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Caelus expands exploration portfolio Independent acquires package of eastern North Slope leases near Badami; other leaseholders drop ANWR-area leases ERIC LIDJI For Petroleum News
Caelus Alaska Exploration Co. LLC has picked up a bundle of North Slope leases from the investor Daniel K. Donkel, according to a recent lease report from the state.
Donkel has transferred 100 percent working interest and 83.33333 percent royalty interest in 10 leases to the subsidiary of Texas-based independent Caelus Energy LLC.
The leases - ADL 391632, ADL 391633, ADL 391634, ADL 391635, ADL 391636, ADL 3916337, ADL 391638, ADL 391639, ADL 391640 and ADL 391641 - are on the eastern North Slope, in the waters of the Beaufort Sea just off the coast of the Savant Alaska LLC-operated Badami unit. The leases all have expirations dates of May 31, 2018. In turn, Caelus transferred a 1.5 percent royalty interest in the leases to Donkel.
Although primarily focused on its Oooguruk unit, Caelus has been gradually amassing exploration acreage across the North Slope, including leases off the coast of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and a large cluster of leases running from south of the Prudhoe Bay unit to south of the Point Thomson unit, mostly east of the Dalton Highway.
Also in October, Donkel transferred a 100 percent working interest and 83.33333 percent royalty interest in 12 North Slope leases to the independent company Alaska LLC.
In turn, Alaska LLC transferred a 1 percent royalty interest in the same 12 leases back to Donkel. And Samuel H. Cade transferred a 75 percent working interest and 65.625 percent royalty interest in one of those leases - ADL 392099 - to Alaska LLC, who in turn transferred a 0.75 percent royalty interest in the same lease back to Cade.
The leases are in two clusters. The first has seven leases - ADL 391534, ADL 391737, ADL 391738, ADL 391769, ADL 391770, ADL 391771, ADL 391772 - just southeast of the Badami unit. The leases expire June 30, 2017 and April 30, 2018. The second cluster has five leases - ADL 391715, ADL 391716, ADL 391717, ADL 391740 and ADL 392099 - along the eastern border of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources also officially committed ADL 392364 to the Kuparuk River unit. Earlier this year, operator ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. asked the state to expand the unit to better incorporate several recent discoveries and developments.
Terminations The state terminated seven Beaufort Sea leases operated by Samuel H. Cade for failure to pay rent. The leases - ADL 391559, ADL 391564, ADL 391558, ADL 391560, ADL 391561, ADL 391562 and ADL 391563 - were located in the nearshore waters of the Beaufort Sea, in the vicinity of Cross Island, north of the Prudhoe Bay and Duck Island units. The leases were all set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017. ADL 391561 included the Beaufort Sea 54-1 and Beaufort Sea 54-1-A wells Gulf Oil Corp. drilled in early 1984.
The state also terminated two other leases at the eastern edge of the Beaufort Sea.
The first was ADL 392261, operated by Realeza Del Spear LP. The lease was located in the near shore waters of the Beaufort Sea, north of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, off the coast of the village of Kaktovik. The Midland, Texas-based independent acquired the lease in a November 2012 sale. The lease would have expired on Sept. 30, 2023.
The second was ADL 391557, operated by Sun-West Oil & Gas Inc. The lease was about one mile to the east of the Realeza Del Spear lease. The Midland, Texas-based company acquired the lease in a February 2010 sale. The lease would have expired Sept. 30, 2020.
Sun-West had previously relinquished two other Beaufort Sea leases in the waters surrounding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: ADL 390822 and ADL 391370.
Through a major restructuring in 2010, the Spear Brothers Group out of Midland, Texas, transferred its interests in 13 affiliated companies into three new companies created to manage working interests, surface interests and royalty interests, respectively. Realeza Del Spear LP was the royalty arm of this operation; “realeza” being Spanish for “royal.”
Cook Inlet leasing In Cook Inlet, working interest owners at the Furie Operating Alaska LLC-operated Kitchen Lights unit have requested the transfer of small royalty interests in values less than 1 percent. Pro AK LLC requested a transfer of a 0.1 percent royalty interest in six leases to Carolynne Tilga, effective Aug. 14. David J. and Catherine T. Doherty requested a transfer of a 0.05 percent royalty interest in the same six leases to Pro AK LLC, effective Aug. 19. Pro AK LLC requested a transfer of a 0.05 percent royalty interest in the leases to Phillip Schrader, effective Aug. 24. Phillip Schrader requested a transfer of a 0.05 percent royalty interest in the leases to Schrader Properties LLC, effective Aug. 26. And Shawn Bartholomae requested a transfer of a 0.025 percent royalty interest in the leases to Greg Sowards, effective Sept. 28. The leases were ADL 390374, ADL 390381, ADL 389927, ADL 389928, ADL 389929 and ADL 389930.
The state also approved the transfer of a small royalty interest in one lease from Nordaq Energy Inc. to James McConnel. The lease was ADL 391596. The coastal lease is adjacent to the northern border of the NordAq-operated Shadura unit near Nikiski.
—A copyrighted oil and gas lease map from Mapmakers Alaska was a research tool used in preparing this story.
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