Beijing: State-owned Chinese leading oil refiner, Sinopec, announced this weekend that the company had completed the purchase of 50% of Chesapeake’s stakes in its Mississippi oil and natural gas assets for $1.02bn.

Sinopec acquires 425,000 acres in the Mississippi Lime shale formation, with estimated proven and probable oil equivalent of 245m barrels.

Chesapeake is the second-largest natural gas developer in the US. The Mississippi Lime oil and natural gas assets is located in northern Oklahoma.