RE:Big Deal Coming Shell and ExxonMobil are talking to Canadian company Tenaz Energy about a possible sale of the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM). This is reported by bloomberg news agency based on insiders. It was already known that the oil and gas companies want to get rid of the gas activities of the NAM because of the closing of the gas tap in Groningen.
Shell and ExxonMobil both own fifty percent of the NAM, with headquarters in Assen. Shell had already announced a few years ago that it would put parts of the NAM in separate companies in anticipation of a sale. Last year, Reuters news agency reported that Shell and ExxonMobil had started a sales process.
Tenaz is already in Dutch offshore gas activities. According to Bloomberg's sources, it has not yet been said that the company will succeed in incorporating the NAM. That is not yet certain. Shell and ExxonMobil would keep the option open to negotiate with other interested parties, including Viaro Energie, which is also active in the Dutch North Sea, if Tenaz fails to secure the financing.
Tenaz and ExxonMobil did not respond to questions from Bloomberg. Shell and NAM declined to comment to the financial news agency.