BG Group today announced it had agreed to the sale of its equity interest in the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) gas pipeline in the UK North Sea and associated infrastructure to Antin Infrastructure Partners for total proceeds up to ? 562 million, or approximately $954 million at current exchange rates.
Under the agreement, BG Group will sell its 62.78% interest in CATS for a consideration comprising ? 523 million (approximately $888 million) on completion of the transaction and a deferred amount of ? 39 million (approximately $66 million).
The sale does not impact BG Group's rights to capacity in CATS.
CATS comprises a fixed-riser platform linked to the Everest oil and gas platform, a 404-kilometre,
1 700 million-standard-cubic-feet-of-gas-per-day (mmscfd) capacity subsea pipeline and a two-train onshore gas processing terminal at Teesside which has capacity of 1 200 mmscfd.
It is anticipated the transaction will close in the second half of 2014.
The sale of CATS is expected, on completion, to create a post-tax profit on disposal of approximately $700 million. This may be partly offset by a potential impairment of BG Group's associated UK North Sea assets following the categorisation of the Group's interest in CATS as held for sale in the second quarter.
The sale of the CATS interest is in line with BG Group's strategy to actively manage its asset portfolio and deliver value to shareholders.
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Notes to Editors:
BG Group plc (LSE: BG.L) is a world leader in natural gas, with a broad portfolio of business interests focused on exploration and production and liquefied natural gas. Active in more than 20 countries on five continents, BG Group combines a deep understanding of gas markets with a proven track record in finding and commercialising reserves. For further information visit: www.bg-group.com
There are matters set out within this announcement that are forward-looking statements. Such statements are only predictions, and actual events or results may differ materially. For a discussion of important factors which could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements, refer to
BG Group's Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2013. BG Group does not undertake any obligation to update publicly, or revise, forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
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