Paris, 20 December
2018
No. 19-18
Maurel & Prom
announces the completion of the acquisition of Shell's stake in the
Urdaneta West field in Venezuela
-
New milestone in
Maurel & Prom's growth strategy in Latin America
-
Urdaneta West field is a
producing asset with large reserves and significant upside
potential
-
An appropriate organisational
and contractual framework has been set up to ensure an efficient
redevelopment of the asset and secure payments
Etablissements
Maurel & Prom (Euronext Paris: MAU, ISIN FR0000051070, "Maurel
& Prom") announced in the press release published on 12
October 2018 the signature of a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement
(the "SSPA") for the acquisition of Shell Exploration and
Production Investments B.V.'s ("Shell") 40% interest as
"Shareholder B" in Petroregional del Lago Mixed Company (the "Mixed
Company"), which operates the Urdaneta West field in Lake
Maracaibo, Venezuela (the "Field").
Further to this publication,
Maurel & Prom is delighted to announce that all condition
precedents have been satisfied and that the acquisition has been
completed.
The total consideration for the
acquisition of Shell's shares in the Mixed Company is €70 million,
funded from Maurel & Prom's existing cash resources and
composed as follows:
-
€47 million which have been paid at
closing of the transaction, and
-
€23 million payable in December 2019,
on the anniversary date of the transaction closing.
Maurel & Prom Venezuela,
subsidiary of Maurel & Prom, has replaced Shell as Shareholder
B in the Mixed Company, with a 40% interest. Petróleos de Venezuela
S.A. ("PDVSA"), wholly owned subsidiaries Corporación Venezolana
del Petróleo ("CVP") and PDVSA Social ("PDVSAS") collectively
referred to as "Shareholder A", jointly own the remaining 60% stake
of the Mixed Company.
New milestone in
Maurel & Prom's growth strategy in Latin America
Michel Hochard, Chief Executive
Officer of Maurel & Prom, declared: "This
transaction fits Maurel & Prom's growth strategy, focusing on
opportunities with significant potential in regions and countries
where we have operating experience. It provides us access to an
established producing asset in a world class petroleum system, with
a potential for significant production improvements. Investments in
oil and gas projects require a long term approach, and we expect
that jointly with PDVSA and its subsidiaries we will help boost the
redevelopment of the Field in the years to come. We have operated
in Venezuela in the past and our experience of the region make us
confident in the ability to transform this opportunity into a
successful project."
Producing asset
with large reserves and significant upside potential
The production of the Field in
2018 is estimated to be around 15,500 barrels of oil per day on a
100% basis (approximately 6,200 barrels of oil per day net to
Shareholder B's 40% interest), and there is potential for a swift
ramp-up in production. In particular, it is expected that a number
of targeted well interventions in the first months of operations
could have a significant impact on production.
Maurel & Prom will also
maintain the efforts which have been deployed over the years to
achieve high standards of health, safety, and environmental
practices on the Field.
As announced in the press release
published on 12 October 2018, Maurel & Prom has agreed to a
redevelopment plan to increase the production of the Field. The
redevelopment plan (amounting to up to c.€350 million for the
period 2018-2023) will be partly funded by operating cash flow from
the asset, and partly with funds advanced by Maurel & Prom
Venezuela (the "Project Funding").
In addition to this, the Field
offers significant growth optionality through the development of
additional resources, and the possible extension of the licence
duration beyond its current term in 2026.
An appropriate
organisational and contractual framework set up to ensure an
efficient redevelopment of the asset and secure payments
As part of the transaction, a
number of contracts have been pre-approved by the Mixed Company in
order to ensure the restart of the work programme operations and
guarantee a smooth circulation of cash flows.
On the operational side, Maurel
& Prom Venezuela will provide the Mixed Company with technical
assistance through a dedicated structure controlled by Maurel &
Prom Venezuela, the "Technical Assistance Company" ("TAC"),
registered in Venezuela and established in Maracaibo. In
particular, the Technical Assistance Company is intended to closely
support the Mixed Company for the conception and implementation of
development plans. A significant amount of work has been performed
already in order to start a work programme immediately after
completion and see a swift impact on production.
Maurel & Prom will also
appoint a number of secondees for certain positions within the
Mixed Company, in an agreement similar to what Shell had in place
as Shareholder B.
On the financial side and in order
to secure the access to cash flows and guarantee the payments to
the various stakeholders, it has been agreed that the oil
production of the Field would be split in two parts:
-
A portion of the production will be
retained by PDVSA in order to satisfy Venezuelan taxes and
royalties as well as a portion of the dividends due to the
Shareholder A;
-
The balance of production will be made
available by PDVSA to be lifted by a buyer designated by the Mixed
Company from the Ulé terminal in Lake Maraicabo. The proceeds from
the sale will be denominated and paid in euros to a bank account
located outside Venezuela (the "Collection Account").
Funds transferred to the
Collection Account will be used for the payment of contractors for
operating and capital expenditures, as well as the payment of
dividends to Shareholder B. Reimbursements made to Maurel &
Prom Venezuela under the terms of the Project Funding will also
flow through the Collection Account.
This press release contains inside
information as per the definition of article 7 of Regulation
n°596/2014.
For more information, visit
www.maureletprom.fr
Contacts
MAUREL &
PROM
Press, shareholder and investor
relations
Tel: +33 (0)1 53 83 16 45
ir@maureletprom.fr
NewCap
Financial communications and
investor relations
Julie Coulot/Louis-Victor
Delouvrier
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 98 53
maureletprom@newcap.eu
Media
relations
Nicolas Merigeau
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98
maureletprom@newcap.eu
This document may
contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial
position, results, business and industrial strategy of Maurel &
Prom. By nature, forward-looking statements contain risks and
uncertainties to the extent that they are based on events or
circumstances that may or may not happen in the future. These
projections are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable,
but which may prove to be incorrect and which depend on a number of
risk factors, such as fluctuations in crude oil prices, changes in
exchange rates, uncertainties related to the valuation of our oil
reserves, actual rates of oil production and the related costs,
operational problems, political stability, legislative or
regulatory reforms, or even wars, terrorism and sabotage.
Maurel & Prom is listed for
trading on Euronext Paris
CAC All-Share - CAC Oil & Gas -
Next 150 - PEA-PME and SRD eligible
Isin FR0000051070 / Bloomberg MAU.FP /
Reuters MAUP
Maurel & Prom - acquisition
english
This
announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West
Corporation clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely
responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: Maurel & Prom via Globenewswire
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