ConocoPhillips
(
COP
), along with its partners, have put a halt to the proposed $16.3
billion Mackenzie gas project. The partners stated that the low
natural gas prices do not make the project feasible.
The planned 743-mile (1,196 kilometer) pipeline would have eased
the transportation of gas to leading U.S. markets from northern
Canada - with a capability to carry about 1.2 billion cubic feet
per day. The pipeline would also link three prosperous gas fields
in the northwestern territories of Canada with a
TransCanada Corp.
(
TRP
) system in Alberta. These areas are out of the range of the
existing pipelines.
ConocoPhillips is in partnership with
ExxonMobil Corp.
(
XOM
),
Royal Dutch Shell Plc
(
RDS.A
) and Imperial Oil Ltd. for the proposed pipeline. Imperial Oil is
the operator of the project.
The deferment of the project would cost ConocoPhillips a
one-time charge of around $525 million, which would be shown in its
first quarter earnings of 2012.
In 2010, the CEO of ExxonMobil remarked that the project is not
expected to progress in the next decade due to high shipping
expenses and other difficulties.
With leading positions in both natural gas and heavy crude oil
in North America, as well as a legacy position in the North Sea and
growing exposure to lucrative international regions, ConocoPhillips
expects to replace reserves and sustain production growth over the
long term.
However, as a company operating within the energy sector,
ConocoPhillips remains vulnerable to unstable movements in crude
oil and natural gas prices, as well as the volatile nature of the
macro backdrop.
The current Zacks Consensus Estimates for ConocoPhillips are
$8.73 and $9.10 per share for the fiscal years 2012 and 2013,
respectively. The estimates represent year-over-year growth of
2.95% for 2012 and 4.24% for 2013.
ConocoPhillips holds a Zacks #3 Rank, which is equivalent to a
Hold rating for a period of one to three months. For the long term,
we maintain a Neutral recommendation on the stock.
CONOCOPHILLIPS (
COP
): Free Stock Analysis Report
ROYAL DTCH SH-A (RDS.A): Free Stock Analysis
Report
TRANSCDA CORP (
TRP
): Free Stock Analysis Report
EXXON MOBIL CRP (
XOM
): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment
Research