據美國彭博新聞社2022年8月3日報道，美國第2大天然氣生產公司切薩皮克能源公司計劃退出位于得克薩斯州南部的鷹福特頁巖遠景區，同時加大對其他兩個天然氣盆地的投資，切薩皮克能源公司今后將專注于天然氣生產，而不是石油。

切薩皮克能源公司由Aubrey McClendon聯合創立，是美國最知名的頁巖運營商之一。切薩皮克能源公司計劃在今年下半年至2023年期間增加路易斯安那州海恩斯維爾頁巖遠景區的鉆井預算。切薩皮克能源公司表示，該公司還將專注于美國東北部的馬塞勒斯頁巖遠景區。

這是切薩皮克能源公司最新的戰略轉變，該公司于去年2月擺脫破產，此后一直在利用飆升的天然氣價格。這家總部位于俄克拉何馬城的公司8月2日公布，第二季度凈收入為12.4億美元，而去年同期為虧損439美元。

切薩皮克能源公司首席執行官尼克?戴爾奧索對投資者表示，剝離鷹福特頁巖遠景區資產“不會是廉價出售”，可能包括多項交易。這些銷售預計將產生數十億美元的收入，這些收入將用于推動切薩皮克能源公司向投資者返還資本的計劃。

8月3日，戴爾奧索在公司收益電話會議上表示：“盡管鷹福特頁巖遠景區是一項強大的資產，但展望未來，它根本無法與我們的天然氣資產的卓越回報相競爭。鷹福特頁巖遠景區已經不是我們未來資本配置戰略的核心，我們相信，如果我們把所有的資源，包括資本和人力，都集中在馬塞勒斯和海恩斯維爾頁巖遠景區，我們會成為一家更好的公司?！?/p>

按照之前的管理團隊，切薩皮克能源公司在破產前在石油資源豐富的鷹福特頁巖遠景區擴張了業務。但戴爾奧索的言論并不是該公司試圖扭轉這種擴張勢頭的第一個跡象。知情人士當時告訴彭博新聞社，切薩皮克能源公司正與顧問合作，在去年4月以高達20億美元的價格出售鷹福特頁巖遠景區資產。

李峻 編譯自 美國彭博新聞社

原文如下：

Chesapeake Energy to exit Eagle Ford Shale, focus on natural gas

Chesapeake Energy Corp. plans to exit the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas while doubling down on two other natural basins as the energy company focuses on natural gas production while retreating from oil.

The company, which was co-founded by Aubrey McClendon and became one of the best-know US shale operators, plans to increase its drilling budget for the Haynesville shale in Louisiana during the second half and into 2023. The company said it will also focus on the Marcellus shale in the northeastern US.

It’s the latest strategic shift for Chesapeake, which emerged from bankruptcy in February last year and has since ridden a wave of surging gas prices. The Oklahoma City-based company on Tuesday reported second-quarter net income of $1.24 billion compared with a $439 loss a year earlier.

Chief Executive Officer Nick Dell’Osso told investors the divestment of its Eagle Ford assets “will not be a fire sale” and may comprise multiple transactions. Those sales are expected to generate billions of dollars of proceeds that will be used to boost the company’s plans to return capital to investors.

“While the Eagle Ford is a strong asset, as we look to the future, it simply does not compete today with the exceptional returns, rock and runway of our gas assets,” Dell’Osso said Wednesday on the company’s earnings conference call. “The Eagle Ford has become non-core to our future capital allocation strategy and we believe that we will be a better company if we focus all of our resources, both capital and human, on the Marcellus and Haynesville.”

Chesapeake had bulked up in the oil-rich Eagle Ford under previous management teams and prior to bankruptcy. But the comments from Dell’Osso aren’t the first indication it was looking to reverse that expansion. Chesapeake was working with advisers to sell Eagle Ford assets for as much as $2 billion in April 2021, people familiar with the plan told Bloomberg News at the time.