Australia energy giant Woodside makes $8.1bn bid for PNG-focused Oil Search

AFPSydneyAustralian energy giant Woodside Petroleum yesterday made an estimated Aus$11.6bn (US$8.1bn) bid for Oil Search in a move to tap into the Papua New Guinea market. Oil Search, whose assets are mostly based in the Pacific island nation, said it was reviewing the bid that will see Woodside offer one share for every four Oil Search shares. Oil Search was valued at about Aus$11.6bn, a 14% premium to its closing share price of Aus$6.73 on Monday when Woodside closed at Aus$30.58. The proposal is subject to satisfactory due diligence and regulatory approvals, as well as support from Oil Search’s major shareholder, the PNG government. Oil Search’s share price surged 17.38% to close at Aus$7.90, while stocks in Woodside slipped 3.01% to end the day’s trade at Aus$29.66. The announcement buoyed energy stocks on the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index, with Santos closing 5.25% higher and AGL rising 3.68%. Oil Search stressed that shareholders were “entitled to an offer which adequately reflects this value potential”, pointing to its share in the massive US$19bn PNG liquefied natural gas project – the largest development ever undertaken in the Pacific country. The company said along with its other low-cost producing assets it was well-placed to capitalise from a recovery in the oil price, which has roughly halved in a year.  Woodside last month reported a 39% drop in net profit to US$679mn in the six months to June 30, saying the decline was due to falling commodity prices. Oil Search said it recorded a net profit of US$227.5mn for the same period, a 49% increase from the prior year, as higher sales volumes partly offset weaker oil and gas prices.