US energy concern ConocoPhilips sold the control of several oil fields in Algeria to Indonesia and Russia's companies in order to exploit US unconventional gas fields. Norwegian energy concern Statoil also invested in US shale gas fields
An important disinvestment from Africa to bet in US shale gas exploitation. On Monday 12/18 US energy concern ConocoPhilips sold the control of three oil fields in Algeria to Indonesian company Petramina.
As Gazeta Wyborcza reported, ConocoPhilips operation follows a previous dismiss of several oil fields' control in Africa to Russian company Lukoil.
US energy concernConocoPhilips dismiss is due to the necessity the US energy concern has to invest in shale gas exploration in the USA.
ConocoPhilips, together with other US energy concerns as ExxonMobil and Chevron, controls shale gas fields in several US states as Pennsylvania and Texas.
The USA are going to overcome Russia, Iran, Qatar and Turkmenistan among the world gas exporters in next years thanks to US shale gas fields exploitation.
Barack Obama's Democratic Presidential Administration already signed agreements with India, South Korea and Singapore in order to export liquefied shale gas to Asia.
Moreover, the republican minority in US parliament argued the necessity to extend liquefied shale gas export to Europe, in order to help the EU to decrease energy dependence on Russia's natural gas supplies - which cover the 40% of the EU total need.
The US shale gas potential has been confirmed by Norwegian energy concern Statoil, which invested 590 Million of USD to buy in the USA the control of Marcellus shale gas field.
Statoil, which aims to increase shale gas exploitation to 500 thousand of barrel per year, already controls shale gas fields in other US States as Ohio, Montana, Texas, North Dakota and West Virginia.
Matteo Cazzulani
