Operational Update & 3A Best Acquisition Update

RNS Number : 4396P

Caspian Sunrise plc

29 May 2018

 

Caspian Sunrise PLC

("Caspian Sunrise" or the "Company")

BNG Deep Well operational update

3A Best acquisition update

Operational update

Deep Wells

Deep Well 801

As previously announced our plan to bring Deep Well 801 into production was by drilling a side track of between 450 - 500 meters from a starting depth of 4,501 meters. 

Having identified potential oil bearing (net-pay) intervals covering in aggregate 121 meters so far during the drilling of the side-track, we have decided to stop the side-track at a depth of 4,851 meters and, after running and cementing a 5-inch liner to the full depth of the side-track, to test the well.

Four potentially oil bearing intervals have been identified during drilling and supported by mud log data.  The first of 6 meters between 4,535 and 4,541 meters; the second is of 20 meters between 4,554 and 4,694 meters; the third is of 59 meters meters between 4,635 and 4,694 and the fourth is of 36 meters between  4,812 and 4,848 meters.

The pressure in Well 801 remains high indicating good connectivity. As the side-track has been drilled using lower density drilling mud we expect the task of getting the well to flow to allow testing to commence should be easier than previously drilled deep wells.

Deep Well A5

At Deep Well A5 work continues to prepare the mobilised rig to remove the pipe from the well and thereby clear the obstruction, which resulted in a suspension of the 90-day flow test towards the end of 2017. We expect to commence operations in the near future once the drilling mud in use at Deep Well 801 becomes available.

Pressure in the well remains high at 400 bar at the wellhead, which suggests there is still good communication throughout th length of the well.

Deep Well A6

Our plan with Deep well A6 remains to re-perforate the well using more powerful explosive charges.

The drill pipes to be used in this operation are currently in use at Deep Well 801 and work at Deep well A6 will not commence until the pipes at Deep Well 801 are released.

Acquisition of 3A Best

SPA signed

Further to the announcement of 31 January 2018, the Company is pleased to confirm that the Sale and Purchase Agreement for the conditional acquisition of 100% of the shares of 3A Best Group JSC ("3A Best") (the "Acquisition") for a consideration of $24 million to be satisfied by the issue of 149,253,732 shares at an issue price of 12p per share has been formally entered into.  Completion of the Acquisition is now dependent upon the satisfaction of a number of post signing conditions, including the issuance of a new licence.

Background

3A Best owns a Contract Area of 1,347 sq km located close to the Caspian port city of Aktau in the Mangystau Province of Kazakhstan. The Contract Area is adjacent to and runs under the commercially successful Dunga field, which was discovered in 1966 and developed by Maersk Oil.

Based on an assessment of the geology Caspian Sunrise's technical team believe some of the geological characteristics of the Dunga Contract Area are also present at 3A Best. Additionally they believe the area 2,500 meters and below the Dunga Contract area, which forms part of the 3A Best Contract Area, also indicates the likely presence of oil.

490 sq km of 3D seismic has been shot. 1,327 linear km of 2D has been digitised and reprocessed. C2 reserves, using the Soviet system of classification, of 3.67 million tonnes (approximately 26.8 mbbls) have been assigned to the 3A Best Contract Area.

Two wells have been drilled on the Contract Area in recent years, both encountering water and signs of oil & gas, although neither was commercially successful.

For the year ended 31 December 2016 the loss after tax was $1.4 million.

Caspian Sunrise would, by completing the acquisition of 3A Best, become responsible for the outstanding work programme commitment represented by the drilling of one well to a depth of 3,000 meters at an estimated cost of up to $2 million.

Related Party Transaction

As a result of the shareholdings in 3A Best of the family of Kuat Oraziman, the Chief Executive Officer of Caspian that holds one third of 3A Best and of Kairat Satylganov, its former Finance Director who holds one third of 3A Best, the Acquisition is considered a related party transaction under the AIM Rules. The independent directors of the Company in respect of AIM Rule 13, being Clive Carver and Edmund Limerick, consider, having consulted with WH Ireland, that the terms of the Merger are fair and reasonable insofar as Shareholders are concerned.

Upon satisfaction of the outstanding conditions, which principally relate to the issue of a new licence, Caspian Sunrise will issue and seek listing for the new Caspian Sunrise shares once the other conditions for completion have been satisfied.

Following the issue of these consideration shares the total number of shares then in issue would then be 1,818,927,552, of which the family of Kuat Oraziman, would hold 795,457,858 shares representing 43.73%

Comment

Clive Carver, Chairman said:

"The identification of, in aggregate, 121 meters of potential oil bearing intervals in drilling the 801 side-track allows us to move to the test phase sooner than was expected."

The lower density drilling mud used on this side-track should make bringing the well into test production an easier proposition than with our earlier deep wells where far denser drilling mud was the principal issue."

Ends

Caspian Sunrise PLC
Clive Carver Executive Chairman	[phone]
WH Ireland, Nominated Adviser & Broker
James Joyce Jessica Cave James Sinclair-Ford	[phone]
Yellow Jersey PR Tim Thompson Henry Wilkinson	[phone]

Qualified Person

Mr. Nurlybek Ospanov, Caspian Sunrise PLC's Chief Geologist / Technical Director who is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers ("SPE"), has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this announcement.

This announcement has been posted to:

www.caspiansunrise.com/investors

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014.

 

END

 

 

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