页岩并购潮后美国首季能源勘探开发交易飙升

据路透社4月8日消息，据咨询公司Enverus称，美国第一季油气勘探和生产交易较上年同期增加了五倍，为近期页岩气行业的大规模并购埋下伏笔。

由于新冠疫情对燃料需求和石油市场“踩下了刹车”，去年第一季度达成了约6亿美元的交易，而今年同期飙升至34亿美元。与去年同期相比，随着油价回升，本季度的并购交易速度有所加快，但与2020年第四季度的278亿美元相比有所下降。

Enverus称，第一季五大并购交易都涉及私营企业，预计这一趋势今年还将持续，其中包括先锋自然资源公司，本月早些时候斥资64亿美元收购私营企业DoublePoint Energy LLC。

Enverus高级分析师安德鲁 迪特马尔表示：“我们将继续看到活动呈上升趋势。”

随着上市公司剥离非核心资产和股价上涨，私营企业更愿意进行交易。

去年第二季度交易活动急剧放缓，仅有28亿美元的资产出售和合并，因生产商努力应对历史低位的油价，减少钻井并关闭油井以避免损失。

上个季度的交易包括Equinor以9亿美元的价格将巴肯页岩资产出售给私募股权支持的Grayson Mill 能源，以及Ovintiv以8.8亿美元的价格将页岩资产出售给Validus 能源。

萨姆森资源公司也在3月份完成了将其粉末河盆地资产出售给大陆资源公司的交易。同月，Enerplus以4.65亿美元现金收购了巴肯页岩运营商Bruin勘探生产公司。

裘寅 编译自 路透社

原文如下：

U.S. energy E&P deals jump to $3.4 billion in first-quarter as shale consolidates: Enervus

U.S. oil and gas exploration and production deals rose fivefold in the first quarter over a year-ago, according to consultancy Enverus, in a foreshadowing of recent blockbuster shale mergers.

Some $3.4 billion in deals were struck in the first quarter, compared with $600 million a year-ago, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on fuel demand and the oil market. Deal-making has accelerated this quarter versus last year as oil prices recovered, but is down from $27.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020.

All top five first-quarter deals involved a private company, according to Enverus, a trend it expects to continue this year, including Pioneer Natural Resources Co’s purchase of privately-held DoublePoint Energy LLC for $6.4 billion earlier this month.

“We’re going to continue to see activity trend upwards,” said Andrew Dittmar, a senior analyst with Enverus.

Private companies are more willing to make deals as public companies divest non-core assets and stock prices rise, he said.

Deal activity slowed sharply in the second quarter of last year, with just $2.8 billion in asset sales and mergers, as producers grappled with historically low oil prices, pulled back on drilling and shut wells to avoid losses.

The deals last quarter include Equinor ASA’s $900 million sale of Bakken shale properties to private-equity backed Grayson Mill Energy, and Ovintiv’s $880 million sale of shale properties to Validus Energy.

Samson Resources also in March closed a sale of its Powder River Basin assets to Continental Resources. That same month Enerplus completed its $465 million cash acquisition of Bakken shale operator Bruin E&P.