Extension of 2022 Star Valley Rig 101 Contract

Predator Oil & Gas Holdings PLC

05 February 2024

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

5 February 2024

               Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc / Index: LSE / Epic: PRD / Sector: Oil & Gas

                                             LEI 213800L7QXFURBFLDS54

Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc

("Predator" or the "Company" and together with its subsidiaries the "Group")

Extension of 2022 Star Valley Rig 101 rig contract

Highlights

·    Star Valley Rig 101 contracted to drill MOU-5 during April - May 2024

·    MOU-5 will target the 177km² Jurassic structure

·    Fully-funded based on reduced well cost and discretionary cash

Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc (LSE: PRD), the Jersey based Oil and Gas Company with near-term operations focussed on Morocco and Trinidad, is pleased to announce that it has signed an extension to the Company's 2022 rig contract for the use of the Star Valley Rig 101, which is currently available in Morocco.

The extension will facilitate, subject to regulatory approvals and consent, the drilling of the MOU-5 well to evaluate the 177km² Jurassic structural closure in a crestal location, the limit of which was penetrated in MOU-4 in 2023.

MOU-5 is expected to be drilled between 1 April to 31 May 2024 in order to avail of in-country well services that will remain following the completion of the Company's rigless testing programme, which is currently underway, thereby reducing mobilisation costs for well equipment and services.

The majority of the critical long lead items required for drilling are available from the Company's surplus well inventory stored  in its Guercif warehouse, thereby potentially further reducing drilling costs.

MOU-5 is not expected to be drilled over-balanced with heavier drilling mud as the problematic mobile clay formations present in MOU-1, MOU-2 and MOU-3 are not expected to be developed at the MOU-5 well location.

The primary objective is a potentially thick development of porous and permeable, early Jurassic carbonate reservoirs sealed by overlying claystones.

The Company is fully-funded to drill MOU-5 using currently uncommitted, discretionary, cash on the Company's balance sheet.

Paul Griffiths, Executive Chairman of Predator, commented:

"We are delighted to have concluded the extension to our 2022 rig contract as it provides us with the perfect opportunity to accelerate the cost-effective and fully-funded drilling of a large Jurassic structure adjacent to our area of focus for rigless well testing.

A successful MOU-5 drilling, testing, appraisal and development programme would potentially open up opportunities to exploit our onshore proximity to the Maghreb Gas Pipeline, which is located less than 10 kilometres from the MOU-5 drill site. This is a significant advantage for any future potential developer of a gas find as it will reduce capital infrastructure costs and the lead time to "First Gas".

We also completed a very successful planning trip to Trinidad last month as a result of which we made significant progress towards establishing an operating and administrative presence.  We also identified additional workover opportunities on the Cory Moruga licence area and evaluated opportunities for re-perforating wells by deploying the Sandjet testing technology to pinpoint missed oil pays in some of the legacy wells.

The Board remains committed to generating activity and newsflow in the weeks and months ahead and are seeking potentially to take the Company to another level through continued drilling success."

For further information visit www.predatoroilandgas.com

Follow the Company on twitter @PredatorOilGas.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 on market abuse

For more information please visit the Company's website at www.predatoroilandgas.com: 

Enquiries:

Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc Paul Griffiths                Executive Chairman Lonny Baumgardner    Managing Director	Tel: [phone] [e-mail]
Novum Securities Limited David Coffman / Jon Belliss Oak Securities Jerry Keen                                                                                                                                                 Fox Davies Capital Daniel Fox-Davies/James Hehn	Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone] [e-mail] Tel: [phone]
Flagstaff Strategic and Investor Communications Tim Thompson  Mark Edwards Fergus Mellon	Tel: [phone]  [e-mail]

Notes to Editors:  

Predator is operator of the Guercif Petroleum Agreement onshore Morocco which is prospective for Tertiary and Jurassic gas.  The current focus of the exploration and appraisal drilling programme is located less than 10 kilometres from the Maghreb gas pipeline.  The MOU-1 well drilled in 2021 and the MOU-3 and MOU-4 wells drilled in 2023 have been completed for rigless testing in early 2024. Near-term focus is on supplying compressed natural gas ("CNG") to the Moroccan industrial market. A Collaboration Agreement for potential CNG gas sales of up to 50 mm cfgpd has been executed with Afriquia Gaz. Further drilling activity is anticipated in 2024 to further evaluate the MOU-4 Jurassic prospect.

Predator is seeking in the medium term to apply CO2 EOR techniques onshore Trinidad which have the advantage of sequestrating anthropogenic carbon dioxide. The acquisition of T-Rex Resources (Trinidad) Ltd. ("T-Rex") is a first step to realising this objective. T-Rex holds the Cory Moruga Production Licence. Cory Moruga is a largely undeveloped near-virgin oil field of similar potential size to the nearby Moruga West and Inniss-Trinity mature oil fields. The Cory Moruga Production Licence is a potentially significant asset for the Company with the capability of generating positive operating profits in the near-term. Capital required for staged field development can be implemented potentially utilising operating profits generated from an increasing level of gross production revenues.

Predator owns and operates exploration and appraisal assets in licensing options offshore Ireland, for which successor authorisations have been applied for, adjoining Vermilion's Corrib gas field in the Slyne Basin on the Atlantic Margin and east of the decommissioned Kinsale gas field in the Celtic Sea. The applications for successor authorisations remain "under consideration" by the DECC.

Predator has developed a Floating Storage and Regasification Project ("FSRUP") for the import of LNG and its regassification for Ireland and is also developing gas storage concepts to address security of gas supply and volatility in gas prices during times of peak gas demand.

Further progress for the Mag Mell FSRUP will be dependent on government policy in relation to security of energy supply. A generalised FSRUP concept has now been recognised by the government as an option for security of energy supply.

The Company has a small but highly experienced management team with a proven track record in successfully executing drilling operations in the oil and gas sector and in acquiring assets where there is a potential to generate multiple returns for relatively low and manageable levels of investment.

 

END