STRONG FEBRUARY LAND SALE GENERATES $43.4 MILLION
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=1e6461 ... 44f6e584eb ]
News Release - February 10, 2011
The first sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas rights in 2011 is building on where a resurgent 2010 left off.
February's sale generated $43.4 million in revenue for the province, the second-highest total for a February sale.
With this figure total revenue from land sales for the 2010-11 fiscal year amounts to $467 million, the second-best fiscal year on record and more than three times the revenue collected in 2009-10.
"Our oil and gas industry has really roared back over the past year, and that's great news for our economy and for Saskatchewan people," Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd said. "This was a smaller sale in terms of parcels posted, so to see this strong result for the first sale of 2011 is a good signal of the activity we can expect this year.
"What's also exciting about this sale is quite simply the range of interest by the industry. ‘Star' oil plays like the Bakken and Lower Shaunavon continue to attract investment but companies are also putting their acquisition dollars into emerging plays like the Viking and the Birdbear, and now in this sale the deep Red River oil play near Montmartre."
February's sale included 28 petroleum and natural gas exploration licences that sold for $26.1 million and 201 lease parcels that attracted $17.3 million in bonus bids.
The Weyburn-Estevan area received the most bids with sales of $18.1 million, of which $7 million was paid for exploration licences around the Red River play. The Kindersley-Kerrobert area was next at $16.9 million, followed by the Lloydminster area at $5.6 million and the Swift Current area at $2.8 million.
The highest price for a single parcel was $3.5 million, paid by Prairie Land & Investment Services Ltd. for an 8,612-hectare exploration licence near the Forgan Viking Sand Pool, midway between Rosetown and Swift Current.
The highest price on per-hectare basis was $16,789. Canadian Coastal Resources Ltd. bid $1 million for a 61-hectare lease parcel near Stoughton.
A special exploratory permit block on offer south of Hudson Bay received a work commitment bid of $500,000 from Lane Land Services Ltd.
The next sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas dispositions will be held on April 11, 2011. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis, Energy and Resources, Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
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APRIL LAND SALE TOPS $100 MILLION
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=a7aca7 ... 34bde9903e ]
News Release - April 14, 2011
Heightened interest in the southwest's Shaunavon oil play has significantly boosted revenue from the latest sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas rights.
The Shaunavon play accounted for more than half the total in April's sale, which brought in $109 million in revenue for the province. Land sale revenues for the 2011 calendar year stand at $152 million after two sales.
The latest sale was the third best on record for an April sale. It also marked the seventh time in the last three years that a single land sale has topped $100 million.
"This was a great sale, based on both the quantity and the quality of the bids we received," Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd said. "We had the usual strong interest in the Bakken play, but our rich oil resources in the southwest are obviously causing a stir in the industry.
"Land sales are a key barometer of future activity in the industry, and based on what we've seen over the last 15 months from our sales, the forecast is very bright indeed for increased investment by the industry - investment that results in jobs and prosperity for the people of Saskatchewan."
April's sale included 16 petroleum and natural gas exploration licences that sold for $26.2 million and 311 lease parcels that attracted $82.5 million in bonus bids.
The Swift Current area, on the strength of the Shaunavon play, received the most bids with sales of $56.6 million. The Weyburn-Estevan area was next at $40.4 million, followed by the Kindersley-Kerrobert area at $7.8 million and the Lloydminster area at $4 million.
The highest price for a single parcel was $7.3 million, paid by Husky Oil Operations Ltd. for a 2,331-hectare exploration licence southwest of Estevan along the Canada-United States border.
The highest price on a per-hectare basis was $10,214. Villanova Oil Corp. bid $320,000 for a 31-hectare lease parcel near Carnduff.
A special exploratory permit block on offer west of Hudson Bay received a work commitment bid of $200,000 from Lane Land Services Ltd.
The next sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas dispositions will be held on June 6, 2011. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis, Energy and Resources, Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
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DECEMBER LAND SALE EXCEEDS $20 MILLION MARK
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=4d16ea ... 72a315bf65 ]
News Release - December 8, 2011
The December sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas rights has brought in $20.8 million in revenue for the province, capping another solid year of land sales.
Total land sale revenue for the 2011 calendar year amounted to $248.8 million, making 2011 the fourth-best on record for land sale revenues.
"We're pleased by the strong interest companies expressed in the parcels on offer in the December sale," Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd said. "We've seen a trend in the latter part of the year of companies concentrating on working the assets they have already acquired.
"Our drilling numbers, especially those for horizontal wells, continue to track well ahead of last year's pace and the demand for drilling and service rigs remains higher here than in Alberta and British Columbia. This activity and these recent land acquisitions bode well for an industry that helps drive our economy and which invests more than $4 billion into exploration and development work each year."
December's sale included 212 lease parcels that attracted $20.3 million in bonus bids and three petroleum and natural gas exploration licences that sold for $486,000.
The Weyburn-Estevan area received the most bids with sales of $13.2 million. The Lloydminster area was next at $4.1 million, followed by the Kindersley-Kerrobert area at $2 million and the Swift Current area at $1.5 million.
The highest price for a single parcel was $905,000. Villanova Oil Corp. acquired this 259-hectare lease parcel east of Estevan.
The highest price on a per-hectare basis was $7,878. Midale Petroleums Ltd. bid $255,000 for a 32-hectare lease parcel southeast of Oxbow.
An oil shale special exploratory permit block on offer east of Nipawin received a work commitment bid of $2 million from Prairie Land & Investment Services Ltd.
The next sale of Crown petroleum and natural gas dispositions will be held on February 6, 2012. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Energy and Resources
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca