PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The US-based oil and gas company, Predator Oil & Gas Holdings (Predator), with hydrocarbon operations and production activities focused on Morocco and Trinidad says it has experienced some short term delays in the acquisition of Challenger Energy Group’s (CEG) operations in Trinidad and Tobago.
In February 2025, Predator agreed to acquire the entirety of Challenger Energy Group’s operations here.
The agreement provided for the regulatory approval necessary for the sale to be finalized by 30 April 2025. However, the date was extended to June 30 this year, following the parties’ administrative closure due to uncertainty caused by the snap general election that was called in Trinidad and Tobago and the resulting change in government.
In anticipation of completion in the near term, the companies have begun working collaboratively to ensure a smooth and efficient transfer of ownership and operations once final regulatory approval is obtained.
CEG operations in Trinidad include three onshore producing fields, with a total of 250 wells, of which approximately 60 are in production at any given time.
Predator’s chief executive officer, Paul Griffiths, said, “Over the last two months, we have been carrying out an internal technical and commercial reassessment of the company’s diverse portfolio of assets in Morocco and Trinidad.
“This has taken into account prevailing uncertainty in terms of equity market volatility, crude oil price fluctuations, and unstable foreign exchange markets. All of these factors combine to under-value early-stage oil and gas exploration, appraisal, and development.”
He said following this review the company is focused going forward on preserving its cash; maintain its debt-free status; increasing its portfolio of producing assets in Trinidad; financing and monetising its near-term oil and gas development projects at minimal cost to the company; and maintaining third party-funded future “blue sky” exploration potential for gas and helium.
He stated that the acquisition of CEG operations in Trinidad will facilitate production growth and revenue generation through integration with our existing production operations, thereby delivering economies of scale.
“Preparations and planning are ongoing to drill the Snowcap-3 well in the first quarter of 2026. A rig has been identified and is subject to certification; a rig contract will be entered into. The Snowcap-3 appraisal well is targeting the best-producing sand in BP’s former Moruga West field, 1.5 kilometres southeast of the Snowcap-3 proposed well location.
“In Moruga West, individual wells have flowed initially at up to 303 bopd from this single interval, with maximum well recovery for a single well of 455,000 barrels of oil over field life has been achieved. Snowcap-3 is therefore a key well for boosting our producing portfolio and can potentially be tied in quickly and at low cost to enable early monetisation.”
Griffiths said there are several options to organically finance the well later this year through an asset sale and/or partnering with a local company.
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