shale oil&gas report due by rps/mba/davidw/awt, page-15

Yep, the interest in Shale from the Canadians is only just the beginning. They are trying to muzzle up all they can with the limited funds they have. That's what happened in the US. Then all the Majors swooped in and flushed them all out with their Multi $$$Billions of dollars.
The most interesting Shale acquisition in the US IMO was by BHP. They reiterated in their PR that not only were they acquiring Tenements rich in Gas/Oil Shale, but the Experience and Talent of the drilling techniques used to exploit this tight resource via patented Horizontal Multi Fracturing techniques was also another reason to buy them out as to be able to use it around the Globe at other shale sites.

That to me was a no brainier for them to clean up any potential areas in their own back yard.

"This transaction marks BHP Billiton's entry into the US shale gas business.

"The operated position we are obtaining will immediately make BHP Billiton a major North American shale gas producer.

"It provides access to a competitive, long-life resource basin that benefits from our ability to invest through the economic cycles.

"Longer term, the expertise we gain here will be usable elsewhere as we continue to grow our business."



http://myresources.com.au/index.php/component/images/images/stories/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3054:bhp-buys-us-shale-field-for-us475bn-&catid=52:stories&Itemid=113



http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccranns-column/bhp-billitons-shale-gas-deal-strategic-and-opportunistic/story-e6frfig6-1226010348740

Good old Falcon, our neighbour just to north in the Beetaloo Basin have some interesting Farmin Partners,..... Hess.

They seemed to be pretty cashed up also with multi billion dollar deals!!!

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/BreakingNews.aspx?Id=1515922

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/BreakingNews.aspx?Id=1522107

http://article.wn.com/view/2011/02/22/falcon_oil_gas_ltd_announces_letter_of_intent_with_hess_corp/



Shell said growing and upgrading the quality of its North American tight gas portfolio would be an ongoing strategy. Tight gas refers to gas trapped in rock and sand formations.

"Shell is the latest in a line of international oil players that have bought into the Marcellus, named for a town in New York that sits near an outcropping of the rock formation. They include Statoil (STL.OL), Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), Mitsui & Co (8031.T)(MITSY.O) and Reliance Industries. (RELI.BO)"

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/28/us-shell-idUSTRE64R18C20100528