LNG

June 30 (LNGJ) - Carrizo Oil & Gas, the US company with several US shale joint ventures with energy companies from India, has boosted its holdings in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and southern New Mexico. Carrizo has agreed to buy an additional 16,488 net acres for $648 million in cash from Midland, Texas-based ExL Petroleum Management, a portfolio company owned by private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners. This takes Carrico’s Delaware Basin holdings to 42,500 net acres. It is also advancing with its properties in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas and the Niobrara formation in Colorado after attracting four of India’s biggest LNG and oil and gas players as joint venture partners. They include Gas Authority of India (GAIL), Oil India, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd and Reliance Industries. The GAIL joint venture was signed in September 2011 for oil and gas properties in the Eagle Ford, with Carrizo serving as operator.