It would liquefy gas from the Montney and Horn River shale plays (where ExxonMobil is a big landholder) and send it to Asia.

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ConocoPhillips has substantial positions in gas plays in the Eagle Ford and Bakken shales, and alongside ExxonMobil in the Horn River region of western Canada.

FORBES: ConocoPhillips' Mulva Talks Up Gas

This acquisition is part of a broader shale gas strategy for Shell, which also owns acreage in western Canada (Horn River), the Haynesville Shale, South Texas, and the Pinedale.

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Macau sits on a horn of rocky coastline, where the Pearl River washes into the South China Sea.

NEWYORKER: The God of Gamblers