Calgary—Marathon Oil’s announcement this week it is ending talks to divest a part of its stake in an Alberta oil sands facility is one of several sale plans by producers that will require an infrastructure buildup before they can be successful, industry sources said. “There are a series of factors now impacting acquisitions in the oil sands patch, and uncertainty over pipelines is a major stumbling block,” Gary Leach, president of the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, said in an interview May 24. “Yet another issue is the rapid development of shale plays in the Bakken area that may temporarily prove to be a more attractive destination for foreign investors.”
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