Natural Resource Partners LP, Houston, agreed to acquire an 11% working interest in producing assets in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in North Dakota and Montana from Abraxas Petroleum Corp. for $35.3 million, marking NRP’s entry into the Bakken formation.

Surge Energy Inc. agreed to buy a tight oil asset in southern Saskatchewan from Cenovus Energy Inc. of Calgary for $240 million, with closing expected by mid-July, subject to normal closing conditions.

BG Group has completed the sale of its 64.12% interest in Gujarat Gas Co. Ltd., a nongovernment gas distribution company in India, to Gujarat State Petroleum Corp. (OGJ Online, Oct. 3, 2012).

Centrica PLC bought a 25% interest in a license for the Bowland basin shale project in Lancashire, UK, from Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. and AJ Lucas for $62.6 million. Centrica owns British Gas.

Wood Group is looking to acquire a Canadian company as a way to expand its own production services network (PSN) brownfield group there.

Devon Energy Corp. will form a publicly traded master limited partnership initially to own a minority interest in the company’s US midstream business.

Summit Midstream Partners LP agreed to buy certain gas gathering assets from MarkWest Energy Partners LP in Doddridge County, W.Va., for $210 million.

Global exploration and production spending is forecast to reach a record $678 billion this year, a 10% increase over last year, according to a recent global E&P spending update report from Barclays.

US oil and gas producers boosted exploration, development, and acquisition spending in 2012 despite a steep decline in aftertax profits driven largely by low natural gas prices, Ernst & Young reported June 4 in the latest issue of its US oil and gas reserves study.

Sinochem Group has closed its previously announced $1.7 billion purchase of Wolfcamp assets in Texas from Pioneer Natural Resources Co.

Tesoro Corp. has closed its purchase of BP PLC’s 266,000-b/d Carson refinery near Los Angeles and related marketing and logistics businesses (OGJ Online, May 17, 2013).

Gasunie of the Netherlands and Gazprom of Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at streamlining cooperation in European natural gas markets.