10 Best Gas Stocks To Own Right Now

10 Best Gas Stocks To Own Right Now: InterOil Corp (IOC)

InterOil Corporation (InterOil), incorporated on August 24, 2007, is an integrated energy company operating in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding Southwest Pacific region. InterOil operates in four segments: upstream, midstream, downstream and corporate. The upstream segment explores, appraises and develops crude oil and natural gas structures in Papua New Guinea. This segment also manages its construction business, which services the development projects underway in Papua New Guinea. The midstream segment produces refined petroleum products at Napa Napa in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea for the domestic market and for export. It is developing liquefaction and associated facilities in Papua New Guinea for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The downstream segment markets and distributes refined products domestically in Papua New Guinea on a wholesale and retail basis.

During 2012, it sold approximately 13% of its refined petroleum products to Pacific Energy Aviation (PNG) Ltd for aviation refueling at Papua New Guineas international airport in Port Moresby. The corporate segment provides support to the other business segments by engaging in business development and improvement activities and providing general and administrative services and management, undertakes financing and treasury activities, and is responsible for government and investor relations. This segment also manages the Companys shipping business, which operates two vessels transporting petroleum products for its and external customers, both within PNG and for export in the South Pacific region.

Upstream - Exploration and Production

InterOils upstream business segment focuses on the development program for the Elk, Antelope and Triceratops fields. The Elk and Antelope fields are onshore gas fields with contingent resources. As at December 31, 2012, it had interests in three PPLs and one PRL in Papua New Guinea covering ! 3,996,453 gross acres, all of which were operated by the Co! mpany. PPLs 236, 237 and 238 and PRL 15 are located onshore in the Eastern Papuan Basin, northwest of Port Moresby. It undertook exploration activities in its three exploration licenses, PPL 236, PPL 237 and PPL 238. These exploration activities involved a regional airborne geophysical survey, various seismic surveys across a number of prospects and preparation for drilling of its next appraisal well, Triceratops 2, which was spudded in mid-January 2012.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 236. The license consists of 53 graticular blocks covering an area of 4,502 square kilometers or 1,112,464 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 237. The license consists of 34 graticular blocks covering an area of 3,238 square kilometers or 715,648 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 238. The license consists of 94 graticular blocks covering an area of 7,92 2 square kilometers or 1,978,565 acres.

Midstream

The Companys refinery is located across the harbor from Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea. Its refinery is the sole refiner of hydrocarbons located in Papua New Guinea. Jet fuel, diesel and gasoline are the primary products that the Company produces for the domestic market. The refining process also results in the production of two Naphtha grades and low sulfur waxy residue. Papua New Guinea is its principal market for the products its refinery produces, other than Naphtha and LSWR. Its refinery is fully certified to manufacture and market Jet A-1 fuel to international specifications and markets this product to both domestic Papua New Guinea and overseas airlines.

Downstream - Wholesale and Retail Distribution

The Company has the wholesale and retail petroleum product distribution base in Papua New Guinea. This business includes bulk storage, transport! a tion d! istribution, aviation, wholesale and retail facilities! for refi! ned petroleum products. Its downstream business supplies petroleum products nationally in Papua New Guinea through a portfolio of retail service stations and commercial customers. As of December 31, 2012, InterOil provided petroleum products to 53 retail service stations with 43 operating under the InterOil brand name and the remaining 10 operating under their own independent brand. Of the 53 service stations that the Company supplies, 16 are either owned by or head leased to it, which it then sublease to company-approved operators. The remaining 37 service stations are independently owned and operated. It also provides fuel pumps and related infrastructure to the operators of the majority of these retail service stations that are not owned or leased by the Company under cover of equipment loan agreement. Its retail business accounted for approximately 15% of its total downstream sales during 2012. Its retail and wholesale distribution business distributes diesel, jet fuel, avgas, gasoline, kerosene and fuel oil, as well as branded commercial and industrial lubricants, such as engine and hydraulic oils.

The Company competes with ExxonMobil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Dance card filling up
  Can a deal finally be at hand that allows InterOil (NYSE: IOC  ) to deliver on the expectations it's promised investors for so long? We've been waiting more than a month for the Papua New Guinea oil-exploration specialist to decide whom it will partner with. The government of the tiny oil outpost demanded that it be a "supermajor" oil company (at the same time it was extracting better terms for itself) as a way of guaranteeing that the oil will actually get drilled, marketed, and sold. Investors have been on tenterhooks since, as InterOil apparently very laboriously goes through the bids it's received.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  InterOil (NYSE: IOC) shares were dow! n as well! , falling 36.66 percent to $56.15 after the company announced it would sell its interest in a Papua New Guinea bloc to Total, for between $1.5 billion and $3.6 billion according to InterOil, and $1.2 billion according to Total. The deal appears to have disappointed traders as they smacked the stock down following the announcement.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  For a couple of months now, we've been anticipating an annoucement fromInterOil (NYSE: IOC  ) to see whom it will select as its operations partner. Well, based on what ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM  ) has said recently, it appears that our wait is just about over.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  InterOil (NYSE: IOC  ) : In many ways, the issue with investing in InterOil over the next year or so is very similar to investing in Cheniere Energy. Both of these companies are plays on assets that have not yet generated any revenue from those assets that makes it an attractive investment.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/10-best-gas-stocks-to-own-right-now.html