Interim Management Statement and AGM Statement

John Wood Group PLC ("Wood Group", the "Group") Annual General Meeting ("AGM") Statement and Interim Management Statement ("IMS") Wood Group, the international energy services company, issues the following IMS which the Chairman, Sir Ian Wood, will deliver at the AGM, today, 13th May: Performance in the year to date has been in line with expectations, with our continuing focus on production support and longer term capital projects, wide international spread and high quality customer base. Market conditions remain similar to those at the start of the year: * global E&P spend will likely reduce by around 10-15% during 2009, resulting in lower service company activity with the most significant reductions for Wood Group being in the North American gas market and in Canadian oil sands activity; * customers are focused on cost reduction and efficiency improvements, and we are successfully applying our differentiated services, products and expertise to lower customers' overall project and operating costs; * although some projects are subject to delays, larger customers are generally continuing to make major project decisions based on oil and gas prices increasing in the medium term. Across the Group we have implemented a range of efficiency and cost reduction measures, particularly in areas of business where activity has reduced. Engineering & Production Facilities In Engineering, we have a reasonable level of activity and prospects, although there are project delays in upstream and oil sands, in part due to clients seeking to benefit from the anticipated reduction in overall project costs. Recent awards include FEED (Front End Engineering Design) services for Chevron's Jack and St Malo project in the Gulf of Mexico and pre-FEED work for ExxonMobil's Scarborough development in Western Australia. Subsea and pipelines spending by clients continues to be robust. In the US, our downstream business is benefiting from high levels of regulatory work, although there has been some reduction in chemicals activity. We are continuing our focus on developing our world leading engineering capabilities into new markets, particularly the Middle East, West Africa, and Asia Pacific. In Production Facilities, our customers' focus on maintaining production levels, lowering unit production costs and ensuring asset integrity is providing a number of good opportunities. In the North Sea, we are winning an increasing share of work from new entrants, including TAQA. We are continuing to increase our presence in international markets and are seeing an increasing level of international opportunities. We have recently strengthened our position in Asia Pacific through the acquisition of Proteus in Australia, a provider of commissioning, operations support and engineering services. Well Support As anticipated, 2009 is a challenging year for Well Support, with low gas prices resulting in the US gas rig count being down by over 50% from its peak in September 2008. These rig count reductions impact the US activities of Pressure Control and Logging Services (about 6% of Group revenue in 2008) and in these areas we have reduced our workforce by around 25% and are significantly reducing other costs. Internationally, Pressure Control activity remains more resilient with good progress in Latin America and the Middle East. In Electric Submersible Pumps, our strong production related content, good international exposure and flexible approach to markets are contributing to a good performance. Gas Turbine Services In Gas Turbine Services, our oil & gas related activities are benefitting from the focus on production support and the longer term contracts in place. In the power sector, demand for our aftermarket services has remained steady in spite of the anticipated small reduction in overall power demand in the US in 2009. Across our activities, we are augmenting our product capabilities and customer focused solutions. Overall, our aftermarket related activities (representing around 85% of the Division's revenue in 2008) should remain resilient. The balance of our revenue in fast track power package activities is subject to the impact of tight credit markets, although we continue to see strong enquiry levels. Cash flow, financing and foreign exchange We expect to deliver strong operating cash flow in 2009 and, as reported in March, we have renewed our bank facilities of $950m until 2012, ensuring we have the financial resources to take advantage of the opportunities that we believe will arise as the energy services market recovers. If the current stronger US dollar rates prevail for the remainder of the year, there will be a negative impact on our reported results from the translation of non US dollar profits, however given the majority of the Group's profit is generated in US dollars, there should be a significant net benefit for shareholders in sterling. Outlook Performance in the year to date has been in line with expectations, with our continuing focus on production support and longer term capital projects, wide international spread and high quality customer base. We believe the longer term fundamentals for our products and services remain strong and we will continue to extend our services and broaden our international presence to ensure we are well positioned to resume good growth as the energy market recovers. ENQUIRIES: Wood Group, 01224 851000 Nick Gilman / Carolyn Smith Brunswick, 020 7404 5959 Patrick Handley / Nina Coad ND
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