BY Fraser Tennant
In a transaction valued at $5.6bn, BP is to sell all of its Alaska operations – including interests in the giant Prudhoe Bay field and Trans Alaska Pipeline – to oil and natural gas exploration and production company Hilcorp Energy.
The deal forms a significant part of BP's plan to divest $10bn of assets over 2019 and 2020.
The sale of BP’s Alaska business to Hilcorp includes its entire upstream and midstream business in the state, including BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., which owns all of BP's upstream oil and gas interests in Alaska, and BP Pipelines (Alaska) Inc.'s interest in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS).
Hilcorp’s affiliate, Hilcorp Alaska, is based in Anchorage and has been operating in the state since 2012. The company currently produces more than 75,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day in gross production.
"Alaska has been instrumental in BP's growth and success for well over half a century and our work there has helped shape the careers of many throughout the company,” said Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP. “We are extraordinarily proud of the world-class business we have built, working alongside our partners and the State of Alaska, and the significant contributions it has made to Alaska's economy and America's energy security.
“However, we are steadily reshaping BP and today we have other opportunities, both in the US and around the world, that are more closely aligned with our long-term strategy and more competitive for our investment,” he continues. “This transaction also underpins our divestment programme, further strengthening our balance sheet and enabling us to pursue new advantaged opportunities for BP's portfolio within our disciplined financial framework.”
The deal is subject to state and federal regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in 2020.
“Our people have achieved incredible success over the decades developing and maintaining these hugely important assets,” said Janet Weiss, regional president of BP Alaska. “We are confident this sale is in BP’s and the state’s best interests and the business will be best positioned for the future with Hilcorp.”
News: BP to quit Alaska after 60 years with $5.6 billion sale to Hilcorp