COMMENCEMENT OF DRILLING OPERATIONS IN MOROCCO

RNS Number : 3389X

SDX Energy PLC

04 May 2021

 

4 May 2021

SDX ENERGY PLC ("SDX", the "Company" or the "Group")

COMMENCEMENT OF DRILLING OPERATIONS IN MOROCCO

SDX Energy Plc (AIM: SDX), the MENA-focused energy company, is pleased to announce the commencement of the first, three well, phase of its 2021 drilling campaign in Morocco, which will comprise up to five wells over the year.

Mark Reid, CEO of SDX, commented:

"I am pleased to announce that the Company has commenced its 2021 drilling activities of up to eleven wells across our portfolio of assets with the spud of the OYF-3 appraisal/development well in Morocco. This is the first of three wells to be drilled in the coming months with a further two planned for later in the year. The objective of these wells is to add reserves to allow us to continue to deliver gas to our customers in line with their contractual requirements. The commencement of this campaign has been delayed by approximately one month due to covid-19 related travel restrictions delaying the mobilisation of equipment and personnel into Morocco. We would particularly like to thank our partner ONHYM for providing invaluable assistance in enabling us to obtain the necessary Government authorisations to mobilise the equipment and people into the country to commence the campaign last week.

The Company's Egyptian drilling activities are expected to commence in June with the first of four development wells in West Gharib and the start of our very exciting two well campaign in South Disouq where the second well, the Hanut-1X exploration well planned for mid-Q3, will be targeting gross unrisked mean recoverable volumes of 139bcf with a 33% chance of success.

I look forward to updating the market in the coming months on what is looking  to be a very busy and exciting period of activity."

Moroccan Drilling Campaign

This first phase of the Morocco drilling campaign will consist of three appraisal/development wells, which management estimates will target a total of 1.3 bcf of P90/1.8   bcf of P50, gross unrisked prospective recoverable resources, in its operated Gharb Basin acreage in Morocco (SDX: 75% working interest).

The first well, OYF-3, which spud on 30 April 2021, is  targeting the Guebbas reservoir at approximately 1,160m. The second well, KSR-17, will target the Hoot reservoir at approximately 1,720m and the third well, KSR-18, is a dual target well, with the first in the Guebbas reservoir at 1,600m and the second in the Hoot reservoir at around 1,790m. All three wells are looking to encounter shallow, biogenic gas accumulations near to the Company's existing infrastructure, thus enabling tie-ins to be completed quickly and at low cost. The Company will utilise the drilling rig that is already stacked in its yard in Morocco, thereby incurring minimal mobilisation cost.

The campaign is expected to complete in July 2021, at which point the Company will update the market on results.

The second phase of the Moroccan drilling campaign will commence in September/October 2021.

About SDX

SDX is an international oil and gas exploration, production, and development company, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with a principal focus on MENA. In Egypt, SDX has a working interest in two producing assets: a 55% operated interest in the South Disouq gas field in the Nile Delta and a 50% non-operated interest in the West Gharib concession, which is located onshore in the Eastern Desert, adjacent to the Gulf of Suez. In Morocco, SDX has a 75% working interest in five development/production concessions, all situated in the Gharb Basin. The producing assets in Morocco are characterised by attractive gas prices and exceptionally low operating costs. SDX has a strong weighting of fixed price gas assets in its portfolio with low operating costs and attractive margins throughout, providing resilience in a low commodity price environment. SDX's portfolio also includes high impact exploration opportunities in both Egypt and Morocco.

For further information, please see the Company's website at www.sdxenergy.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com . 

Competent Persons Statement

In accordance with the guidelines of the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange, the technical information contained in the announcement has been reviewed and approved by Rob Cook, VP Subsurface of SDX. Dr. Cook has over 25 years of oil and gas industry experience and is the qualified person as defined in the London Stock Exchange's Guidance Note for Mining and Oil and Gas companies. Dr. Cook holds a BSc in Geochemistry and a PhD in Sedimentology from the University of Reading, UK. He is a Chartered Geologist with the Geological Society of London (Geol Soc) and a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG-11983) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG).

For further information:

SDX Energy Plc Mark Reid Chief Executive Officer Tel: [phone]
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker) Callum Stewart Jason Grossman Ashton Clanfield Tel: [phone]
Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) Richard Crichton David McKeown Tel: [phone] Camarco (PR) Billy Clegg/Owen Roberts/Violet Wilson Tel: [phone]

Glossary

"bcf"	billion cubic feet
"bbl"	barrel
"boe"	barrel of oil equivalent
"Mcf"	thousand cubic feet
"MMscf"	Million standard cubic feet
"P50"	means that there is at least a 50% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the best estimate
"P90"	means that there is at least a 90% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the best estimate

Forward-looking information

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or are not statements of historical fact should be viewed as forward-looking information. In particular, statements regarding the volumes of unrisked prospective resources being targeted in the first phase of the Company's 2021 drilling campaign should be regarded as forward-looking information.

The forward-looking information contained in this document is based on certain assumptions, and although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to them, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because SDX can give no assurances that they may prove to be correct. This includes, but is not limited to, assumptions related to, among other things, commodity prices and interest and foreign exchange rates; planned synergies, capital efficiencies and cost - savings; applicable tax laws; future production rates; receipt of necessary permits; the sufficiency of budgeted capital expenditures in carrying out planned activities, and the availability and cost of labour and services.

All timing given in this announcement, unless stated otherwise, is indicative, and while the Company endeavours to provide accurate timing to the market, it cautions that, due to the nature of its operations and reliance on third parties, this is subject to change, often at little or no notice. If there is a delay or change to any of the timings indicated in this announcement, the Company shall update the market without delay.

Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks and uncertainties (both general and specific) that could cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward - looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, but are not limited to, political, social, and other risks inherent in daily operations for the Company, risks associated with the industries in which the Company operates, such as: operational risks; delays or changes in plans with respect to growth projects or capital expenditures; costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; commodity price, interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations; environmental risks; competition; permitting risks; the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and environmental regulations. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive and are advised to refer to the Principal Risks & Uncertainties section of SDX's Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2020, which can be found on SDX's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com , for a description of additional risks and uncertainties associated with SDX's business.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release is as of the date hereof and SDX does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward ‐ looking information, except as required by applicable law. The forward ‐ looking information contained herein is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Oil and Gas Advisory

Certain disclosures in this news release constitute "anticipated results" for the purposes of National Instrument 51-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101") of the Canadian Securities Administrators because the disclosure in question may, in the opinion of a reasonable person, indicate the potential value or quantities of resources in respect of the Company's resources or a portion of its resources. Without limitation, the anticipated results disclosed in this news release include estimates of volume, flow rate, production rates, porosity, and pay thickness attributable to the resources of the Company. Such estimates have been prepared by Company management and have not been prepared or reviewed by an independent qualified reserves evaluator or auditor. Anticipated results are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including those described above and various geological, technical, operational, engineering, commercial, and technical risks. In addition, the geotechnical analysis and engineering to be conducted in respect of such resources is not complete. Such risks and uncertainties may cause the anticipated results disclosed herein to be inaccurate. Actual results may vary, perhaps materially.

Use of the term "boe" or the term "MMscf" may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A "boe" conversion ratio of 6 Mcf: 1 bbl and a "Mcf" conversion ratio of 1 bbl: 6 Mcf are based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead.

Prospective Resources Data

The prospective resources estimates disclosed or referenced herein have been prepared by Dr. Rob Cook, a qualified reserves evaluator, in accordance with the SPE's Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook and in accordance with NI 51-101.   The prospective resources disclosed herein have an effective date of 1 January 2021. Prospective resources are those quantities of gas, estimated as of the given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations through future development projects. As prospective resources, there is no certainty that any portion of the resources will be discovered. The chance that an exploration project will result in a discovery is referred to as the "chance of discovery" as defined by the management of the Company.

There is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the resources discussed herein; though any discovery that is commercially viable would be tied back to the Company's pipeline in Morocco and then connected to customers' facilities within 9 to 12 months of discovery. Based upon the economic analysis undertaken on any discovery, management has attributed an associated chance of development of 100%.

There are uncertainties associated with the volume estimates of the prospective resources disclosed herein, due to the level of information available on prospective resources, but ranges are defined based on data from the Company's nearby existing analogous wells. Some of the risks and uncertainties are outlined below:

· Petrophysical parameters of the sand/reservoir;

· Fluid composition, especially heavy end hydrocarbons;

· Accurate estimation of reservoir conditions (pressure and temperature);

· Reservoir drive mechanism;

· Potential well deliverability; and

· The thickness and lateral extent of the reservoir section, currently based on 3D seismic data.

This announcement does not contain inside information.

 

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