 16.8 billion barrels of oil to date, but in 2017, recoverable resources increased six-fold in previously ignored shallow formations, totalling an estimated 5 billion barrels.
Understandably, the North Slope is undergoing somewhat of an exploration renaissance lately and heightened M&A activity.
This interest is ongoing, but has already led to a number of major transactions including Oil Search’s (ASX: OSH) $850 million entry to the North Slope, ENI’s purchase of Caelus Energy exploration acreage (for an undisclosed sum) and ConocoPhillips’ (NYSE: COP) asset swap with BP combined with exploration success and development.
Aside from 88E’s own activity, seven exploration and delineation wells in