Trade sale exit for Siccar Point private equity backers
Israeli-owned UK independent Ithaca swoops for UKCS peer
Private equity firms Blackstone and Bluewater have found the answer to how to exit their investment in UK continental shelf (UKCS) producer Siccar Point Energy: a trade sale to Ithaca Energy. The UKCS producer, owned by Israel’s Delek Drillling, will pay $1.1bn upfront and up to $360mn in contingencies dependent on future developments and commodity prices. The deal represents a second transaction in thirteen months where UKCS private equity investors have found the way out through selling their vehicle to a peer in the basin. Hong Kong-headquartered Kerogen struck an agreement to sell Zennor Petroleum to Neo Energy in March last year—Neo itself is backed by Norwegian private equity firm Hite
Also in this section
24 January 2025
Domestic companies in Nigeria and other African jurisdictions are buying assets from existing majors they view as more likely to deliver production upside under their stewardship
23 January 2025
The end of transit, though widely anticipated, leaves Europe paying a third more for gas than a year ago and greatly exposed to supply shocks
23 January 2025
The country’s government and E&P companies are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to increase domestic crude output as BP–ONGC tie-up leads the way
22 January 2025
The return of Donald Trump gives further evidence of ‘big oil’ as an investable asset, with the only question being whether anyone is really surprised