The Carlyle Group to acquire Sterling Resources Ltd.’s Romanian business

The Carlyle Group, a Global alternative asset manager, has agreed to acquire the entire Romanian business of Sterling Resources Ltd.

The acquisition includes license blocks 13 Pelican, 15 Midia, 25 Luceafarul and 27 Muridava, and will be structured as a corporate acquisition of Sterling’s wholly-owned subsidiary Midia Resources SRL. These assets, located in the Romanian Black Sea, contain a number of significant gas discoveries and have net 2C Resources of 51mmboe and net Prospective Resources of 375mmboe.

Marcel Van Poecke, Head of Carlyle’s international energy team, said:

“We are investing in the future of energy for South East Europe. Our team’s expertise and resources can help deliver the production capacity and infrastructure needed to ensure the company becomes a significant regional gas producer.”

In addition to the initial consideration paid for the acquisition of Midia, Carlyle International Energy Partners (CIEP) will also fund the future development of the assets, which is expected to constitute a sizable inward investment into Romania. The development project will focus on drilling, infrastructure construction, production and sale of gas to market. The current Midia team will remain in place, with additional resources added to deliver this important project, with the aim of the company becoming a significant regional energy player in the near term.

Capital for this investment will come from CIEP, a $2.5 billion fund that invests in global oil and gas exploration and production, mid- & downstream, oil field services and refining and marketing in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. This acquisition will be the fourth investment by the fund. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2015 subject to typical conditions, including statutory Romanian approvals and the consent of certain participants in the Romanian concessions.