Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina have won a board recommendation from Arrow Energy after lifting their joint takeover bid for the Australian energy producer from A$4.45 to A$4.70 a share in cash.

　　试图联手收购澳洲Arrow Energy公司的皇家荷兰壳牌(Royal Dutch Shell)和中石油(PetroChina)周一在提高出价——从每股4.45澳元现金提高到每股4.7澳元现金——后，赢得了Arrow董事会的支持。

　　The revised bid announced early on Monday values Arrow’s Australian assets, chiefly its reserves of coal-bed methane gas in Queensland, at A$3.5bn (£2.1bn) and excludes the Brisbane-based group’s international operations that are worth an estimated A$400m.

　　这个新的出价将总部位于布里斯本的Arrow的澳洲资产（主要是位于昆士兰州的煤层气储备）估价为35亿澳元（合21亿英镑），但不包括Arrow估价4亿澳元的国际业务。

　　Arrow is one of a number of groups aiming to invest a combined A$50bn to convert reserves of coal-bed methane into liquefied natural gas. The methane will be extracted by drilling into coal seams before it is piped overland to the coast where it will then be converted into liquefied natural gas and shipped to Asia.

　　Arrow是数家致力于将煤层气转化为液态天然气的澳洲公司之一，这些公司目前在这个领域的计划投资总额高达500亿澳元，它们开掘出蕴含于煤层中的天然气，通过地面上的管道将其运输至海岸地区，将其液化之后再运至亚洲。

　　Shell, which has pursued Arrow for about two years, is also developing a project in Queensland but it needs Arrow to bulk up its gas reserves. Arrow is among Australia’s largest holders of coal-seam gas acreage.

　　在过去两年中一直试图收购Arrow的壳牌在昆士兰也有自己的项目，但收购Arrow可以使它拥有更多的煤层气储量。Arrow是在澳洲拥有煤层气储量最大的公司之一。

　　Shell’s partnership with PetroChina is on a 50:50 basis and includes an agreement for the Chinese group to take half of the LNG produced.

　　壳牌与中石油此次建立了50：50的合资伙伴关系。根据协议，中石油可以获得该项目一半的液化天然气产出。

　　“Shell and PetroChina bring technical capabilities, capital backing, major project experience and LNG marketing ability,” Shell said.

　　壳牌表示：“壳牌和中石油带来了技术能力、资金支持、执行大型项目的经验和营销液化天然气的能力。”

　　The value put on Arrow’s Queensland operations will also provide a boost to the other consortiums planning to develop similar projects. These include projects from the UK’s BG Group and a joint venture between ConocoPhillips and Australia’s Origin Energy.

　　对Arrow昆士兰业务的估价，将鼓舞该地区的数项类似项目。它们包括英国天然气集团(BG Group)的项目，以及康菲石油(ConocoPhillips)与澳洲Origin Energy的联合项目。

　　Malcolm Brinded, Shell’s executive director of upstream international, said the new joint venture would be a growth asset that would help meet rising demand for cleaner energy. “We expect to take the final investment decision on this large LNG project by 2012,” he said.

　　壳牌勘探和生产业务主管马博德(Malcolm Brinded)表示，这个新的合资企业将成为一项增长性资产，帮助满足市场对清洁能源日益增长的需求。他表示：“我们预计将在2012年前对这个大型液化天然气项目作出最终投资决定。”

　　The offer needs to be cleared by Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board, which last year blocked a number of Chinese takeovers, and the National Development and Reform Commission of China and China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

　　这项收购必须得到澳大利亚外国投资审查委员会(Foreign Investment Review Board)的批准。该机构去年否决了几项来自中国企业的收购企图。它还需要得到中国发改委和外汇管理局的批准。

　　Arrow is advised by Citigroup and UBS, NM Rothschild is advising Shell and Morgan Stanley is advising PetroChina.

　　此次交易中，花旗银行(Citigroup)和瑞银(UBS)担任Arrow顾问，投资银行洛希尔公司(NM Rothschild)担任壳牌顾问，摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)担任中石油顾问。