Results for YE 31 December 2017

 

 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. If you have any queries on this, then please contact Steve Boldy, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company (responsible for arranging release of this announcement).

 

Lansdowne Oil & Gas plc

 

Results for the year ended 31 December 2017

 

22 June 2018

Lansdowne Oil & Gas ("Lansdowne" or "the Company") is pleased to announce its audited results, for the year ended 31 December 2017. Lansdowne is an upstream oil and gas company, focused on exploration and appraisal activities in the North Celtic Sea Basin, off the south coast of Ireland. The Company has targeted the Irish offshore shelf areas close to existing operating infrastructure for exploration, as these provide shallow water (generally less than 100 metres), and relatively low drilling costs and the Directors believe that these factors, combined with favourable fiscal terms, have the potential to deliver high value reserves.

 

Lord Torrington, Chairman commented:

 

"Throughout 2017 efforts continued to farm-out the Barryroe Oil Field and earlier this year a Farm-Out Agreement was signed with APEC Energy Enterprises Limited for a multi-well drilling programme in 2019. After several years of low oil prices, through which the Company has focused upon cost reduction and survival, it is refreshing to see a return to drilling activity on the horizon with the potential to create value for shareholders".

 

Operational highlights

·     Barryroe Oil Field

o  Extension granted to the duration of Standard Exploration Licence 1/11 which contains the Barryroe Field, such that the first phase will continue to July 2019 and the overall term will continue to July 2021

o  In December 2017, the Barryroe partners (Providence Resources plc, (Operator) 80% and Lansdowne 20%) announced that they had entered into a period of exclusivity with a potential farminee in order to conclude contractual negotiations, having reached provisional agreement on key commercial terms for a multi-well programme at Barryroe.

·     Helvick Oil Field

o  In November 2017, a Lease Undertaking was awarded for the Helvick Oil Field, in which following an initial farm-down to MFDEVCO, Lansdowne holds a 9% interest

 

 

Financial

·     Cash balances at 31 December 2017 of £0.02 million (2016: £0.17 million).

·     Operating expenses for the year were £0.2 million (2016: £0.7 million).

·     Loss for the year after tax of £0.3 million (2016: loss £1.2 million).

·     Loss per share of 0.1 pence (2016: loss 0.4 pence).

·     Post-balance sheet events ·     Barryroe Oil Field o  Farm-out agreement entered into with APEC Energy Enterprises Limited ("APEC") for a multi-well Drilling Programme o  Farm-out expected to close in Q3 2018 ·     Financial o  Share Placing completed in April 2018 at 1.3p/share to raise £900,000 before costs o  Brandon Hill Capital Loan converted to shares at the Placing Price o  LC Capital Master Fund Loan partially converted to shares at the Placing Price and the remainder extended until 30 June 2019     For further information please contact:
Lansdowne Oil & Gas plc Steve Boldy	+353 1 495 9259
Cantor Fitzgerald Europe Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker David Porter Nicholas Tulloch	+44 (0)20 7894 7000

 

  

 

Results for the year ended 31 December 2017

Chairman's Statement

Whilst 2017 continued to be very difficult for the sector, there was a recovery of the oil price, which has continued to strengthen into 2018 and it appears that we may have turned the corner, with oil supply returning to balance with demand.

For Lansdowne, 2017 was another year focused upon survival through the difficult conditions and ensuring retention of its appraisal projects in the Celtic Sea.

In the second quarter of 2017, the Company entered into a Loan Agreement for £350,000 with one of its major shareholders, Brandon Hill Capital Limited, and the LC Capital Master Fund Loan was further extended to 1 July 2018. These arrangements were put in place to allow additional time to pursue a farm-out of Barryroe (SEL 1/11).

 

Lansdowne's 20% interest in Barryroe is our core asset and in July 2017 an extension was granted to the duration of Standard Exploration Licence 1/11 which contains the Barryroe Field, such that the First Phase will continue to July 2019 and the overall term will continue to July 2021.

 

This was an important step in enabling farm-out negotiations to continue and in December the Barryroe partners (Providence Resources plc, (Operator) 80% and Lansdowne 20%) announced that they had entered into a period of exclusivity with a potential farminee in order to conclude contractual negotiations, having reached provisional agreement on key commercial terms for a multi-well programme at Barryroe.

 

In November 2017, the Company announced that the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment had given his consent for the assignment of 10% of Providence's interest in the Helvick Lease Undertaking ("LU") to Lansdowne Celtic Sea Limited and 10% interest in the Helvick LU to Marginal Field Development Company Limited (MFDEVCO) through a farm-out agreement.

 

Following these assignments, Lansdowne now holds a 9% interest in Helvick. MFDEVCO are continuing their evaluation work under the farm-in agreement, at their sole cost.

 

Financial Results

The Group recorded an after tax loss of £0.3 million for the year ended 31 December 2017 compared to a loss of £1.2 million for the year ended 31 December 2016.

 

Group operating expenses for the year were £0.2 million, compared to £0.7 million in 2016.

 

Net finance expense for the year was £121,000 (2016: £571,000).

 

Cash balances of £0.02 million (2016: £0.17 million) were held at the end of the financial year.

 

Total equity attributable to the ordinary shareholders of the Group was £12.1million as at 31 December 2017 (£12.5 million as at 31 December 2016).

 

Post Balance Sheet Events

In March 2018, the Company announced that it, along with EXOLA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Providence Resources, had entered into a Farm-Out Agreement ("FOA") with APEC Energy Enterprises Limited ("APEC") over SEL 1/11, containing the Barryroe Field.

 

APEC is a privately owned Chinese company which has a strategic partnership with China Oilfield Services Co., Ltd ("COSL") and JIC Capital Management Limited ("JIC") for the investment and development of offshore oil and gas opportunities worldwide utilising Chinese drilling units, services and equipment.

 

Under the terms of the FOA, in consideration for APEC taking a 50% working interest in SEL 1/11, the key commercial and operational terms provide for APEC to:

 

Commercial Terms

-  Be directly responsible for paying 50% of all the cost obligations associated with the drilling of 3 vertical wells, plus any associated side-tracks and well testing (hereinafter referred to as the "Drilling Programme");

-  Provide a drilling unit and related operational services for the Drilling Programme;

-  Finance, by way of a non-recourse loan facility (the "Loan"), the remaining 50% of all  costs  of the Barryroe Partners associated with the Drilling Programme;

-  The loan, drawable against the budget for the Drilling Programme, will incur an annual interest rate of LIBOR +5% and will be repayable from production cashflow from SEL 1/11, with APEC being entitled to 80% of production cashflow from SEL 1/11 until the Loan is repaid in full;

-  Following repayment of the Loan, APEC will be entitled to 50% of production cashflow from SEL 1/11 with EXOLA and Lansdowne being entitled to 40% and 10% of production cashflow, respectively.

 

Operational Terms

-  EXOLA will act as Operator for the Drilling Programme with technical assistance being provided by the APEC Consortium.

-  After the completion of the Drilling Programme, APEC will have the right to become Operator for the development/production phase.

 

Closing

The Closing of the Farm-Out ("Closing"), which is expected to occur in Q3 2018, is conditional on completion of all ancillary legal documentation required to implement the terms of the FOA, and is subject to the approval of the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and the approval of the Chinese Government. In addition, the details of, and schedule for, the Drilling Programme are subject to further ongoing technical discussions between APEC, Lansdowne and Exola. On closing, the revised equity in SEL 1/11 will be EXOLA (Operator, 40%), APEC (50%) & Lansdowne (10%).

 

In April 2018, the Company announced that it had placed 69,230,761 new ordinary shares at a placing price of 1.3p/share to raise £900,000 before costs, with these funds being used to meet the Company's share of ongoing Barryroe costs through to closing of the farm-out, expected to take place in Q3 2018, and to fund ongoing working capital requirements until mid-2019.

 

In addition, Brandon Hill Capital agreed to convert its entire Loan, amounting to £326,911 (including interest), into new shares at the placing price. Furthermore, LC Capital Master Fund agreed to convert a substantial portion of its Loan, amounting £680,000, into new shares, also at the placing price.

 

In May 2018, at a General Meeting of the Company, these conversions were formally approved.

 

Outlook

The signing of the Barryroe Farm-Out Agreement with the Chinese Consortium is of enormous significance to Lansdowne and has the potential to transform the Company.

 

Work is underway to finalise the details of the Drilling Programme and to complete all the additional necessary legal work for closing.

 

It is anticipated that drilling will commence in mid-2019 and by late that year it is expected that the project could have advanced to development sanction.

 

The last few years have been very difficult for Lansdowne and it would not have survived without the support of our major shareholders, LC Capital and Brandon Hill Capital and I would once again like to thank them for this.

 

Tim Torrington

Chairman