CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwired – Feb. 27, 2014) – Petrus Resources Ltd. (“Petrus” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce an asset acquisition in its core foothills area and provide a general operational update, including information on its 2014 capital budget and increased credit facilities.
ASSET ACQUISITION
Petrus has entered into a purchase and sale agreement to acquire oil and natural gas assets from a working interest partner in the central Alberta foothills (the “Acquisition”). The Acquisition is being made for total cash consideration of $22.85 million before closing adjustments and related costs. The Acquisition will immediately double the Company’s existing working interest in certain foothills properties and enable Petrus to assume operatorship on the majority of its foothills lands. The Acquisition includes low decline production, which averaged 833 barrels of oil equivalent per day (“boe/d”), weighted 94% to natural gas, in the month of January, net undeveloped land of approximately 36,307 acres, and increased ownership interests in gathering, compression and processing facilities. The acquisition has an effective date of January 1, 2014 and is expected to close on February 28, 2014, subject to customary conditions. Petrus is able to finance the acquisition using available credit facilities.
The Acquisition provides Petrus with oil and gas drilling upside at current commodity prices and increased working interest on near term oil drilling opportunities at Brown Creek where Petrus plans to resume drilling in the summer of 2014. The Company has identified additional drilling locations targeting various reservoirs in other strike areas, as well as reactivation opportunities.
A portion of the Acquisition is subject to right of first refusal options (“ROFR”) held by various third parties. If any ROFR is exercised, the corresponding amount of production and reserves acquired will be reduced, and the purchase price will be reduced by the value assigned to those assets. Approximately 220 boe/d of the acquired production is subject to third-party ROFRs.
OPERATIONS UPDATE
Petrus exited 2013 with record production of 4,052 boe/d (54% oil and liquids), a 22% increase per debt-adjusted share over the 2012 exit production of 2,853 boe/d (42% oil and liquids).
Foothills
The Cordel area continues to yield additional high rate, Cardium light oil wells. All of the three wells drilled in the fourth quarter of 2013 have successfully tested oil. One of these wells, in which Petrus has a 25% working interest, has delivered the highest initial production rate from an oil well at Cordel to date, with initial gross production averaging 1,420 boe/d (90% oil) over a 30 day period in January and February.
Peace River
Petrus resumed drilling in Tangent in January with a seven well program targeting oil in the Montney formation. The most recent horizontal well tested over a 32 hour period at a rate greater than 200 bbl/d of oil with a lower water cut than expected. A battery with a water disposal system at Tangent North is now operational. At Tangent South, a water disposal facility is expected to be operational in March 2014, with the complete battery running by mid 2014. Both batteries are expected to significantly decrease operating costs, increase runtime and allow for waterflood, which the Company believes will ultimately increase Montney oil recoveries. Petrus has made an application to the provincial regulator for a pilot waterflood at Tangent North which, if approved, is expected to commence in the second half of 2014.
Capital Budget
The Petrus Board of Directors has approved a base capital budget of $74 million for 2014, which will increase to $112 million with the Acquisition, subject to execution of any ROFRs. The capital budget provides for the drilling of 36 gross (24 net) wells, with approximately $45 million directed at foothills development and $29 million directed toward the Peace River area. The capital budget will be funded through cash flow and credit facilities. Coincident with the closing of the Acquisition, the Company’s borrowing base will increase to $90 million, including a $10 million development line. The increased access to capital provides Petrus with ample financial flexibility to execute its capital expenditure program and pursue additional opportunities which may become available.
ABOUT PETRUS
Petrus is a private Canadian oil and gas company focused on property exploitation, strategic acquisitions and risk-managed exploration in Alberta. Petrus is a return-driven company that is focused on delivering per share growth.
[expand title=”Advisories & Contact”]READER ADVISORIES
This press release contains forward-looking statements. More particularly, this press release contains statements concerning Petrus’ commodity weighting, plans related to drilling and other operations, commodity focus, commodity pricing, drilling locations, production rates, the expected ability of Petrus to execute on its exploration and development program and Petrus’ anticipated production (both in terms of quantity and raw attributes) cash flow, operating netbacks, planned operations and the timing thereof, evaluation of completed operations, capital budget and capital expenditure program, the availability of opportunities and other similar matters. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Petrus, including: (i) with respect to capital expenditures, generally, and at particular locations, the availability of adequate and secure sources of funding for Petrus’ proposed capital expenditure program and the availability of appropriate opportunities to deploy capital; (ii) with respect to drilling plans, the availability of drilling rigs, expectations and assumptions concerning the success of future drilling and development activities and prevailing commodity prices; (iii) with respect to Petrus’ ability to execute on its exploration and development program, the performance of Petrus’ personnel, the availability of capital and prevailing commodity prices; and (iv) with respect to anticipated production, the ability to drill and operate wells on an economic basis, the performance of new and existing wells and accounting risks typically associated with oil and gas exploration and production; (v) oil and gas prices; (vi) currency exchange rates; (vii) royalty rates; (viii) operating costs; (ix) transportation costs; and (x) the availability of opportunities to deploy capital effectively.
Although Petrus believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Petrus can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations; and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures). Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all possible risks and uncertainties.
The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date hereof and Petrus undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Any references in this news release to initial, early and/or test or production/performance rates or data related thereto are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons, however, such rates or data are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will continue production and decline thereafter. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for the Company. Such rates may be estimated based on other third party estimates or limited data available at this time. In all cases in this press release such rates not necessarily indicative of long-term performance of the relevant well or fields or of ultimate recovery of hydrocarbons.
The term barrels of oil equivalent (“boe”) may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one boe (6 mcf/bbl) is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. All boe conversions in this report are derived from converting gas to oil in the ratio of six thousand cubic feet of gas to one barrel of oil. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date hereof and Petrus undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.
“Funds from operations” should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, cash flow from operating activities as determined in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as an indicator of Petrus’ performance. “Funds from operations” represents cash flow from operating activities prior to changes in non-cash working capital, transaction costs and decommissioning provision expenditures incurred. Petrus also presents funds from operations per share whereby per share amounts are calculated using weighted average shares outstanding consistent with the calculation of earnings per share.
Petrus Resources Ltd.
Kevin Adair, P.Eng.
President and CEO
403-930-0888
kadair@petrusresources.com
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