CALGARY, ALBERTA — (Marketwire) — 11/13/12 — Kulczyk Oil Ventures Inc. (WARSAW: KOV) (“Kulczyk Oil”, “KOV” or the “Company”), an international upstream oil and gas exploration and production company, is very pleased to announce its financial and operating results for the period ended 30 September 2012. All dollar amounts are expressed in United States currency.
HIGHLIGHTS
Financial
Operational
Tim Elliott, President and Chief Executive Officer of KOV stated that:
“We continue to make great progress in Ukraine with our continuous drilling program. There is always a bit of time lag between drilling and casing the wells and then testing and completing the wells and ultimately their start of production. As the wells we drill get tied in our production continues to increase and given that commodity prices have held steady our revenues have grown materially. During the first nine months of the year, we drilled, or are drilling, five wells. During the same period five wells have been tied-in and brought on production, four wells on the Olgovskoye Licence and one well on the Makeevskoye Licence. As a result, revenue from hydrocarbon sales has increased by 245% in the 9-month period compared with the previous period.
One notable highlight is that we have two drilling rigs working at the same time in Ukraine. The Company–s rig has just finished drilling the K-7 well and will be moved to the NM-2 drilling location and a drilling rig contracted by KUB-Gas from a third party is currently drilling the M-16 well, which has a target depth of 4,300 metres. M-16 will be the deepest well we have ever drilled in Ukraine, and it is penetrating rocks that we have never drilled through before, although we know that an equivalent stratigraphic section is productive elsewhere in Ukraine.
With an active drilling and work-over program going forward, we expect to continue the upward trajectory in production. Before the year is out, we will have used our snubbing unit, which was imported from Canada early in 2012, to execute several dual completions. Dual completion allows two separate zones to produce simultaneously from the same well and using the snubbing unit lets us perform the operation without killing the existing producing zone. This is a unique operation which will be a first for KOV and, to our knowledge, perhaps even a first for Ukraine.
The progress and success to date are a great tribute to our teams in Ukraine and Calgary, and their successful collaboration.”
Production
All of KOV–s production is from Ukraine. Production volumes have increased significantly both for the nine month reporting period and for the third quarter of 2012 when compared to the same periods in 2011.
Gas and condensate production, net to KOV, increased to 2,561 boe/d (15.4 MMcfe/d), an increase of 107% year-on-year. Gas production for the nine months ended 30 September 2012, net to KOV, averaged 14.5 MMcf/d compared to an average of 7.1 MMcf/d for the nine months ended 30 September 2011, an increase of 105% year-on-year.
Production increased relatively steadily throughout the year. As of 30 September 2012 the Company had recorded ten consecutive quarters of oil and gas revenue increases dating back to the second quarter of 2010. This trend has continued into the fourth quarter of 2012 with production reaching an all-time high of 25.8 MMcf/d (18 MMcf/d net to KOV) on 7 November 2012. Further development of the R8 pool through the drilling of the M-21 and M-20 wells, the tie-in of the O-6 and O-8 wells that were fracture stimulated in the fourth quarter of 2011, and the tie-in of both the O-12 well in January 2012 and the O-18 well in March 2012, all contributed to production growth in the first nine months of 2012. The three wells in the R-8 pool (M-19, M-21 and M-20) now produce 12.9 MMcf/d gross (9.1 MMcf/d net to KOV), while the O-12 well currently produces 4.6 MMcf/d gross (3.2 MMcf/d net to KOV).
Financial performance
Revenue from hydrocarbon sales increased by 245% in the nine month period when compared to the same period in 2011. Since the KUB-Gas acquisition in June 2010, KUB-Gas has generated $116.4 million of gross production revenue, with KOV–s 70% share being $81.5 million.
The price received for natural gas during the first nine months of 2012 averaged $11.74 per Mcf, 11% higher than the $10.53 per Mcf received during the same period in 2011. Condensate price was $99.18 per barrel during the period, up from the $94.92 per barrel realized in the same period in 2011.
Increased sales volumes and the improved selling price for natural gas contributed to an increase in the netback per Mcfe to $8.13 during nine months ended 30 September 2012 compared to $6.39 during the 2011 fiscal year and $5.82 in the first nine months of 2011. (Netback is calculated as gross selling price, less royalties and operating expenses.)
In mid-July 2012, the Company further evaluated the situation in Syria and formally declared force majeure under the terms of the Syria Block 9 Production Sharing Contract. Prior to the finalization of its 2011 audited accounts, the Company had concluded that, due to the escalating crisis in the country as well as the strict sanctions imposed by the United States, Canada, the European Union and the Arab League, indicators of impairment existed. Accordingly, it had fully impaired the value of the exploration asset in Syria in its audited accounts for 2011.
In August 2012, PetroleumBRUNEI formally notified the operator of the Brunei Block M joint venture that it would not grant an extension to the term of the Phase 2 exploration period of the Block M Production Sharing Agreement, the result of which is that the Block M PSA expired on 27 August 2012. By separate notice, PetrolemBRUNEI notified the Block M joint venture of its demand in accordance with the Block M PSA for a payment in respect of the remaining outstanding minimum work commitments of which KOV–s share would be $6.0 million. This stands in marked contrast to the treatment received by the Block L joint venture where KOV is operator and represents the joint venture in its dealing with PetroleumBRUNEI and where an extension in similar circumstances was granted. While KOV intends to continue to evaluate options, if any, that may be available to it to continue to explore in the former Block M area, International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) require that the carrying value of Block M be fully impaired in the Q3 financial statements. It is noteworthy that the Company–s operations and activities in Block L continue as planned, and remain unaffected by the expiration of the Block M PSA.
In addition to the consideration and evaluation of potential alternatives to continue exploration activities on the former Block M lands, KOV is also investigating and considering other options, including legal options directed towards the former parent company of the operator of the Block M joint venture pursuant to a parent company guarantee, which, if successful, would allow it to recover costs incurred on Block M.
Operational
During the nine months ended 30 September 2012, the Company incurred $36.8 million in capital expenditures on exploration and evaluation assets and on property, plant and equipment, including costs incurred on the following projects:
In Block L, the acquisition in December 2011 of AED Southeast Asia enabled KOV to increase its ownership position to 90% and become the operator. In addition, the exploration period of the production sharing agreement was extended by 12 months to August 2013 to allow time to drill the two remaining commitment wells. In June, the Company announced completion of field operations for the acquisition of 191.8 km2 of 3D seismic data, 16.2 km2 of 3D swath data and 14 kilometres of 2D seismic data on Block L. While interpretation of the new seismic data is on-going, a number of drilling targets have already been identified. Tenders for all material contracts required to drill two wells have been issued and the tender for the drilling rig is expected to be finalized in late November or early December 2012. Drilling of the first well is expected to commence in March of 2013.
Outlook
Prior to the end of 2012 KOV intends to complete the:
KOV has filed its operating and financial results as at, and for the nine month period ended 30 September 2012 in Canada by filing on SEDAR () and in Poland by filing on ESPI () and has posted them on its website at .
Cautionary Statement
Production information is commonly reported in units of barrel of oil equivalent (“boe” or “BOE”) or in units of natural gas equivalent (“Mcfe”). However, BOEs or Mcfes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 barrel, or an Mcfe conversion ratio of 1 barrel:6 Mcf, is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead.
About Kulczyk Oil
Kulczyk Oil is an international upstream oil and gas exploration and production company with a diversified portfolio of projects in Ukraine, Brunei and Syria and with a risk profile ranging from exploration in Brunei and Syria to production and development in Ukraine. The common shares of the Company trade on the Warsaw Stock Exchange under trading symbol “KOV”.
In Ukraine, KOV owns an effective 70% interest in KUB-Gas LLC. The assets of KUB-Gas consist of 100% interests in five licences near to the City of Lugansk in the northeast part of Ukraine. Four of the licences are gas producing.
In Brunei, KOV owns a 90% working interest in a production sharing agreement which gives the Company the right to explore for and produce oil and natural gas from Block L, a 1,123 square kilometre area covering onshore and offshore areas in northern Brunei.
In Syria, KOV holds a participating interest of 50% in the Syria Block 9 production sharing contract which provides the right to explore for and, upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, to produce oil and gas from Block 9, a 10,032 square kilometre area in northwest Syria. The Company has an agreement to assign a 5% ownership interest to a third party which is subject to the approval of Syrian authorities, and which, if approved, would leave the Company with a remaining effective interest of 45% in Syria Block 9. KOV declared force majeure, with respect to its operations in Syria, in July 2012.
The main shareholder of the Company is Kulczyk Investments S.A., an international investment house founded by Polish businessman Dr. Jan Kulczyk.
For further information, please refer to the Kulczyk Oil website ().
Translation: This news release has been translated into Polish from the English original.
Forward-looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements made as of the date of this announcement with respect to future activities of KUB-Gas and related to its five licence areas in Ukraine and to certain wells drilled or seismic activities undertaken within those licence areas that either are not or may not be historical facts and with respect to certain activities In Brunei or Syria. Although the Company believes that its expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date hereof, any potential results suggested by such statements involve risk and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Various factors that could impair or prevent the Company from completing the expected activities on its projects include that the Company–s projects experience technical and mechanical problems, there are changes in product prices, failure to obtain regulatory approvals, the state of the national or international monetary, oil and gas, financial, political and economic markets in the jurisdictions where the Company operates and other risks not anticipated by the Company or disclosed in the Company–s published material. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties and actual results may vary materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statement. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in this announcement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this announcement, unless required by law.
Contacts:
Kulczyk Oil Ventures Inc. – Canada
Norman W. Holton
Vice Chairman
+1-403-264-8877
Kulczyk Oil Ventures Inc. – Poland
Jakub J. Korczak
Vice President Investor Relations & Managing Director CEE
+48 22 414 21 00