Further Extension of Payment Waiver & CFO update

RNS Number : 1105R

San Leon Energy PLC

02 November 2021

 

2 November 2021

San Leon Energy plc

("San Leon" or the "Company")

Further extension of the Conditional Payment Waiver in relation to the MLPL Loan Notes

And

Chief Financial Officer update

San Leon, the independent oil and gas production, development and exploration company focused on Nigeria, provides the following update regarding the outstanding loan notes due from Midwestern Leon Petroleum Limited ("MLPL") (the "Loan Notes").

Further to the announcement on 1 October 2021, San Leon has agreed with MLPL, Midwestern and Martwestern to a further extension of the Conditional Payment Waiver (the "Extended Conditional Payment Waiver") to the end of November 2021 or, if sooner, the termination of discussions or the signing of an agreement to effect the Potential Transaction, as defined below (but otherwise on the same terms as announced on 7 July 2021). The sums to which the Extended Conditional Payment Waiver relates (and those falling due within 30 days after the expiry of the Extended Conditional Payment Waiver) will be payable 90 days after such expiry, save for, inter alia, if there is an event of default.

Background

As previously announced by San Leon, during the course of this year San Leon was due to receive the final repayments of the Loan Notes which total over US$98 million. The repayments are due in three equal instalments, commencing in July 2021 and completing by December 2021. 

MLPL is part of the structure through which San Leon holds its current 10.58% indirect economic interest in OML 18.  San Leon currently has a 40% equity interest in MLPL with the remaining interest in MLPL being owned by Midwestern Oil and Gas Company Limited ("Midwestern"). Midwestern is also the guarantor of the Loan Notes. MLPL has a 100% equity investment in Martwestern Energy Limited ("Martwestern"), which in turn has a 98% economic interest in Eroton Exploration and Production Company Limited ("Eroton"), which holds a 27% working interest in OML 18 and is its operator.

On 24 June 2021, San Leon announced that, inter alia, the Company was in preliminary discussions with Midwestern in relation to a transaction to reorganize Midwestern's holdings in the Company and MLPL into a single holding in the Company, through the transfer to the Company of the 60% equity interest in MLPL that it does not currently own (the "Potential Transaction").  It was also announced that it is expected that, inter alia, as part of the Potential Transaction, the amounts owed to San Leon by MLPL pursuant to the Loan Notes will be taken into account in the overall structure and eliminated from the resulting structure. 

On 7 July 2021, San Leon agreed with MLPL, Midwestern and Martwestern to a conditional payment waiver in respect of the repayment of approximately US$32 million of MLPL's Loan Notes and interest that fell due on 5 July (the "Conditional Payment Waiver"). As part of the terms to the agreement, the Conditional Payment Waiver was to expire at the end of August 2021 or, if sooner, the termination of discussions or the signing of an agreement to effect the Potential Transaction, and interest will accrue on this installment of the Loan Notes over this period.  The sums to which the Conditional Payment Waiver relates (and those falling due within 30 days after the expiry of the Conditional Payment Waiver) will be payable 90 days after such expiry, save for, inter alia, if there is an event of default. On 20 September 2021, the Conditional Payment Waiver was extended to expire on 30 September 2021 and subsequently extended further on 1 October 2021 to expire on the end of October 2021 under the same terms as announced on 7 July 2021.

Related party transaction disclosure

Midwestern and MLPL are related parties of the Company for the purposes of the AIM Rules by virtue of Midwestern holding more than 10% of the existing Ordinary Shares in the Company and the level of Midwestern's current interest in MLPL . The Extended Conditional Payment Waiver is therefore a related party transaction under the AIM Rules.  The Directors of San Leon (excluding Adekolapo Ademola who is not considered to be independent as he is a representative of Midwestern on the Company's board ) consider, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, Allenby Capital Limited, that the terms of the Extended Conditional Payment Waiver are fair and reasonable insofar as the Company's shareholders are concerned.

Chief Financial Officer Update

Pursuant to the Company's announcement on 3 August 2021, San Leon confirms that Lisa Mitchell's notice period ceased on 29 October 2021 and accordingly Lisa has now left the Company. San Leon would like to thank Lisa for her contribution.  The Company is pleased to announce that it has identified a replacement Chief Financial Officer. A further announcement will be made in due course following successful appointment, which is currently subject to the satisfactory completion of the AIM nominated adviser's due diligence.

Enquiries:

San Leon Energy plc	[phone]
Oisin Fanning, Chief Executive
Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated adviser and joint broker to the Company)	[phone]
Nick Naylor Alex Brearley Vivek Bhardwaj
Panmure Gordon & Co (Joint broker to the Company)	[phone]
Nick Lovering James Sinclair-Ford
Brandon Hill Capital Limited (Joint broker to the Company)	[phone]
Oliver Stansfield Jonathan Evans
Tavistock (Financial Public Relations)	[phone]
Nick Elwes Simon Hudson
Plunkett Public Relations	[phone]
Sharon Plunkett

 

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