Interim Results

Westmount Energy Limited 27 March 2002 CONTACTS: Derek Williams - Chairman, Westmount Energy Limited Tel: 020 7351 2925 Derek Rawlings - Investec Henderson Crosthwaite Corporate Finance Tel: 020 7597 5970 Paul Downes/ Merlin Financial & Corporate Public Relations Dominic Barretto - Tel: 020 7606 1244 27th March 2002 PRESS RELEASE WESTMOUNT ENERGY LIMITED INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2001 The Board of Westmount Energy Limited ('the Company') today announces the interim results of the Company and its subsidiaries ('the Group') for the six months to 31 December 2001. Highlights are as follows: • Profit after tax of £127,121 (2000: £122,503). • Turnover of £81,669 (2000: £472,375). • Earnings per share of 0.9p (2000: 0.9p). • The interim results reflect the sale of the Company's wholly owned United States subsidiary, Westmount Resources, Inc to AIM quoted LEPCO plc ('LEPCO'), announced on 28 February 2002, as the transaction was effective from 31 December 2001. • Turnover for 2001 relates mainly to the Group's income from its overriding royalty interest in the North Sea producing Buchan Oilfield. • The Group owns 20 million fully paid ordinary shares in AIM quoted Fusion Oil & Gas plc ('Fusion'), representing 21.6% of Fusion's issued share capital. This investment provides the Group with a substantial indirect interest in Fusion's exploration projects offshore West Africa in 8 licences across 6 countries. • Through its investment of 5,500,000 shares in AIM quoted Desire Petroleum plc ('Desire') representing 5.3% of the issued share capital of Desire, the Group has a significant continuing interest in oil exploration offshore the Falkland Islands. • The Group owns approximately 14.75% of the issued share capital of the presently unquoted Eclipse Energy Company Limited ('Eclipse'). Eclipse is now preparing a Field Development Plan for its first project in the East Irish Sea, whereby power would be generated from the gas reserves, integrated with power generated from wind turbines in an offshore generating station and exported by cable to the National Grid. • As a result of the sale of Westmount Resources, Inc the Group now owns 6,500,000 ordinary shares of LEPCO, representing 14.27% of LEPCO's issued ordinary share capital. Through this shareholding the Group retains an ongoing interest in the USA. CHAIRMAN'S INTERIM REVIEW I am pleased to report profits before taxation for the six months ended 31 December 2001 of £237,373 (£127,121 after taxation) compared with profits before taxation of £275,863 (£122,503 after taxation) in the first half of last year. These results reflect the sale announced on 28 February 2002 of the Company's wholly owned Louisiana based United States subsidiary company, Westmount Resources, Inc to AIM quoted oil and gas company LEPCO plc ('LEPCO') for a total consideration of £495,000, satisfied by the issue and allotment of 6,500,000 new fully paid ordinary shares of LEPCO to the Company at 4.5p per share and £202,500 in cash. Turnover for the period under review arising mainly from the Group's North Sea and Gulf of Mexico interests was reduced from £472,375 to £81,669, compared with the same period last year. This is due to reduced production from the United States properties and the substantially reduced gas prices obtained. The results include, however, the profit of £317,180 realised on the sale to LEPCO. This sale is in line with the Board's current strategy of streamlining the Company's business into entirely non-operated investment activities. Production arising from the overriding royalty and working interests in oil and gas properties offshore Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico and the overriding royalty interests onshore Louisiana had been exceptionally profitable in recent years but were in decline. There remains, however, the possibility of workovers and additional wells being drilled on the properties in the future. The sale to LEPCO, with its recently appointed new management team and planned expansion of its interests in the USA, provides the Company with an ongoing interest in the USA and a significant stake in LEPCO at an early stage of its future growth. Turning to Westmount, the shares in the Company of which there are currently 13,576,530 in issue, held by some 2,000 shareholders, commenced trading on AIM on 2 October 1995 at 15p. The middle market closing price on 31 December 2001 was 47p (29 December 2000: 37.5p) and on 21 March 2002 was 52.5p. There are also outstanding share options over 875,000 shares exercisable at 33.5p per share by 31 December 2004. Set out below is further information on the Company's investments. United Kingdom - North Sea The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary company Westmount Petroleum UK Limited, owns an overriding royalty based upon 0.5% of oil won and saved from Licence P241 in the central North Sea, including approximately 90% of the producing Buchan Oilfield operated by Talisman Energy (UK) Limited ('Talisman'). Oil won and saved from the P241 area in the six months ended 31 December 2001 totalled 1,483,042 barrels compared with 1,130,909 barrels for the same period in the previous year. Work on the technically innovative coiled tubing drilling project over existing wells B3 and B6 designed to boost production from the field continued. Talisman remains optimistic that these operations will prove successful. The B3 well is to be revisited and involves a re-entry and further drilling and the completion of the drilling of B6 will also take place in 2002. Falkland Islands - South Atlantic The Company presently owns 5,500,000 ordinary shares of AIM quoted Desire Petroleum plc ('Desire') representing approximately 5.3% of the issued share capital of Desire, at a carrying cost of approximately 9.4p per share. The middle market closing price of a Desire share on 31 December 2001 was 20.75p (29 December 2000: 20p) and on 21 March 2002 was 16.25p. This holding provides the Company with a significant indirect investment in oil exploration in the North Falkland Basin. Progress is continuing with farmout opportunities with a view to bringing new partners into the project to finance a resumption of drilling in the area. West Africa Through its wholly owned subsidiary company Westmount Resources Limited, the Company owns 20,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares of AIM quoted Fusion Oil & Gas plc ('Fusion') representing approximately 21.6% of the issued share capital of Fusion at a carrying cost of approximately 5p per share. This investment provides an indirect interest in the projects of Fusion in 8 oil exploration licences across 6 countries of West Africa, comprising Mauritania, the Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon and Gabon. The middle market closing price of a Fusion share on 31 December 2001 was 35p (29 December 2000: 30p) and on 21 March 2002 was 30p. Fusion's first drilling campaign offshore Mauritania in mid-2001, operated by Woodside, resulted in one oil and gas discovery, the Chinguetti discovery well, and one sub-commercial gas discovery. These wells have provided data that has improved both the understanding and prospectivity of not just the Mauritanian acreage but also the Fusion acreage in the Gambia and the Senegal/Guinea-Bissau common zone. The results of the 2001 Mauritania exploration drilling programme have now been fully evaluated and have encouraged the joint venture to acquire additional 3D seismic which is currently in progress. In July or August this year, the drilling of one or possibly two appraisal wells on the Chinguetti oil and gas accumulation and a contingent exploration well on a nearby prospect will commence. Progress is also being made in Fusion's other licence areas where several seismic exploration programmes have now been completed and continue to be evaluated. Fusion is currently in discussions with several international oil companies who have expressed interest in contributing by farm-in to further exploration of certain of Fusion's licences. Eclipse Venture By subscribing for 20% of the seed capital raised by Eclipse Energy Company Limited ('Eclipse') the Company owns approximately 14.75% of the issued share capital of Eclipse, presently unquoted. Eclipse was founded in February 1999 with the objective of developing known hydrocarbon accumulations in offshore reservoirs using what the directors of Eclipse believe to be both a practical and innovative technical and business concept. The concept devised by Eclipse is to integrate power generation from ' fallow' gas reserves with that from wind turbines in an offshore generating station. By so doing, sub-commercial or 'fallow' hydrocarbon discoveries can be developed and an opportunity provided to accelerate commercial offshore wind farming, through use of shared infrastructure and aggregation of supply. Eclipse has identified a number of potential development projects to which this concept could be applied. The 'fallow' accumulations in East Irish Sea Blocks 113/28 and 113/29 were identified as a priority project on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. Eclipse has expended significant costs to date on independent environmental and engineering studies that support the belief that the two fallow fields in Blocks 113/28 and 113/29 provide an optimal opportunity for demonstrating this concept. The award of licences for these blocks in August 2001 was therefore very significant to the future success of the Eclipse development concept and its application to both this and other energy projects on the UK Continental Shelf. Eclipse is now formulating a development plan for the next stage of its East Irish Sea project as well as researching follow-up projects, which have already been identified. LEPCO Following the sale of the Company's United States subsidiary to LEPCO as referred to above, the Company now owns 6,500,000 ordinary shares of LEPCO, which it acquired at 4.5p per share, representing 14.27% of the issued ordinary share capital of that company. The middle market closing price of a LEPCO share on 21 March 2002 was 4.75p. LEPCO's other oil and gas interests include a small portfolio of producing interests in North America, an 89.5% interest in Block 47 /9c in the UK Southern Gas Basin and small exploration interests in acreage onshore UK and the Netherlands. Interim Accounts The following unaudited consolidated profit and loss account for the six months to 31 December 2001 and unaudited consolidated balance sheet at 31 December 2001 reflect the sale of the Company's wholly owned subsidiary company, Westmount Resources, Inc which was completed on 6 March 2002. Derek G. Williams Chairman 27 March 2002 CONSOLIDATED PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT Six months to Six months to Year to 31 December 2001 31 December 2000 30 June 2001 (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) £ £ £ Turnover 81,669 472,375 689,294 Operating costs (11,292) (53,779) (115,285) _______ _______ _______ Operating profit before administrative expenses 70,377 418,596 574,009 Administrative expenses (153,703) (148,623) (299,575) _______ _______ _______ (83,326) 269,973 274,434 Interest receivable 3,519 5,890 13,911 Profit on disposal of investment 317,180 - - Amount written off investment - - (223,338) _______ _______ _______ 320,699 5,890 (209,427) _______ _______ _______ Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 237,373 275,863 65,007 Taxation (110,252) (153,360) (174,289) _______ _______ _______ Profit (Loss) on ordinary activities after taxation 127,121 122,503 (109,282) _______ _______ _______ Earnings (Loss) per ordinary share 0.9p 0.9p (0.8p) CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET 31 December 2001 30 June 2001 (unaudited) (audited) £ £ FIXED ASSETS Tangible fixed assets 62,928 142,199 Investments 2,001,260 1,708,760 ________ ________ 2,064,188 1,850,959 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 35,051 51,134 Cash at bank 184,950 536,427 ________ ________ 220,001 587,561 CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year (183,909) (201,958) ________ ________ NET CURRENT ASSETS 36,092 385,603 ________ ________ NET ASSETS 2,100,280 2,236,562 ________ ________ SHARE CAPITAL AND RESERVES Equity share capital 1,357,653 1,357,653 Share premium account 555,127 555,127 Profit and loss account 187,500 323,782 ________ ________ SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS 2,100,280 2,236,562 ________ ________ This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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