Canadian oil sands producer MEG Energy Corp. reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss on March 7, as the company sold its bitumen crude at lower prices because of transportation bottlenecks.
Alberta oil producers have endured record discounts on benchmark Canadian heavy crude because of congestion on export pipelines that led to a glut of crude building up in storage tanks.
MEG, whose key operations are in the Athabasca oil sands region in Alberta, said bitumen production fell to 87,582 barrels per day (bbl/d) in the fourth quarter from 90,228 bbl/d a year earlier, while average realized prices for bitumen fell to C$13.90 per barrel from C$48.30.
Bitumen is a low-grade crude oil which is composed of complex, heavy hydrocarbons.
MEG estimates rail volumes to average 20,000 bbl/d in the first quarter, increasing to 30,000 bbl/d by the third quarter of 2019.
Adjusting for certain one-time items, the company posted a loss of 40 Canadian cents per share against expectations of a loss of 24 Canadian cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. (US$1 = C$1.34)
Recommended Reading
ABS Market for Upstream Producers Expanding, Panelists Say
2024-10-09 - Asset-backed securitization or ABS, which transforms oil and gas reserves into negotiable financial assets, usually have a hedging element and offer producers another financing option, panelists said Oct. 3 at Hart Energy’s Energy Capital Conference in Dallas.
CEO: Breakwall Providing Capital as RBLs ‘Materially’ Decrease
2024-10-09 - Breakwall Capital is stepping in to bridge the gap from the historic days of reserve-based lending, Breakwall Managing Partner and co-CEO Jamie Brodsky said at Hart Energy's Energy Capital Conference in Dallas.
Vistra to Offer Senior Notes for Equity Interest Repayment
2024-11-19 - Vistra Corp. said the proceeds from the offer will be used toward an early payout for the installment purchase of Avenue Capital Management II’s interest in Vistra Vision.
J. Douglas Schick Succeeds PEDEVCO Majority Owner Simon Kukes as CEO
2024-12-12 - Simon G. Kukes, who took over PEDEVCO in 2018, said the company has since worked toward entering joint development agreements in the Permian and Denver-Julesburg basins.
Delek Logistics Partners Raises $166MM in Offering to Pay Debt
2024-10-11 - Delek Logisitics Partners closed an offering of 4.42 million common units to generate gross proceeds of $166 million.