Preliminary Results

RNS Number : 8734Q
Cadogan Petroleum PLC
21 April 2009
 



CADOGAN PETROLEUM PLC

         Preliminary Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2008

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Cadogan Petroleum plc an independent oil and gas exploration, development and production company with onshore gas, condensate and oil assets in Ukraineannounces its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2008.

Principal Developments

Developments in 2008

  • Raised £145.0 million net proceeds from initial public offering in June 2008 and £26.4 million of private funds from January to May 2008
  • Net cash and cash equivalents at year end of £72.0 million (2007: £14.0 million)
  • Total capital expenditure of £74.6 million during 2008 (2007: £40.5 million)
  • Carried out intensive development programme focused on the Group's major fields and reached target depth on two wells in the east and now testing and evaluating data
  • Total proved, plus probable reserves base of 83.0 mmboe (2007: 80.4 mmboe)
     
  • Continued vigorous defence of Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences and signed significant co-operation agreement with the Ministry for  Environmental Protection of Ukraine

Post year end events

  • Appointed Ian Baron as Interim Chief Executive Officer and launched full strategic and operational review
  • Currently testing and evaluating data across all fields with revised programme and recommendations expected by the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2009 
  • Maintained cost controls to sustain liquidity position
  • Extended Zagoryanska licence area to 2014 and will continue to seek satisfactory resolution to licence issues







Enquiries









Cadogan Petroleum plc

+44 20 7245 0801

Ian Baron, Interim Chief Executive Officer




Alex Sawka, Chief Financial Officer



Pelham PR


James Henderson

+44 20 7337 1501

Evgeniy Chuikov

+44 20 7337 1513

Philip Dennis

+44 20 7337 1516










Chairman's Statement

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

The second quarter of 2008 closed with the Company's initial public offering ('IPO') which was intended to allow the Group to develop the licence areas it had previously acquired in Ukraine. Unfortunately this aim was significantly impacted by the well documented challenges to two of the Group's licences and certain operational difficulties. The latter, in particular, required the Group to modify its work programmes and to defer bringing key fields on stream, causing delays to revenues originally anticipated at the time of the IPO. 

In March 2009 the Board appointed Ian Baron as Interim Chief Executive Officer to undertake both a detailed review of the operations and an evaluation of the exploration potential and commercial viability of the Group's assets. The Board anticipates that this review will take approximately three months, during which time both capital expenditure and operating expenses will be limited to certain testing and evaluation activities.  

Ian Baron, who is a former non-executive Director of the Company, has over 30 years international upstream oil and gas experience. He has worked in several countries in the former Soviet Union and the Board considers him to be well qualified to evaluate the options available to the Group

Operations summary 

The Group's asset portfolio consists of acquired interests in 11 licence areas covering 14 fields in Ukraine

Testing of the wells in the Poltava region in eastern Ukraine has provided a significant volume of data and operations on several wells are now at a stage where they can be temporarily suspended to allow evaluation of this information. Contingent on results from this analysis, a decision will be taken as to both the commercial viability of the oil and gas zones tested and the possible development alternatives. While this evaluation is underway, drilling operations will continue only on Borynya #3 in western Ukraine, where we recently saw encouraging test results in a secondary target above the main objective. Drilling of Borynya #3 will require the use of only one rig and will significantly reduce the Group's capital commitments. 

Political and licence issues 

During 2008 the Group was faced with indirect challenges to the Zagoryanska and Pirkovskoe licences. The Group immediately embarked on an extensive programme of court hearings and political lobbying to protect its interests. Despite a number of successful court hearings, in February 2009 the High Administrative Court of Ukraine ruled in favour of the original challenge to the Pirkovskoe licence. The Group has lodged a further appeal in the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the highest judicial body in the Country.  

In support of Cadogan's position, on 30 March 2009, the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine submitted a case to the Supreme Court of Ukraine arguing that the High Administrative Court had been mistaken in reaching its decision and that the ruling should be declared invalid. The Directors believe that, notwithstanding the uncertainties described above, the validity of the Group's licences are expected to be reconfirmed.

O7 October 2008 Cadogan entered into a co-operation agreement with the Ministry for Environmental Protection of Ukraine, under which the Ministry agreed to support Cadogan in the conversion of exploration licences to production licences and to protect Cadogan's rights to its existing licences

On 15 January 2009 the Group successfully extended its licence for the Zagoryanska area. The exploration and development licence was extended by five years to April 2014. 

Overview of financial position

At the date of this report, the Group has current cash and cash equivalents of approximately £53.9 million, of which £7.6 million is committed to the construction of two gas treatment plants. As part of its strategic review, the Board is exploring the possibility to augment its funds by selling surplus assets including one or both of the gas treatment plants as well as other inventory that has been acquired. 

The Directors believe that the capital available at the date of the issue of this preliminary announcement, together with income to be generated from future operations are sufficient for the Group to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. 

Outlook

Having reduced operations from five active rigs to one, management will undertake an analysis of the operational data gathered and incorporate the results of the analysis into a revised programme of operations. In parallel, the Board will review its strategic alternatives in respect to its assets in UkraineThis review will allow the Board to assess all options open to the Company, which it plans to have completed by the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2009. In the meantime, we will continue to exert tight controls over costs and cash flows



Operations Review

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The Group owns and operates working interests in 11 gas, condensate and oil exploration and production licences throughout east and west Ukraine. These assets lie in two of the three hydrocarbon basins in Ukraine with extensive gas transportation infrastructure: the Carpathian Basin and the Dnieper-Donets Basin. The fields are easily accessible and in close proximity to the Ukrainian gas distribution infrastructure. 

In western Ukraine the Group has interests in six exploration and development and two production licences within the Carpathian BasinIn eastern Ukraine, the Group operates the Pokrovskoe, Zagoryanska and Pirkovskoe licences in the Poltava region. These licences lie in the Dnieper-Donets basin, a prolific oil and gas basin which accounts for 90 per cent of Ukraine's current oil and gas current production. The Group's primary focus is on the major fields, Borynya and Bitlya, within the Bitlyanska licence and the Pokrovskoe, Zagoryanska and Pirkovskoe fields.

The Group's reserves and resources base, includes 27.7 mmboe proved reserves ('1P'), 83.0 mmboe proved plus probable reserves ('2P'), 156.1 mmboe proved, plus possible and probable ('3P') reserves, 334.5 mmboe contingent resources ('2C') and 280.5 mmboe prospective resources ('P50'). The reserves and resources are comprised of 72 per cent gas, 27 per cent condensate and one per cent oil.  

The Board's intention is to continue active engagement with Ukrainian authorities to facilitate the transition from exploration to production licences. 

Bitlyanska licence area

The Bitlyanska exploration and development licence covers an area of 390 square kilometres and expires in December 2009. The Group has 96.5 per cent to 97.1 per cent working interest, varying on production. There are three hydrocarbon discoveries in this licence area; Bitlya, Borynya and Vovchenska. The Borynya and Bitlya fields hold 188.6 mmboe (2007: 188.6 mmboe) and 114.0 mmboe (2007: 114.0 mmboe) of contingent resources respectively, while no reserves and resources have yet been attributed to the Vovchenska field. 

    Key field developments  

Borynya #3 

The well was spud on 15 December 2007 and is drilling at 3,883 metres, with first intermediate casing being set at 1,611 metres. Drilling operations continue with a proposed TD of 5,200 metres. Recent drill stem testing of an intermediate zone at a depth of 3,653 metres in a secondary target above the main objective have provided very promising results. The test of a seven metre sand interval in the Golovetsky formation resulted in a maximum rate of 128,000 cubic metres of gas per day with condensate during a limited duration drill stem test.

The Borynya #3 well is designed to test the main target reservoir in the Verchovinsky formation at a projected depth below 4,800 metres.This interval in the Borynya #2 well tested 400,000 cubic meters of gas per day in an open hole test before the tests failed due to formation blocking the test tool. The possible extent of the Borynya structure is currently poorly defined as there is a lack of adequate seismic data due to the complex geology and the challenges of acquiring good seismic results in the terrain of the Borynya region.  

Bitlya #2

Initial infrastructure is in place, pending a decision to commence exploratory drilling. This is a 3,000 metre normally pressured gas field which has already been drilled by the Bitlya #1 well. This well established the presence of hydrocarbons in a structure identified by Soviet era 2D seismic that has been re-processed and re-interpreted using modern geophysical techniques. 

Facilities and infrastructure programme

A new gas processing plant is currently being constructed in Dubai, and will be imported into Ukraine if testing results confirm the commercial viability of the field. Alternatively, other viable methods of handling the gas output will be considered allowing the Group to market the plant to augment its funds. 

Pokrovskoe licence area 

The Group has a 100 per cent working interest in the Pokrovskoe licence which holds 58.6 mmboe (2007: 58.6 mmboe) of prospective resources. The exploration licence covers 49.5 square kilometres and runs until August 2011. There is a four well and 3D seismic work commitment. The processing of the previously acquired 3D seismic data over the entire field is now complete and the two wells, Pokrovskoe #1 and Pokrovskoe #2, have been drilled with initial testing currently underway. 

Key field developments

Pokrovskoe #2

This well is the first exploration well drilled on the Pokrovskoe structure and was spud in late 2006. During drilling and coring operations across the Visean (V17 to V22) formations, there was strong gas influx into the well bore. The well will be temporarily suspended at 5,185 metres. The main objectives of this well are to determine the productivity of the upper and lower Visean formations and to potentially convert prospective resources to reserves. The results of Porkovskoe #2 will also determine future operation on Porkovskoe #1 located within the same field.     

Pokrovskoe #1

This is the second exploration well on the licence, which was spud in early 2008. The well will be temporarily suspended at 4,988 metres pending evaluation of operational data obtained from the well so far. 

Zagoryanska licence

The Group has a 90 per cent working interest in the Zagoryanksa licence area, which holds    44.5 mmboe (2007: 44.4 mmboe) of contingent and prospective resources and is located immediately to the east of the Pirkovskoe licence. The exploration and production licence covers 49.6 square kilometres. In January 2009 the Group received a five year extension for this licence which now expires in April 2014. The required work programme includes: (1) the acquisition of 3D seismic data across the field which was  completed in the first quarter of 2009; (2) the testing of well #3 which is currently in progress; (3) workover of well #2 which is already included in the 2009 work programme; and (4) the drilling of an appraisal well. The final conclusion of the work programme is not required to be completed before the end of the license period 

Key field developments 

Zagoryanska #3

The well has been drilled to a TD of 5,110 metres in the lower Visean (V26). The well will now be temporarily suspended in order to evaluate the data after completing an acid fracture test in the lower Visean. Several potential gas bearing reservoirs were tested in the Carboniferous. Following completion of this well, management will consider completing the workover of two previously drilled wells (Zagoryanska #2 and #8). 

Pirkovskoe licence

The Group has a 97 per cent working interest in the Pirkovskoe licence which holds 82.4 mmboe (2007: 79.7 mmboe) of proved and probable reserves, 73.0 mmboe (2007: 68.9 mmboe) of possible reserves and  190.6 mmboe (2007: 194.96 mmboe) of contingent and prospective resources. The exploration and appraisal licence covers 71.6 square kilometres and runs until October 2010

Key field developments

Pirkovskoe #1 

This well was the first appraisal well in the Pivnichna block in the northern part of the Pirkovskoe licence. The well has now reached a TD of 5,723 metres in the Devonian D3. After testing the Devonian and lower Carboniferous, the well will be temporarily suspended at 5,723 metres. The well tested several shallower Carboniferous reservoirs which were oil and gas bearing but have not yet been deemed commercial.  

Pirkovskoe #2

This well has now reached 4,580 metres, but has been put on temporary suspension until the results of Pirkovskoe #1 have been received. 

Pirkovskoe #460  

Initial well testing, included within the Group's field development programme obligations, was completed in December 2007. Test results indicated, that poor casing was causing the well to produce at lower than anticipated rates as well as water influx from surrounding horizons. As a result, the well has been plugged and will be abandoned. 

Facilities and infrastructure programme

The Group owns the Kraznozayarska gas treatment plant, on the Pirkovskoe licence area, which is connected to the UkrTransGas system. Its capacity was upgraded in July 2007 to 300,000 cubic metres per day of gas and 150 tonnes per day of condensate. In addition, a new gas processing plant is currently being constructed in Dubai, and will be imported into Ukraine if testing results confirm the commercial viability of the field and the future success of the licence is certain. Alternatively, other viable methods of handling the gas output will be considered allowing the Group to market the plant to augment its funds. 

Minor fields 

The Group has a number of minor assets all located in western Ukraine. These include the following:

  • Debeslavtska licence area 

An exploration and development licence and production licence, containing 0.5 mmboe of proved, probable and possible reserves (2007: 0.5 mmboe). This licence is currently producing 168.8 boepd.

  • Cheremkhivska licence area

A production licence containing 0.1 mmboe of proved, probable and possible reserves (2007: 0.1 mmboe). This licence is currently producing 65.6 boepd.

  • Slobodo-Rungerske licence area

An exploration and development licence, containing 20.0 mboe of proved, probable and possible reserves (2007: 20.0 mmboe) and 10.3 mmboe (2007: 10.3 mmboe) prospective resources. This licence is currently producing 4.52 boepd.

  • Monastyretske licence area

An exploration and development licence, containing 0.2 mmboe of proved, probable and possible reserves (2007: 0.2 mmboe), 1.5 mmboe (2007: 1.5 mmboe) of contingent resources and 2.5 mmboe (2007: 2.5 mmboe) prospective resources. This licence is currently producing 19.2 boepd. 

  • Krasnoilska licence area

An exploration and development licence, containing 1.4 mmboe of contingent resources (2007: 1.4 mmboe).

  • Malynovetske licence area

 An exploration and development licence, containing 2.9 mmboe (2007: 2.9 mmboe) prospective resources.   

  • Mizhrichenska licence area

             An exploration and development licence, with no booked reserves or resources.  

Capital expenditure on minor fields will depend on economic viability of the fields, current and forecasted oil and gas prices, and the opportunities for diversifying exploration and appraisal risk and obtaining additional capital through potential farm-outs. 


Financial Review

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Income statement

The Group, being in an exploration and development stage, in 2008 continued to operate at a loss, recognising a loss before tax of £22.8 million (2007: £15.0 million). Revenue of £1.8 million (2007: £0.7 million) consisted of the sale of gas from well testing and from the producing wells in the Debeslavetska and Cheremkhivskoe minor fields. To the extent that revenue arises from test production during an evaluation programme, an amount is charged from evaluation costs to cost of sales, to reflect a zero margin. This has resulted in a gross loss from the Group's hydrocarbon sales of £0.2 million (2007: profit £0.1 million)

Administrative expenses of £25.4 million (2007: £13.4 million) consist of staff costs, professional fees, Directors' remuneration, depreciation charges for the Group's property, plant and equipment and its other intangible assets, any currency effects from operating transactions or from the currency-related restatement of the value of monetary assets or liabilities and the impact of any adjustments to the carrying value of VAT assets on the Group's consolidated balance sheet. In addition to recurring administrative expenses, £6.4 million of consultancy fees were incurred to defend the legal challenges indirectly associated with the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences and also to extend the Zagoryanska licence, £4.4 million of professional costs were recognised in relation to the IPO, £0.8 million relates to the provision of VAT recoverable relating to Ukraine operations and £0.2 million (2007: £4.2 million) relating to equity-settled share based payment transactions. 

Investment revenue increased during the year to £2.9 million (2007: £0.3 million) due mainly to interest income earned on funds held. 

Cash flow statement

Following the completion of Cadogan's IPO in June 2008, the Group raised total net proceeds of approximately £145.0 million. In addition, total net proceeds of £26.4 million (2007: £55.1 million) were raised through private equity fundraising. Expenditure of £39.3 million (2007: £17.5 million) on intangible exploration and evaluation assets and £32.7 million (2007: £4.6 million) on property, plant and equipment represents the Group's continued focus on the development and exploration of its oil and gas assets in Ukraine. During 2008, the Group completed the acquisition of LLC Mercor, an operating company that holds an interest in JAA #17 on the Zagoryanska licence, and in which the Group already held an interest in via its previous acquisition of Radley Investments Limited. The total cash consideration for the acquisition was £2.3 million.  

Balance sheet

As at 31 December 2008, the Group had a net cash and cash equivalents of £72.0 million (2007: £14.0 million) and no external borrowings. Intangible exploration and evaluation assets of £52.1 million (2007: £28.7 million) represent the carrying value of the Group's investment of exploration and appraisal assets throughout Ukraine. The property, plant and equipment balance of £39.5 million at 31 December 2008 (2007: £22.7 million), relates primarily to the cost of developing fields with commercial reserves and bringing them into production. Net assets have increased by £140.1 million to £208.3 million at 31 December 2008 from £68.2 million at 31 December 2007 which is principally due to the proceeds raised from the Company's IPO and private equity financing in the first six months of 2008.

Key performance indicators

The Group monitors its performance implementing its strategy with reference to clear targets set out for four key financial and one key non-financial performance indicators ('KPIs'):

  • to increase oil, gas and condensate production measured on number of barrels of oil equivalent produced per day ('boepd');
     
  • to increase the Group's oil and gas reserves by de-risking possible resources and contingent reserves 
    into 
    proved plus probable reserves ('2P'). This is measured in million barrels of equivalent ('mmboe')
  • to increase the realised price per 1,000 cubic metres;
     
  • to decrease the cost per barrel for exploration and acquisition related expenditure; and
  • to reduce the number of lost time incidents.

These KPIs are applied on a Group wide basis. The Group's performance in 2008 against these targets is set out in the table below, together with the prior year performance data. No changes have been made to the source of data or calculation used in the year apart from note 1 below. A review of the Group's strategic alternatives is currently underway with an intention to improve the Group's performance and to develop appropriate targets going forward.

 
Unit
2008
2007
Financial KPIs
 
 
 
Average production (working interest basis) (1)
boepd
 263
291
2P reserves (2)
mmboe
83.0
80.4
Finding and development cost per barrel (3)
£
16.13
0.64
Realised price per 1,000 cubic metres (4)
£
104.1
77.6
Non-financial KPIs
 
 
 
Lost time incidents (5)
Incidents
1
1

 

(1)    Average production is calculated as the average daily monthly production during the year. Year 2007 represents the average production commencing June 2007 upon commencement of commercial production.
(2)    Quantity of 2P reserves as at 31 December 2008 and 2007 is based on Gaffney, Clines & Associates independent reserves report dated 30 November 2008 and 31 January 2008, respectively. Conversion factor: bcf to mmboe at a factor of 0.18.
(3)    Calculated as exploration and acquisition expenditures paid during the year divided by 2P reserves additions in the year. 
(4)    This represents the average price received for gas sold during the year (excluding VAT).
(5)    Lost time incidents relate to injuries where an employee/contractor is injured and has time off work. 

Economic environment

In late 2007 and early 2008, the Group undertook a restructuring of a number of its key licences. The Group is now permitted to sell gas produced from the restructured assets at the higher domestic and industrial gas market rates rather than the lower residential capped rate. 

There are four principal drivers to Ukrainian product prices: (1) World and European prices for oil, gas and condensate; (2) external geopolitical pressure, principally from Russia, in the form of Gazprom's expectations of gas prices for imports into Ukraine; (3) internal Ukraine markets reacting to a reduction in price subsidies and internal supply shortages; and (4) internal politics and the distribution of energy costs throughout the Ukrainian economy. Ukraine has a significant supply and demand gap for gas that is filled principally by imports, with internal annual gas production and annual gas consumption being approximately 20 bcm and 75 bcm, respectively. As a result, there is significant scope to close the supply and demand gap through improved energy efficiencies and increased domestic production. Given this high level of dependence, Russia has significant influence on local gas prices. The gas pricing environment however continues to improve, as Russia continues to raise the price at which it sells to Ukraine

During 2008, the cost of gas imports to Ukraine remained stable resulting in Ukrainian internal sales to industry being set a maximum of USD179.5 per thousand cubic metres ('mcm'), exclusive of value added tax ('VAT'). During the second half of 2008, the discussions between Russia and Ukraine regarding prices for 2009 and beyond became increasingly acrimonious and entrenched. During January 2009, following the significant reductions in transit supplies to Europe, the gas pricing negotiations were concluded, whereby Ukraine will now pay European prices for gas imports (less a 20% discount in 2009). The Ukrainian government has announced that the maximum price for gas sold to industry in 2009 will be set at USD262 per mcm (exclusive of VAT). It is forecast that Ukrainian import prices will fully converge with western European netback prices in 2010. This adds to the potential profitability of the Group and makes Ukraine a more profitable and attractive region to explore and develop. 

Related party transactions

No related party transactions have taken place in 2008 that have materially affected the financial position or the performance of the Group during the period. 

Commitments

In July 2008, the Group entered into agreements to build two gas treatment plants; the first to process the anticipated production from the Bitlyanska licence area (containing the Bitlya and Borynya fields) and the second to process the anticipated production from the Pirkovskoe field. The total cost for the two gas processing plants is USD54.4 million (£37.6 million), of which USD10.9 million (£7.6 million) is currently outstanding. Final payment of USD10.9 million (£7.6 million) relating to both plants is expected to be paid by the end of the third quarter of 2009. 

Treasury

The Group continually monitors its exposure to currency risk. It maintains a portfolio of cash and cash equivalent balances in both USD and GBP held primarily in the UK and holds these mostly in term deposits depending on the Group's operational requirements. Production revenues from the sale of hydrocarbons are received in the local currency in Ukraine ('UAH') and to date, funds from such revenues have been held in Ukraine for further use in operations rather than being remitted to the UK. Funds are primarily converted to USD and transferred to the Company's subsidiaries to fund operations at which time the funds are converted to UAH. Some payments are made on behalf of the subsidiaries from the UK.  

 


Statement of Reserves and Resources

_______________________________________________________________________________________



Working interest basis (1)


Gas

bcf

Condensate

mmbbl

Oil

mmbbl

Total

mmboe

Proved and probable reserves 





At 1 January 2008

320.0

22.0

0.8

80.4

Revisions

11.0

0.7

-

2.7

Production

(0.5)

-

-

(0.1)

At 31 December 2008

330.5

22.7

0.8

83.0

Possible reserves 





At 1 January 2008

268.0

20.0

0.8

69.0

Revisions

16.0

1.2

-

4.1

At 31 December 2008

284.0

21.2

0.9

73.1

Contingent resources 





At 1 January 2008

1,583.0

48.0

1.5

334.4

Revisions

0.2

-

-

0.1

At 31 December 2008

1,583.2

48.0

1.5

334.5

Prospective resources 





At 1 January 2008

1,210.0

51.3

15.7

283.7

Revisions

(18.0)

-

-

3.24

At 31 December 2008

1,192.0

50.2

15.7

280.5

Total reserves and resources (mmboe)

3,389.6

142.1

18.9

771.1

 

(1)    Information is presented based on the Group’s working interest share in the fields to which the Group has an interest.
(2)    Conversion factor: mbcf to mmboe at a factor of 0.18.  

All of the Group's reserves and resources estimates are based on independent reserve reports produced by an independent reservoir engineer, Gaffney, Cline & Associates Ltd. The figures as at 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008 were obtained from reports prepared on 31 January 2008 and 30 November 2008, respectively.

 




Consolidated Income Statement

For the year ended 31 December 2008

_______________________________________________________________________________________





 
Notes
2008
£’000
2007
£’000
CONTINUING OPERATIONS
 
 
 
Revenue
 
1,792
665
Cost of sales
 
(1,966)
 (611)
Gross (loss)/ profit
 
(174)
54
 
 
 
 
Administrative expenses:
 
 
 
IPO fees expensed
 
(4,399)
-
Other administrative expenses
 
(20,990)
(13,427)
Other operating expenses
 
-
(1,855)
Operating loss
 
(25,563)
(15,228)
 
 
 
 
Investment revenue
 
2,850
278
Finance costs
 
(56)
(28)
Loss before tax
 
(22,769)
(14,978)
 
 
 
 
Tax
6
(514)
(221)
Loss for the year
5
(23,283)
(15,199)
 
 
 
 
Attributable to:
 
 
 
Equity holders of the parent
 
(22,445)
(15,197)
Minority interest
 
(838)
(2)
 
 
(23,283)
(15,199)
 
 
 
 
Loss per ordinary share
 
£
£
Basic and diluted
7
(0.16)
(0.14)






Consolidated Balance Sheet

As at 31 December 2008

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Note

2008

£'000

2007

£'000

ASSETS




Non-current assets




Goodwill


2,508

2,804

Intangible exploration and evaluation assets


52,136

28,687

Other intangible assets


144

13

Property, plant and equipment


39,543

22,733

Other receivables


18,866

3,060



113,197

57,297

Current assets




Inventories


8,156

1,654

Trade and other receivables


21,489

1,686

Cash and cash equivalents


72,026

13,957



101,671

17,297

Total assets


214,868

74,594





LIABILITIES




Non-current liabilities




Deferred tax liabilities


(1,238)

(967)

Long-term provisions


(469)

(399)



(1,707)

(1,366)

Current liabilities




Trade and other payables


(4,325)

(3,055)

Current tax liabilities


(55)

-

Other financial liability


-

(1,583)

Current provisions


(450)

(375)



(4,830)

(5,013)

Total liabilities


(6,537)

(6,379)





Net assets


208,331

68,215





EQUITY




Share capital

8

6,933

4,169

Share premium account


250,373

78,028

Shares to be issued


-

2,260

Accumulated deficit


(43,963)

(21,518)

Cumulative translation reserves


(10,625)

(492)

Other reserves


6,247

5,564

Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent


208,965

68,011





Minority interest


(634)

204

Total equity


208,331

68,215







Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

For the year ended 31 December 2008

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Notes

2008

£'000

2007

£'000

Net cash outflow from operating activities

10

(41,169)

(12,286)





Investing activities




Acquisition of subsidiaries

9

(2,416)

(18,357)

Purchases of property, plant and equipment


(32,668)

(4,601)

Purchases of intangible exploration and evaluation assets


(39,319)

(17,494)

Purchase of other intangible assets


(149)

(9)

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment


5

261

Interest received


2,761

268

Net cash used in investing activities


(71,786)

(39,932)





Financing activities




Proceeds from issue of shares


171,404

55,061

Proceeds from shares to be issued


-

2,584

Cash received from minority shareholders on incorporation of subsidiaries


-

9

Net cash from financing activities


171,404

57,654





Net increase in cash and cash equivalents


58,449

5,436

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes


(380)

(167)





Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year


13,957

8,688

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year


72,026

13,957


 



Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

For the year ended 31 December 2008

_______________________________________________________________________________________


 
 
 
 
Share
capital
£’000
 
Share
premium
account
£’000
 
 
Shares to be
 issued
£’000
 
 
Accumulated
deficit
£’000
 
Cumulative
 translation
reserves
£’000
 
 
Other
reserves
£’000
 
 
Minority
 interest
£’000
 
 
 
Total
£’000
As at 1 January 2007
2,571
23,743
-
(6,321)
(157)
1,019
-
20,855
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Issue of equity shares
1,598
57,505
-
-
-
-
-
59,103
Equity shares to be issued
-
-
2,260
-
-
-
-
2,260
Minority interest on incorporation of subsidiaries
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
9
Minority interest on acquisition of subsidiary
 
-
-
 
-
 
-
 
-
-
197
 
197
Expenses of issue of equity shares
-
(2,919)
-
-
 
-
-
 
-
(2,919)
Share-based payments
-
(301)
-
-
-
4,545
-
4,244
Net loss for the year
-
-
-
(15,197)
-
-
(2)
(15,199)
Exchange translation differences on foreign operations
-
-
-
-
 
 
(335)
-
 
 
-
(335)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As at 1 January 2008
4,169
78,028
2,260
(21,518)
(492)
5,564
204
68,215
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Issue of equity shares
2,709
179,423
-
-
-
-
-
182,132
Equity shares to be issued
55
2,205
(2,260)
-
-
-
-
-
Expenses of issue of equity shares
-
(9,145)
-
-
-
-
-
(9,145)
Share-based payments
-
(138)
-
-
-
683
-
545
Net loss for the year
-
-
-
(22,445)
-
-
(838)
(23,283)
Exchange translation differences on foreign operations
-
-
-
-
(10,133)
-
-
 
(10,133)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As at 31 December 2008
6,933
250,373
-
(43,963)
(10,625)
6,247
(634)
208,331





Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 December 2008

_______________________________________________________________________________________

1.              General information

Cadogan Petroleum plc (the 'Company', together with its subsidiaries the 'Group'), is incorporated in Great Britain under the Companies Act 1985, who began trading on the London Stock Exchange on 23 June 2008.

The financial information contained within this preliminary announcement for the years ended 31 December 2008 and 2007 does not represent statutory accounts within the meaning of Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985, but is derived from those accounts. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2008 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General Meeting in June 2009. The comparable financial information is based upon the statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2007, which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors have reported on those accounts; their reports were unqualified and did not contain statements under Section 237(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985, but included a matter of emphasis in relation to the current status of legal proceedings contesting the validity of certain of the Group's licences in Ukraine in 2008 (refer to note 2(b) below) and the Group's ability to continue as a going concern in 2007.  

2.              Basis of preparation  

The financial information has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ('IFRS') as adopted by the European Union and has been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out in the Group's 2007 statutory accounts. 

Whilst the financial information in this preliminary announcement has been prepared in accordance with IFRS, this announcement does not itself contain sufficient information to comply with IFRS. A copy of the full financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS has been published and is available on the Company's website. 

The preliminary announcement was approved by the Board on 20 April 2009. 

(a)          Going concern

The Group's business activities, together with the factors likely to affect future development, performance and position are set out ithe Business Review. The financial position of the Group, its cash flow and liquidity position are described in the Financial Review.

The Group's cash position remains strong at £72.0 million at 31 December 2008, with no external debt financing to date and the Directors believe that the capital available at the date of the issue of this preliminary announcement, together with income to be generated from future operations are sufficient for the Group to manage its business risks successfully despite the current uncertain economic outlook. 

The Group's forecasts and projections, taking into account reasonably possible changes in operational performance, start dates and flow rates for commercial production and the price of hydrocarbons sold to Ukrainian customers, show that there are reasonable expectations that the Group will be able to operate on funds currently held and those generated internally, for the foreseeable future, without the requirement to seek external financing. 

As the Group engages in oil and gas exploration and development activities, the most significant risk faced by the Group is further delays encountered in achieving commercial production from the Group's major fields. If further delays are encountered, however, capital curtailments and other measures to preserve cash such as farming out a portion of the Group's interests in its oil and gas licences may become necessary and could realistically be undertaken. Whilst such curtailments and other measures if undertaken could have an adverse effect on the Group over the longer term, including putting certain of its licence interests potentially at risk if the licence obligations are not able to be fulfilled, there would not be any significant doubt over the Group's ability to continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future. 

The Group is currently faced with legal challenges associated with its interests in the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences, which could adversely affect the cash flows of the Group if Cadogan was not successful in defending its position. In the event that the Group lost these licences or made a strategic decision not to pursue these licences any further, this impact alone will not affect the Group's ability to operate as a going concern. 

After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company and the Group have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and financial statements. 

(b)          Legal proceedings surrounding the validity of the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences

The Group is currently involved in legal proceedings, surrounding the validity of the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences. On 17 June 2008, the Poltava Regional Commercial Court ('Poltava Court') made written rulings, following a hearing on 12 June 2008, in favour of Poltavanaftogazgeology ('PNG'), a subsidiary of the Group's joint venture partner, NJSC Nadra Ukraine, a state-owned company ('Nadra'), in relation to the earlier licences held by PNG, relating to the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska fields. The court rulings: (a) declared as invalid the licences re-registered to the Nadra (which were subsequently re-registered to the Group; and (b) recognised as valid the earlier licences held by PNG. 

On 28 July 2008, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine (the 'Ministry') issued an order, making reference to the decisions of the Poltava Court on 17 June 2008, in favour of PNG, invalidating the Group's licences for its Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska fields. 

The following developments have occurred as a result of legal action taken by the Group to protect its licences:

(1)      on 29 September 2008, the Administrative Court cancelled the written rulings of the Poltava Court of 17 June 2008. The Administrative Court rejected in full the claim filed by PNG that the special permit which was issued to Nadra was invalid and that the earlier licences held by PNG remained valid;
(2)      on 7 October 2008, following a court judgment, Cadogan received written confirmation that, the Ministry revoked its earlier orders nullifying the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences and declared the special permit dated 19 October 2007, issued to Cadogan’s subsidiary LLC Astroinvest-Ukraine and LLC Astro Gas  JAA for the Pirkovskoe licence and LLC Astroinvest-Energy for the Zagoryanska licence, as valid;
(3)      on 7 October 2008, the Company signed a co-operation agreement with the Ministry demonstrating the Ministry’s support for Cadogan’s rights to licences;
(4)      in January 2009, the Group received from the Ministry a five year extension for the Zagoryanska licence now expiring in April 2014;
(5)      on 25 February 2009, the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine (the ‘Court’) found in favour of PNG in the appeal hearing in relation to the transfer of the Pirkovskoe licence to Nadra in June 2007 (the ‘Decision’). Notwithstanding this decision, Cadogan's licence to operate the Pirkovskoe field remains valid and there has to date been no direct legal challenge to Cadogan's interest in this licence. Cadogan has been advised that new legal proceedings would need to be brought against Cadogan and would need to succeed before Cadogan's interests in its licences would be affected. Cadogan has yet to receive a date for the PNG initiated appeal  hearing  with respect to the Zagoryanska licence; and
(6)      in support of Cadogan’s position, on 30 March 2009, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine submitted a case to the Supreme Court of Ukraine arguing that the High Administrative Court had been mistaken in reaching its decision and that the ruling is therefore invalid.
As noted above, Cadogan's licences remain valid and effective despite the Decision. The Board remains firmly of the view that the challenges to the licences previously held by PNG, are wholly unwarranted and, were it to succeed, would pose an unacceptable risk to Cadogan. An appeal is currently being lodged against the Decision at the Supreme Court of Ukraine. The Supreme Court of the Ukraine represents the highest judicial body in Ukraine.
As of the date of this preliminary announcement, the above outcomes remain subject to appeal.
The Directors have considered the implications of IAS 36 Impairment of assets, and IFRS 6 Exploration for and evaluation of mineral resources, and have concluded that recognition of impairment is not appropriate on the basis that the Directors believe that, notwithstanding the uncertainties described above, the validity of the Group’s licences is expected to be reconfirmed. However, the ultimate outcome is uncertain, and should the Courts in Ukraine ultimately rule that the licences were improperly awarded and further annul the existing licences, the Group would be required to impair the value of these assets in Ukraine. The amounts capitalised within intangible exploration and evaluation assets and property, plant and equipment in respect of these licences at 31 December 2008 was £43.9 million and the related VAT recoverable was £4.5 million. 
3.              Business and geographical segments

The Directors consider there to be only one business segment, the exploration and development of oil and gas revenues and only one geographical segment, being Ukraine.

4.              Dividend

The Directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend for the year (2007: £nil).

5.              Loss for the year

The loss for the year has been arrived at after charging:


2008

£'000

2007

£'000

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment  

1,044

598

Amortisation of other intangible assets

23

1

Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment

112

7

Consultancy fees

6,358

-

Staff costs

3,715

6,217

Net foreign exchange losses

1,482

539

Consultancy fees relate to consultancy fees paid in order to defend the legal issues over the Pirkovskoe and Zagoryanska licences and with the successful extension of the Zagoryanska licence.

6.              Taxation


2008 

£'000

2007 

£'000

Current tax

392

9

Deferred tax 

122

212


514

221

The Group's operations are conducted primarily outside the UK. The most appropriate tax rate for the Group is therefore considered to be 25% (2007: 25%), the rate of profit tax in Ukraine which is the primary source of revenue for the Group. Taxation for other jurisdictions is calculated at the rates prevailing in the respective jurisdictions. 

 


The taxation charge for the year can be reconciled to the loss per the income statement as follows: 



2008  

£'000

2008

%

2007  

£'000

2007

%

Loss before tax





Continuing operations

(22,769)

100

(14,978)

100

Tax credit on loss at Ukraine corporation tax rate of 25%

(5,692)

25

(3,744)

25

Permanent differences

4,054

(18)

2,394

(16)

Foreign exchange on operating activities

(545)

2

-

-

Tax losses generated in the year not yet recognised

592

(2)

1,571

(10)

Temporary differences

2,134

(9)

-

-

Utilisation of deferred tax asset not previously recognised on losses


(29)


-


-


-

Tax expense and effective tax rate for the year

514

(2)

221

(1)

 

7.         Loss per ordinary share

Basic loss per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net loss for the year attributable to Ordinary equity holders of the parent by the weighted average number of Ordinary shares outstanding during the year. The calculation of the basic and diluted loss per share is based on the following data:

Losses

2008  

£'000

2007  

£'000

Loss for the purposes of basic loss per share being net loss attributable to equity holders of the parent


(22,445)


(15,197)






Number of shares

2008

Number

 '000

2007

Number

 '000

Weighted average number of Ordinary shares for the purposes of basic loss per share


139,721


106,165





2008  

£

2007  

£

Loss per Ordinary share



Basic and diluted 

(0.16)

(0.14)

Dilutive loss per Ordinary share equals basic loss per Ordinary share as, due to the losses incurred in 2008 and 2007, there is no dilutive effect from the subsisting share warrants and share options. 

 

8.              Share capital

Authorised and issued equity share capital


2008

2007


Number

'000


£'000

Number

'000


£'000

Authorised





Ordinary shares of £0.03 each (2007: Ordinary shares of £0.01 each)

1,000,000

30,000

600,000

6,000

Issued





Ordinary shares of £0.03 each (2007: Ordinary shares of £0.01 each)

231,092

6,933

416,941

4,169

The Company has one class of Ordinary shares which carry no right to fixed income. On 10 June 2008, the authorised share capital was increased by £24.0 million by the creation of an additional 800 million Ordinary shares of £0.03 each.


Issued equity share capital


Ordinary shares

of £0.03

Number

At 1 January 2007

85,692,956

Shares issued

52,373,998

On acquisition of Ramet Holdings Ltd 

913,333

At 1 January 2008

138,980,287

Allotment of shares

92,111,447

At 31 December 2008

231,091,734

On 10 June 2008, the Company consolidated every three Ordinary shares at £0.01 each in the capital of the Company into one Ordinary share of £0.03 eachDuring the period, the Company issued an additional 92,111,447 Ordinary shares at £0.03 each, as follows:

 (a)   1,023,991 Ordinary shares at £0.03 each were agreed to be issued as part of the consideration for the acquisition of Ramet Holdings Limited that took place on 26 December 2007. These shares were then issued in January of 2008.
(b)   813,577 Ordinary shares at £0.03 each for which funds in the amount of £1,000,700 were received in 2007 and shares were issued in January and February of 2008 at which time the amounts were reclassified as share capital and share premium.
(c)    Associated with the financial liability at 31 December 2007, as the Company did not complete any additional placing of shares at the increased price per share of £1.80 (price post- share consolidation), in accordance with the terms of the share agreement, the price per share was reduced to £1.23 (price post share consolidation) per share. This resulted in 1,287,263 Ordinary shares of £0.03 each being issued on 9 April 2008, thus extinguishing the other financial liability at 31 December 2007.  
 (d)   The Company issued 22,543,137 Ordinary shares of £0.03 each through private equity fundraising for total gross proceeds of £27.7 million.
 (e)   On 18 June 2008, the Company completed its initial public offering on the main market of the London Stock Exchange, by issuing 66,443,479 new Ordinary shares at £0.03 each for total gross proceeds of £152.8 million.

The information shown above in (a) to (e) has been restated to reflect the share consolidation that took place on 10 June 2008.

9.              Acquisition of subsidiaries

LLC Mercor 

On 16 January 2008, LLC Astro-Energy ('Astro-Energy'), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, signed an agreement to acquire a 99.991 percent interest in LLC Mercor ('Mercor') for a cash consideration of US$4.35 million. On the same date, LLC Astroinvest-Ukraine ('Astroinvest-Ukraine'), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, signed an agreement to acquire the remaining 0.009 per cent interest in Mercor for US$490. Approval of this acquisition was received from the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine on   28 February 2008.

Mercor holds an interest in JAA #17 on the Zagoryanska Licence, in which an interest was previously acquired by the Group through the purchase of Radley Investments Limited. As a result of the acquisition of Mercor, Astro-Energy and Astroinvest-Ukraine together hold a 54.5 per cent interest in JAA #17.

The transaction has been accounted for as a business combination using an effective date of 8 April 2008, being the date that the Group gained control of Mercor. For reasons of materiality and practicality, the Group has consolidated Mercor's results from 1 April 2008. 

 
Book value
£’000
Fair value
£’000
Net assets acquired
 
 
Intangible exploration and evaluation assets
905
2,077
Property, plant and equipment 
21
21
Inventories 
160
8
Trade and other receivables
149
475
Trade and other payables
(23)
-
Non-current provisions
(56)
-
Deferred tax asset/(liability)
14
(314)
 
1,170
2,267
Total consideration
 
2,267
Satisfied by:
 
 
Cash
 
2,251
Directly attributable costs
 
16
 
 
 
Net cash outflow arising on the transaction
 
 
Cash consideration
 
2,267

In presenting the Group's interim financial statements for the period ending 30 June 2008, the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired as part of the Mercor acquisition had been assessed on a preliminary basis in accordance with IFRS 3 Business Combinations as valuations on certain identifiable assets and liabilities were not then complete. These valuations are now complete and as a result, the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities have been adjusted to reflect management's best estimate. 

Management has considered that the purchase consideration equals the aggregate of the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities including intangible exploration and evaluation assets of Mercor and therefore no goodwill has been recorded on the acquisition. Deferred tax has been recognised in respect of the fair value adjustments as applicable.

Mercor contributed £2,805 to revenue and a loss of £0.2 million to the Group's loss before tax for the period between the date of acquisition and the balance sheet date. 

If the acquisition of Mercor had been completed on the first day of the period to 31 December 2008, Group revenues for the period would have been £1.8 million and Group loss attributable to equity holders of the parent would have been £21.8 million.

Zagoryanska JAA #1

On 18 January 2008, Astro-Energy acquired a 99.91 per cent stake in the Zagoryanska JAA #1 from Profit LLC for cash consideration of US$1 million. The other participant in this joint activity agreement, holding a 0.09 per cent interest, is Poltavanaftogazgeology, a subsidiary of NJSC Nadra Ukraine, a state owned company. Approval of this acquisition was received from the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine on    25 April 2008.

This acquisition has not been treated as a business combination as defined in IFRS 3 'Business Combinations' as management consider that this was an acquisition of business assets rather than that of a business as defined in IFRS 3. 

Ramet Holdings Limited

Additional cash consideration of £0.1 million was paid in 2008 for the acquisition of Ramet Holdings Limited which took place on 26 December 2007.  

The total cash consideration, during the year ended 31 December 2008, in respect of the acquisition of LLC Mercor and Ramet Holdings Limited, was £2.4 million.

10.              Notes to the cash flow statement

 


2008

£'000

2007

£'000

Operating loss

(25,563)

(15,228)

Adjustments for:



Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

1,044

598

Depreciation of other intangible assets

23

2

Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment

112

7

Share-based payments

205

4,244

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes

(4,192)

(155)

Operating cash flows before movements in working capital

(28,371)

(10,532)

Increase in inventories

(6,494)

(658)

Increase in receivables

(7,408)

(603)

Increase/(decrease) in payables

1,383

(484)

Cash used in operations

(40,890)

(12,277)

Income taxes paid

(279)

(9)

Net cash outflows from continuing operations

(41,169)

(12,286)

Cash and cash equivalents (which are presented as a single class of assets on the balance sheet) comprise cash at bank and other short term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

11.              Commitments and contingencies

Joint activity agreements

The Group has interests in eleven licences for the conduct of its exploration and development activities within Ukraine. Each licence is held with the obligation to fulfil a minimum set of exploration activities within its term and is summarised on an annual basis, including the agreed minimum amount forecasted expenditure to fulfil those obligations. The activities and proposed expenditure levels are agreed with the government licensing authority Nadra.  

The minimum required future financing of exploration and development work on fields under the licence obligations are as follow:


2008

£'000

2007

£'000

Within one year

24,475

26,895

Between one and five years

7,399

18,821


31,874

45,716

A greater level of capital expenditure is, however, budgeted over the above period to achieve the Group's corporate targets.

Ramet Holdings Limited

Under the terms of acquisition of Ramet Holdings Limited, the Group has a contingent liability in relation to the deferred consideration equal to the number of recoverable proven and probable barrels of oil equivalent from the first two wells drilled and tested in the Malynovestske Field (the Malynovestske licence area in the Bogorodchansky Administration District of the Ivano-Frankiviska Administration Region in Western Ukraine). For the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of oil equivalent recoverable, the parties should instruct a suitably qualified and insured independent expert of at least 10 years' standing. Payment shall be made within 30 days of the expert's report and, notwithstanding that report, shall not exceed US$5 million. 

Gas processing plants

In July 2008, the Group entered into agreements to build two gas treatment plants; the first to process the anticipated production from the Bitlyanska licence area (containing the Bitlya and Borynya fields) and the second to process the anticipated production from the Pirkovskoe field. The total cost for the two gas processing plants is USD54.4 million (£37.6 million), of which USD10.9 million (£7.6 million) is currently outstanding. Final payment of USD10.9 million (£7.6 million) relating to both plants is expected to be paid by the end of the third quarter 2009. The new gas processing plants are currently being constructed in Dubai, and will be imported into Ukraine if testing results confirm the commercial viability of the fields and the future success of the licences are certain. Alternatively other viable methods of handling the gas output will be considered allowing the Group to market the plants to augment its funds. 



This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
 
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