ConocoPhillips is exploring a sale of some of its shale operations in the Permian Basin worth more than $1 billion, two years after an unsuccessful attempt to find a buyer for the same assets, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The Houston, Texas-based oil and gas producer is looking to shed some non-core assets as it prepares to close its $22.5 billion takeover of Marathon Oil by year end. It is set to assume about $5.4 billion of Marathon’s debt as part of the deal, and has outlined plans to raise $2 billion through asset sales.
ConocoPhillips has tapped investment bankers at RBC Capital Markets to run a sale process for the Permian assets and in recent weeks invited bids from potential buyers, which include smaller public and private oil producers, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential.
In 2022, ConocoPhillips had attempted to offload these Permian operations but could not agree on a deal with potential suitors, the sources said.
Production from the assets, which span 55,000 net acres in the Delaware portion of the Permian Basin, is estimated to touch about 17,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by the end of the year, with core earnings for 2025 estimated to be more than $220 million, the sources said. They cautioned that a deal is not guaranteed.
ConocoPhillips declined to comment. RBC did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. shale industry has witnessed a record-breaking wave of dealmaking over the past two years, as energy companies have rushed to expand oil and gas drilling inventories, especially in the Permian Basin. Notable deals that have been agreed include Exxon Mobil’s $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron’s proposed $53 billion takeover of oil producer Hess.
The biggest acquirers are now looking to divest non-core units in the wake of these takeovers, to streamline operations, pay down debt, and boost shareholder returns.
Such assets are likely to attract smaller producers that are turning to dealmaking to gain scale and compete better against larger rivals.
(Reporting by Shariq Khan and David French in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)