Commencement of Drilling Operations in Morocco
25 October 2019
SDX ENERGY PLC
("SDX" or the "Company")
COMMENCEMENT OF DRILLING OPERATIONS IN MOROCCO
SDX Energy Plc (AIM: SDX), the MENA-focused oil and gas company, is pleased to announce the commencement of a 12 well drilling campaign, targeting a mean 15bcf of gross unrisked prospective resources, in its operated Gharb Basin (SDX: 75% working interest) acreage in Morocco.
The first seven wells located in the Company's core producing concessions at Sebou and Gharb Centre are lower-risk appraisal wells targeting prospects which are close to existing infrastructure. These wells can be tied in quickly, at low cost, and are similar in geological risk to the discoveries already made and producing in this area.
These seven appraisal wells will be followed by two step-out exploration wells further to the north in Gharb Centre and outside the reach of the Company's existing infrastructure. These two exploration wells are targeting prospects which are similar to the discoveries made in Sebou and Gharb Centre albeit they are deemed higher risk as this part of the concession has not been previously tested. Success here could open up this northern area of the concession for extensive follow-on drilling.
The last three wells of the campaign are expected to be higher-risk exploration wells in the Lalla Mimouna Nord concession, targeting larger prospects in deeper, as yet unproven, horizons.
In order to optimise operations and reduce costs, SDX has secured an advanced North American rig to reduce drilling time. Furthermore, the Company will perforate and test successful wells in separate campaigns, with multiple wells tested back to back in each campaign to reduce equipment mobilisation costs. The drilling campaign is expected to complete in Q1 2020.
SDX will update the market on the progress of the drilling campaign at the earlier of the completion of the first testing campaign, which will cover up to four of the first seven appraisal wells, or the issuance of the Company's planned year end operational update in early January 2020.
Mark Reid, CFO and Interim CEO of SDX, commented:
"SDX is pleased to announce the start of its drilling campaign in Morocco. The 12 wells have three key objectives. The first objective is to drill seven lower risk wells in our existing core producing area. These wells are close to existing infrastructure and will increase reserves for the continued supply of gas to our existing customers.
Our second objective is to drill two step-out exploration wells to the north of our core production area which, if successful, would open up new, target-rich acreage for future drilling. The final objective of the campaign is to test larger but higher-risk prospects in the Lalla Mimouna Nord concession. To do this, we plan to drill up to three wells, however, if the first well does not meet our expectations, we may move the rig back to our core producing area and complete the campaign by drilling two further lower-risk, but smaller, prospects to add additional reserves. We expect the campaign to complete in Q1 2020 and we look forward to updating the market on progress in due course."
About SDX
SDX is an international oil and gas exploration, production and development company, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with a principal focus on MENA. In Egypt, SDX has a working interest in two producing assets (50% North West Gemsa & 50% Meseda) located onshore in the Eastern Desert, adjacent to the Gulf of Suez. In addition, the Company has a 55% operated interest in the South Disouq gas project in the Nile Delta which is expected to commence production in mid-Q4 2019. In Morocco, SDX has a 75% working interest in the Sebou concession, situated in the Gharb Basin. The producing assets in Morocco are characterised by exceptionally low operating costs, making them particularly resilient in a low oil price environment. SDX's portfolio also includes high impact exploration opportunities in both Egypt and Morocco.
For further information, please see the Company's website at www.sdxenergy.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com.
Competent Persons Statement
In accordance with the guidelines of the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange the technical information contained in the announcement has been reviewed and approved by Rob Cook, VP Subsurface of SDX. Dr. Cook has over 25 years of oil and gas industry experience, is the qualified person as defined in the London Stock Exchange's Guidance Note for Mining and Oil and Gas companies. Dr. Cook holds a BSc in Geochemistry and a PhD in Sedimentology from the University of Reading, UK. He is a Chartered Geologist with the Geological Society of London (Geol Soc) and a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG-11983) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG).
For further information:
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SDX Energy Plc Mark Reid Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer Tel: +44 203 219 5640
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Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker) Callum Stewart Nicholas Rhodes Ashton Clanfield Tel: +44 (0) 20 7710 7600
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Cantor Fitzgerald Europe (Joint Broker) David Porter Tel: +44 207 7894 7000
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GMP FirstEnergy (Joint Broker) Jonathan Wright Tel: +44 207 448 0200
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Celicourt (PR) Mark Antelme/Jimmy Lea/Ollie Mills Tel: +44 208 434 2754
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Glossary
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"bcf" |
billions of cubic feet |
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"Prospective Resources" |
quantities of hydrocarbon estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations by application of future development projects. Prospective Resources have both an associated chance of discovery and a chance of development |
Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or are not statements of historical fact should be viewed as forward-looking information. In particular, statements regarding the Company's drilling plans in Morocco and the timing and costs thereof, as well as capital expenditures, operational expenditures and prospective opportunities, should all be regarded as forward-looking information.
The forward-looking information contained in this document is based on certain assumptions and although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to them, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because SDX can give no assurances that they may prove to be correct. This includes, but is not limited to, assumptions related to, among other things, commodity prices and interest and foreign exchange rates; planned synergies, capital efficiencies and cost-savings; applicable tax laws; future production rates; receipt of necessary permits; the sufficiency of budgeted capital expenditures in carrying out planned activities and the availability and cost of labour and services.
All timing given in this announcement, unless stated otherwise is indicative and while the Company endeavours to provide accurate timing to the market, it cautions that, due to the nature of its operations and reliance on third parties, this is subject to change, often at little or no notice. If there is a delay or change to any of the timings indicated in this announcement, the Company shall update the market without delay.
Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks and uncertainties (both general and specific) that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, but are not limited to, political, social, and other risks inherent in daily operations for the Company, risks associated with the industries in which the Company operates, such as: operational risks; delays or changes in plans with respect to growth projects or capital expenditures; costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; commodity price, interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations; environmental risks; competition; permitting risks; the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and environmental regulations. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive and are advised to refer to SDX's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the three and six months ended 30 June 2019, which can be found on SDX's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, for a description of additional risks and uncertainties associated with SDX's business, including its exploration, development and production activities.
The forward-looking information contained in this press release is as of the date hereof and SDX does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward‐looking information, except as required by applicable law. The forward‐looking information contained herein is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
This announcement does not contain inside information.
Oil and Gas Advisory
Estimates of reserves have been made, assuming the development of each property in which the estimate is made will actually occur, without regard to the likely availability to the Company of funding required for the development of such reserves.
Certain disclosure in this news release constitute "anticipated results" for the purposes of National Instrument 51-101 - Standards for Oil and Gas Activities of the Canadian Securities Administrators because the disclosure in question may, in the opinion of a reasonable person, indicate the potential value or quantities of resources in respect of the Company's resources or a portion of its resources. Without limitation, the anticipated results disclosed in this news release include estimates of volume attributable to the resources of the Company. Such estimates have been prepared by management of the Company and have not been prepared or reviewed by an independent qualified reserves evaluator or auditor. Anticipated results are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including those described above and various geological, technical, operational, engineering, commercial, and technical risks. In addition, the geotechnical analysis and engineering to be conducted in respect of such resources is not complete. Such risks and uncertainties may cause the anticipated results disclosed herein to be inaccurate. Actual results may vary, perhaps materially.
Prospective Resources
The prospective resource estimates disclosed herein have been prepared by an independent qualified reserves evaluator, ERC Equipoise Limited, in accordance with the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook. The prospective resources disclosed herein have an effective date of 1 January 2019. Prospective resources are those quantities of gas, estimated as of the given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations through future development projects. As prospective resources, there is no certainty that any portion of the resources will be discovered. The chance that an exploration project will result in a discovery is referred to as the "chance of discovery" as defined by the management of the Company. There is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the resources discussed herein; though any discovery that is commercially viable would be tied back to the Company's pipeline in Morocco and then connected to customers' facilities within 9 to 12 months of discovery. Based upon the economic analysis undertaken on any discovery, management has attributed an associated chance of development of 100%. Anticipated results are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including various geological, technical, operational, engineering, commercial and technical risks. In addition, the geotechnical analysis and engineering to be conducted in respect of such resources is not complete. Such risks and uncertainties may cause the anticipated results disclosed herein to be inaccurate. Actual results may vary, perhaps materially.
There are uncertainties associated with the volume estimates of the prospective resources disclosed herein, due to the level of information available on prospective resources, but ranges are defined based on data from the Company's nearby existing analogous wells. Some of the risk and uncertainties are outlined below:
· Petrophysical parameters of the sand/reservoir;
· Fluid composition, especially heavy end hydrocarbons;
· Accurate estimation of reservoir conditions (pressure and temperature);
· Reservoir drive mechanism;
· Potential well deliverability; and
· The thickness and lateral extent of the reservoir section, currently based on 3D seismic data.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
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