Statoil ASA (NYSE: STO) completed on Sept. 15 the sale of some of its nonoperated Marcellus Shale interests to Antero Resources Corp. (NYSE: AR).

Denver-based Antero paid about $96 million cash for roughly 11,500 net acres with an average working interest of about 19% across Wetzel, Tyler and Doddridge counties in West Virginia. The acquisition includes interest in the same assets Antero purchased earlier in the year from Southwestern Energy Co. (NYSE: SWN).

Antero said in June it will likely put another rig in operation to focus primarily on Tyler.

In the Marcellus, Statoil, based in Stavanger, Norway, retains its operated properties in Ohio and a 350,000 net acre nonoperated position.

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