News Releases

HOUSTON, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Oil and Gas Investor magazine will recognize the winners of its 13^th annual Excellence Awards on March 29. The award presentations will part of Hart Energy's 2016 Energy Capital Conference at the Omni Barton Creek in Austin, TX.

"These winners each represent the best of the best in the upstream industry," said Steve Toon, Oil and Gas Investor Editor-in-Chief. "Their activities and innovation, whether for industry advocacy, creative financing or impactful A&D deal-making, show the resilience the U.S. industry is known for. They demonstrate the tradition of vision and professionalism that characterizes our Excellence Awards." 

Oil and Gas Investor editors reviewed readers' nominations to select the best companies, deals and individuals.

2016 Honorees

Executive of the Year: Harold Hamm, Chairman and CEO, Continental Resources Inc. Under Hamm's leadership, the Oklahoma company has grown oil reserves significantly in the Bakken Shale and opened up two new Midcontinent plays, the Scoop and Stack. Hamm also has been one of the industry's tireless supporters of lifting the oil export ban. He personally met with more than 250 people on Capitol Hill and frequently appeared as a spokesperson in the media.

M&A Deal of the Year: WPX Energy's acquisition of RKI Exploration & Production LLC. This $2.75 billion deal marks formerly natural-gas weighted WPX's transformation, allowing entry to a new core area of the Permian Basin. This deal increased the company's oil production and reserves and provides significant upside for further drilling. RKI is recognized for identifying and developing a strong oil asset that received top value as well as identifying a key moment in time to put the deal in motion.

Financing of the Year: Blue Whale Energy North America. The new company's $1.4 billion acquisition of Permian Basin assets from two private E&P companies was funded by Beijing-based Phoenix Tree Capital. This represents new Chinese private equity money coming into the U.S. A&D market in a volatile time, via a complicated structure, with potentially more deals to come.

For media credentials to attend the Energy Capital Conference, please contact Stephanie Palmer at spalmer@hartenergy.com. To view the full agenda, visit EnergyCapitalConference.com.

About Hart Energy
For more than 40 years, Hart Energy editors and experts have delivered market-leading insights to investors and energy industry professionals. The Houston-based company produces award-winning monthly magazines (such as Oil and Gas Investor, E&P, FUEL and Midstream Business); online news and data services; in-depth industry conferences (like the DUG™ conference series); GIS data sets and mapping solutions; and a range of research and consulting services through Stratas Advisors. For information, visit hartenergy.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131107/DA12865LOGO-a 

SOURCE Hart Energy