7 December 2015
China’s Yantai Xinchao extends shale reach in $1.3bn Texas oilfield deal
Producers Tall City Exploration and Plymouth Petroleum sell oilfields in Permian basin for around $1.3bn to Chinese firm aiming to make mark in US shale market
Yantai Xinchao said it will acquire acreage in Borden and Howard counties in west Texas. It is one of the oldest oil producing regions in the US and an area that has seen a revival with shale drilling in the Spraberry play during recent years. No reserves or production data have been released as yet, but the US Treasury’s Committee on Foreign Investment has approved the deal, the Chinese firm announced in late October. Deal maker It is the second major oil deal in Texas for Yantai Xinchao after it bought Juno Energy’s business earlier this year. That deal saw Yantai acquire mature fields in the Permian Basin that held around 25 million barrels in reserves. BMO Capital had estimated the value
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat






