Vital Energy's deal adds 24,000 net acres and 100 gross drilling locations in Texas, growing its Permian Basin footprint to around 198,000 net acres.
Vital Energy is revising its projections for oil and gas production and capital spending upward following the successful acquisition of a substantial area in the Permian Basin. The company has gained around 24,000 net acres and 100 gross drilling locations in Texas. As a result of this deal, Vital Energy is now increasing its full-year production and capital spending guidance.
Vital Energy Completes $391.6M Acquisition of Forge Energy II
Tulsa-based Vital Energy finalized its acquisition of Forge Energy II Delaware LLC on June 30, as reported in a July 11 news release. The transaction involved a cash payment of $391.6 million, securing 70% ownership of Forge's assets, with adjustments made for closing price.
In a collaborative effort with Minnesota-based Northern Oil & Gas Inc., Vital Energy obtained Forge's assets through a joint deal. Vital Energy assumed operational control of the acquired assets with a 70% stake, while NOG acquired the remaining 30% for $167.9 million in cash.
This acquisition contributes approximately 24,000 net acres and an additional 100 gross drilling locations situated in Pecos, Reeves, and Ward counties, Texas. With this expansion, Vital Energy's footprint in the Permian Basin now spans around 198,000 net acres.
Oil and gas production outlook
After acquiring Forge and surpassing production projections for the first half of 2023, Vital is raising its oil and gas production outlook.
- Total production is now estimated at 82,000 boe/d to 86,000 boe/d, up from the previous 76,000 boe/d to 80,000 boe/d.
- Crude oil production is expected to rise to 40,000 bbl/d to 43,000 bbl/d from the earlier 36,300 bbl/d to 39,300 bbl/d.
Vital plans to use a single drilling rig and bring five wells online in the recently acquired Delaware Basin acreage to boost production. The company has allocated an additional $50 million in its capital spending budget for these efforts. The revised full-year capital spending forecast is now $675 million to $725 million, highlighting Vital's commitment to expanding its presence and optimizing production in the oil and gas market.
In the latter half of 2023, Vital intends to utilize a single drilling rig and activate five wells on the Delaware Basin acreage acquired from Forge. To support the development of these newly acquired assets, Vital has allocated an additional $50 million in its capital spending budget. Consequently, the company's full-year capital spending forecast has been adjusted to range between $675 million and $725 million, reflecting an increase from the original guidance of $625 million to $675 million.