Statoil makes final investment decision on Shah Deniz Stage 2 and announces a 10 % divestment

17.12.2013  |  Globenewswire Europe

Statoil  ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) has together with partners in the Shah Deniz
consortium in Azerbaijan today made a final investment decision for the Stage 2
development of the Shah Deniz gas field, in the Caspian Sea, offshore
Azerbaijan. Statoil also enters an agreement to divest a 10% share of its 25.5%
holdings in Shah Deniz and the South Caucasus Pipeline.

The BP operated Shah Deniz consortium today announces the final investment
decision for the Stage 2 development of the Shah Deniz gas field, in the Caspian
Sea, offshore Azerbaijan. This decision triggers plans to expand the South
Caucasus Pipeline (SCPX) through Azerbaijan and Georgia, to construct the Trans
Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) across Turkey and to construct the Trans Adriatic
Pipeline (TAP) across Greece, Albania and into Italy. Together these projects
will create a new Southern Gas Corridor to Europe. The total cost of the Shah
Deniz Stage 2 and SCP Expansion projects will be around USD 28 billion.

"The Shah Deniz Stage 2 project is a significant project which will make
Azerbaijan's large  gas resources available for the European market, it brings
benefits for customers and creates value for the partners", says Helge Lund,
president and CEO of Statoil.

Statoil has today also signed an agreement to divest a 10% share of its 25.5%
holdings in the Shah Deniz and the South Caucasus Pipeline. The buyers are SOCAR
(6.7%) and BP (3.3%). Statoil will as part of this transaction receive a total
cash consideration of USD 1.45 billion. Effective date of the transaction is
1.1.2014.

"The divestment corresponds with our strategy of portfolio optimisation based on
rigid prioritisation of future investment, and capturing value created from a
significant gas position", Lund continues.

Statoil will not participate as an investor in TANAP.

"We have considered our potential positions throughout the project's value
chain, balancing economics and risks to identify the optimal participation,"
says Lund.

Statoil holds a 20% share in TAP AG, the owner of Trans Adriatic Pipeline
(TAP),  who develops the pipeline for transport of gas from Turkey to Southern
Europe.

The current Statoil equity production (gas and condensate) from Shah Deniz as
per third quarter 2013 is 56 000 barrels of oil equivalents per day.

The Shah Deniz stage 2 project includes offshore drilling and completion of 26
subsea wells and construction of two bridge-linked platforms. Onshore there will
be new processing and compression facilities at Sangachal.  16 billion cubic
metres a year (bcma) of gas produced from the Shah Deniz stage 2 project will be
carried some 3,500 kilometres to provide energy for millions of consumers in
Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Italy. First gas is targeted for late
2018, with sales to Georgia and Turkey. First deliveries to Europe will follow
approximately a year later.

Statoil entered Azerbaijan in 1992 and is a partner with a 8.56% share in the
oil producing Azeri-Chiraq-Guneshli (ACG) field, the Shah Deniz gas field with a
15.5% share, and the corresponding pipelines Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and South
Caucasus Pipeline (SCP).

Further information from:

Investor relations
Hilde Merete Nafstad, senior vice president, investor relations
Tel: +47 957 83 911

Morten Sven Johannessen, vice president, investor relations North America
+203 570 2524

Media relations
Knut Rostad, press spokesperson
Tel: +47 905 48 990

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to §5-12 vphl
(Norwegian Securities Trading Act)




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Source: Statoil via GlobeNewswire
[HUG#1750355]