will hal take a stake in ssn ?

There is an interesting coincidence in the timing of this purported CR, or delay thereof, and the announcement that HAL will decide before end of next month on their participation in the next well, and beyond presumably.

Is it possible that HAL wants a 20% stake in SSN if its decided to run hard in the Neo ? It would make sense that HAL would want their partners to have the available cash to pay their share of the development costs of all the new wells in that field.

SSN has recently announced that they are pushing more of their current available funds from the NEO to FP instead. Many took this as SSN having less confidence in the NEO and more confidence in FP.

Could it be that SSN intends to fund a full scale NEO development via a 19% placement to HAL and use most of SSNs existing funds for full scale development in FP ?

Seems to me that having to decide upon fully developing one field or another with available funds in the short term is a compromise. HAL wouldn't want to commit to the NEO if SSN isn't serious about it or can't afford to pay their way.

If HAL took a 19% stake in SSN they get in at bargain prices, get a partner better positioned to commit and contribute fully to the NEO, and SSN doesn't have to make sacrifices on which half of the potential it should focus on this year.

Is the inferred delaying of the raising to make it coincide with the March announcement of HALs future commitments to SSN ? Was it pushed back because of unexpected problems with Defender ? Will HAL not only be our partner in the NEO but also a cornerstone investor in SSN ? What would happen to the SP if HAL took a big stake ?

I'm speculating and putting a slightly different slant on what has been discussed so far, specifically relating to the document that STS found and kindly brought to our attention. Please don't take my thoughts as a promise of instant riches or overnight success, having funny coloured glasses or anything any more bullish than we reasonably ought but if any of this turns out to be true, I'll be even more excited about 2012.