UK North Sea consolidation gathers pace

Two more deals see focused new entrants gain size as sellers exit

The UK continental shelf (UKCS) is considerably less consolidated than its counterpart on the Norwegian side of the maritime border. But M&A trends are seeing continued growth of players with narrow focus on the basin, while those for whom the UKCS is just one part of a portfolio step back. The latest transactions have seen further expansion of the footprints of two Norwegian-backed firms—Neo Energy, a vehicle of private equity (PE) firm HitecVision, and Waldorf Production, led by Erik Brodahl, another Norwegian oil and gas PE veteran. Neo is buying UK independent Zennor Petroleum for up to $625mn, including deferred and contingent payments, marking the North Sea exit of Zennor’s PE back