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Company to Acquire 2,000 Net Acres of Leasehold in Tarrant County,
Texas and Enters into Land Services Agreement for Future Leasehold
Acquisitions
Chesapeake's Leasehold Position in the Core and Tier 1 Area of
Tarrant, Johnson and Western Dallas Counties Now Reaches 200,000 Net
Acres; Company's Total Undrilled Backlog in the Play Now Exceeds 2,700
Net Locations
OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2007--Chesapeake Energy
Corporation (NYSE: CHK) today announced that it has agreed to acquire
approximately 2,000 net undeveloped leasehold acres in the heart of
the Barnett Shale play in Tarrant County, Texas, from Western
Production Company and a partner. In addition, Chesapeake announced
that it has entered into a Land Services Agreement (LSA) whereby
Western's affiliate, Axia Land Services, LLC, has agreed to work on an
exclusive basis in certain areas of Tarrant County, Texas to acquire
leases on Chesapeake's behalf. This arrangement will complement
similar LSA's Chesapeake has in place with Dale Property Services,
LLC, Four Sevens Oil Co., Ltd. and Sinclair Oil Company covering
different portions of Tarrant County. Chesapeake now has approximately
235,000 net acres of leasehold in the Barnett Shale play, including
200,000 net acres in the Core and Tier 1 area of Tarrant, Johnson and
Western Dallas Counties, and the company's drilling inventory in the
play has expanded to over 2,700 net locations.
Including these LSA's and its own landmen and lease brokers,
Chesapeake now has a substantial competitive advantage with nearly
1,000 landmen and lease brokers dedicated to acquiring additional
undeveloped leasehold and surface drillsites in Tarrant County.
Chesapeake believes its drillsite and leasehold acquisition commitment
to Tarrant County should enable it to continue acquiring up to 40,000
net leasehold acres per year in what is quickly becoming the most
prolific county in the Barnett Shale play. This anticipated yearly
addition to the company's leasehold inventory should provide up to an
additional 500-600 drilling locations per year, largely offsetting the
number of wells Chesapeake plans to drill in Tarrant County during the
next few years.
Management Comments
Aubrey K. McClendon, Chesapeake's Chief Executive Officer,
commented, "We are excited to announce our new undeveloped leasehold
acquisition and LSA with Paun Peters and Western's affiliate, Axia.
With our own landmen and lease brokers now teamed up with the Western,
Dale, Four Sevens and Sinclair leasing teams, we will continue
acquiring a steady stream of valuable leasehold in Tarrant County that
will provide Chesapeake with significant growth opportunities for
years to come."
Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the largest independent producer
and third-largest overall producer of natural gas in the United
States. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company's operations are
focused on exploratory and developmental drilling and corporate and
property acquisitions in the Mid-Continent, Fort Worth Barnett Shale,
Fayetteville Shale, Permian Basin, Delaware Basin, South Texas, Texas
Gulf Coast, Ark-La-Tex and Appalachian Basin regions of the United
States. Chesapeake's Internet address is www.chkenergy.com.
CONTACT: Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Investor Contact:
Jeffrey L. Mobley, CFA, 405-767-4763
Senior Vice President -
Investor Relations and Research
jmobley@chkenergy.com
or
National Media Contact:
Thomas S. Price, Jr., 405-879-9257
Senior Vice President -
Corporate Development
tprice@chkenergy.com
or
Barnett Shale Area Media Contact:
Julie H. Wilson, 817-870-1250
Vice President -
Corporate Development
jwilson@chkenergy.com
SOURCE: Chesapeake Energy Corporation