OREANDA-NEWS. November 27, 2012. OMV (U.K.) Limited, a 100% subsidiary of OMV Exploration and Production GmbH, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded 16 exploration blocks and part-blocks, in five separate prospective licenses, in the 27th UK Offshore Licensing Round. All licenses are in OMV’s core area West of Shetlands, two of which are operated by OMV, one by Dana Petroleum, one by Nexen and one by Statoil.

The blocks awarded to OMV and its partners are as follows:

West of Shetlands

Blocks 205/15, 205/20, 206/11c – Nexen (operator), OMV

Blocks 213/5, 214/1, 215/30, 216/26, 216/27 - OMV (operator), E.On, JX Nippon

Block 213/26a – Statoil (operator), DONG, OMV

Block 214/4c – OMV (operator), E.On, JX Nippon

Blocks 217/22, 217/23, 217/24, 217/25, 217/29, 217/30 – Dana (operator), OMV

Jaap Huijskes, OMV Executive Board Member responsible for Exploration and Production: “We are very pleased with this result, as we have been awarded all blocks for which we submitted applications. Our focus for new exploration in the UK is on the West of Shetland area, and we intend to build on our already good track record in exploration there in the last 10 years, having made important new discoveries in the Cambo, Rosebank and Tornado Fields. We are also pleased to build on existing partnerships in the area with Statoil, Dana and DONG whilst establishing new ones with Nexen, E.On and JX Nippon. The exploration of these new blocks will allow us to build further on our already strong asset base West of Shetlands.”

OMV in the UK

OMV recently celebrated 25 years of activity in the UK. Over the last year, portfolio rationalization and re-focusing onto West of Shetlands has resulted in the divestment of non-core licenses in the North Sea (Mariner East and Boa), the agreed sale of interests in the Beryl Area producing fields, and the acquisition of interests in the Tobermory and Bunnehaven discoveries West of Shetlands. In addition, OMV has farmed into 40% and taken operatorship of the P.1854 license in the vicinity of these fields.

Prior to the 27th Round announcement, OMV (U.K.) Limited held 28 licenses, covering 50 blocks, in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), seven of which are operated by OMV. In 2011, the company produced an average of 6,600 boe/d in the UK, and capital investments are increasing as the Schiehallion Field re-development is executed and the new Rosebank Field project has entered FEED.

With Group sales of EUR 34.05 bn and a workforce of 29,800 employees in 2011, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Exploration and Production, OMV is active in two core countries Romania and Austria and holds a balanced international portfolio. OMV had proven oil and gas reserves of approximately 1.13 bn boe as of year-end 2011 and a production of around 288,000 boe/d in 2011. In Gas and Power, OMV sold approximately 272 TWh of gas in 2011. In Austria, OMV operates a 2,000 km long gas pipeline network with a marketed capacity of around 101 bcm in 2011. With a trading volume of around 40 bcm in 2011, OMV’s gas trading platform, the Central European Gas Hub, is amongst the most important hubs in Continental Europe. In Refining and Marketing, OMV has an annual refining capacity of 22 mn t and as of the end of 2011 approximately 4,500 filling stations in 13 countries including Turkey. OMV further strengthened its position through the ownership of a 97% stake in Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading company in the retail and commercial business.