OREANDA-NEWS. October 02, 2012. Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) announced the closing of its previously announced USD 1.4 billion joint venture agreement with Sumitomo Corporation. The joint venture covers approximately 650,000 net acres in the Cline Shale and the Midland-Wolfcamp Shale. Sumitomo will invest USD 1.4 billion in exchange for 30 percent of Devon’s interest in these projects, reported the press-centre of Devon Energy.

At closing, Sumitomo invested USD 410 million in cash, composed of the initial cash contribution and Sumitomo’s share of costs since the effective date of the transaction. The remaining USD 980 million will be invested in the form of a drilling carry. The drilling carry will fund 70 percent of Devon’s capital requirements, resulting in Sumitomo paying 79 percent of the overall drilling and completion costs during the carry period. Devon will serve as operator and expects the entire drilling carry to be realized by mid-2014.

“With the close of the Sumitomo transaction, we have now successfully entered two exploration joint ventures during 2012, approaching USD 4 billion in value to our company,” said John Richels, Devon’s president and chief executive officer. “These arrangements significantly improve the capital efficiency of our exploration programs which preserves cash flow for our deep inventory of development projects.”

Devon Energy Corporation is an Oklahoma City-based independent energy company engaged in oil and gas exploration and production. Devon is a leading U.S.-based independent oil and gas producer and is included in the S&P 500 Index. For additional information, visit www.devonenergy.com.