Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 21, 2022) - LEUCROTTA EXPLORATION INC. (TSXV: LXE) ("Leucrotta" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its financial and operating results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2021. All dollar figures are Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Achieved production of 5,000 boe/d in late Q4/21 and exited December 31, 2021 with approximately 4,500 boe/d of production. Estimated production for Q1/22 average is approximately 4,300 boe/d.
- December 31, 2021 adjusted working capital (1) balance of $30.3 million.
- Increased adjusted funds flow (1) by 678% to $6.3 million in Q4 2021 from $0.8 million in Q4 2020.
- Entered into an arrangement agreement whereby Vermilion Energy Inc would acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Leucrotta ("Leucrotta Shares") in exchange for $1.73 cash per Leucrotta Share, 1.0 common share of a new Montney-focused exploration and production company ("ExploreCo"), and 0.1917 of an ExploreCo common share purchase warrant.
- Entered into gas processing and battery funding agreements with NorthRiver Midstream Inc. ("NRM") to provide 50 mmcf/d of firm processing capacity at NRM's West Doe gas processing facility and provide up to $55 million of capital funding that Leucrotta will use to construct a battery facility at Mica.
| FINANCIAL RESULTS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended December 31 | Year Ended December 31 | |||||||||||||||||
| ($000s, except per share amounts) | 2021 | 2020 | % Change | 2021 | 2020 | % Change | ||||||||||||
| Oil and natural gas sales | 16,365 | 6,515 | 151 | 40,219 | 23,586 | 71 | ||||||||||||
| Cash flow from operating activities | 4,367 | 212 | 1,960 | 9,509 | 1,187 | 701 | ||||||||||||
| Per share - basic and diluted (1) | 0.02 | - | 100 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 300 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted funds flow (1) | 6,275 | 807 | 678 | 12,870 | 1,355 | 850 | ||||||||||||
| Per share - basic and diluted | 0.03 | - | 100 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 400 | ||||||||||||
| Net earnings (loss) | 28,892 | (16,697 | ) | (273 | ) | 95,012 | (110,855 | ) | (186 | ) | ||||||||
| Per share - basic and diluted | 0.12 | (0.08 | ) | (250 | ) | 0.40 | (0.55 | ) | (173 | ) | ||||||||
| Capital expenditures and acquisitions (1) | 21,452 | 395 | 5,331 | 39,667 | 13,716 | 189 | ||||||||||||
| Proceeds on sale of properties and equipment | - | - | - | 30,000 | 8,206 | 266 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted working capital (deficiency) (1) | 30,315 | (5,807 | ) | (622 | ) | |||||||||||||
| Common shares outstanding (000s) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average - basic | 247,704 | 200,525 | 24 | 235,729 | 200,525 | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Weighted average - diluted | 248,803 | 200,525 | 24 | 235,884 | 200,525 | 18 | ||||||||||||
| End of period - basic | 247,822 | 200,525 | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| End of period - fully diluted | 285,893 | 214,132 | 34 | |||||||||||||||
(1) See "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures" section.
| Three Months Ended | Year Ended | |||||||||||||||||
| OPERATING RESULTS (1) | December 31 | December 31 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | % Change | 2021 | 2020 | % Change | |||||||||||||
| Daily production (2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oil and condensate (bbls/d) | 1,087 | 551 | 97 | 567 | 624 | (9 | ) | |||||||||||
| Other NGLs (bbls/d) | 24 | 94 | (74 | ) | 31 | 232 | (87 | ) | ||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs (bbls/d) | 1,111 | 645 | 72 | 598 | 856 | (30 | ) | |||||||||||
| Natural gas (mcf/d) | 13,074 | 13,508 | (3 | ) | 11,403 | 13,903 | (18 | ) | ||||||||||
| Oil equivalent (boe/d) | 3,290 | 2,897 | 14 | 2,498 | 3,173 | (21 | ) | |||||||||||
| Oil and natural gas sales | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oil and condensate ($/bbl) | 84.77 | 46.33 | 83 | 78.54 | 38.92 | 102 | ||||||||||||
| Other NGLs ($/bbl) | 41.49 | 23.97 | 73 | 32.78 | 20.53 | 60 | ||||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) | 83.83 | 43.06 | 95 | 76.13 | 33.94 | 124 | ||||||||||||
| Natural gas ($/mcf) | 6.48 | 3.18 | 104 | 5.67 | 2.55 | 122 | ||||||||||||
| Oil equivalent ($/boe) | 54.06 | 24.44 | 121 | 44.11 | 20.31 | 117 | ||||||||||||
| Royalties | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) | 17.25 | 3.09 | 458 | 12.88 | 1.79 | 620 | ||||||||||||
| Natural gas ($/mcf) | 0.73 | 0.10 | 630 | 0.50 | 0.06 | 733 | ||||||||||||
| Oil equivalent ($/boe) | 8.72 | 1.14 | 665 | 5.36 | 0.75 | 615 | ||||||||||||
| Net operating expenses (3) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) | 13.51 | 10.46 | 29 | 11.25 | 9.98 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Natural gas ($/mcf) | 1.10 | 1.06 | 4 | 0.94 | 1.01 | (7 | ) | |||||||||||
| Oil equivalent ($/boe) | 8.93 | 7.29 | 22 | 6.97 | 7.10 | (2 | ) | |||||||||||
| Transportation and marketing expenses | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) | 0.19 | 0.37 | (49 | ) | 0.51 | 0.75 | (32 | ) | ||||||||||
| Natural gas ($/mcf) | 1.05 | 1.37 | (23 | ) | 1.30 | 1.51 | (14 | ) | ||||||||||
| Oil equivalent ($/boe) | 4.25 | 6.45 | (34 | ) | 6.04 | 6.83 | (12 | ) | ||||||||||
| Operating netback (3) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs ($/bbl) | 52.88 | 29.14 | 81 | 51.49 | 21.42 | 140 | ||||||||||||
| Natural gas ($/mcf) | 3.60 | 0.65 | 454 | 2.93 | (0.03 | ) | (9,867 | ) | ||||||||||
| Oil equivalent ($/boe) | 32.16 | 9.56 | 236 | 25.74 | 5.63 | 357 | ||||||||||||
| Depletion and depreciation ($/boe) | (8.22 | ) | (7.41 | ) | 11 | (8.03 | ) | (8.50 | ) | (6 | ) | |||||||
| Asset (impairment) reversal ($/boe) | 78.38 | (50.66 | ) | (255 | ) | 98.86 | (87.31 | ) | (213 | ) | ||||||||
| General and administrative expenses ($/boe) | (5.88 | ) | (4.36 | ) | 35 | (6.60 | ) | (3.90 | ) | 69 | ||||||||
| Share based compensation ($/boe) | (1.01 | ) | (1.33 | ) | (24 | ) | (2.07 | ) | (0.54 | ) | 283 | |||||||
| Gain on sale of assets ($/boe) | - | - | - | - | 1.30 | (100 | ) | |||||||||||
| Loss on onerous contract ($/boe) | - | (7.88 | ) | (100 | ) | - | (1.81 | ) | (100 | ) | ||||||||
| Finance expense ($/boe) | (0.29 | ) | (1.14 | ) | (75 | ) | (0.48 | ) | (0.46 | ) | 4 | |||||||
| Finance income ($/boe) | 0.12 | - | 100 | 0.23 | - | 100 | ||||||||||||
| Other income ($/boe) | 0.35 | - | 100 | 0.12 | - | 100 | ||||||||||||
| Realized loss on risk management contracts ($/boe) | (5.38 | ) | - | 100 | (3.35 | ) | - | 100 | ||||||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on risk management contracts ($/boe) | 5.20 | 0.55 | 845 | (0.26 | ) | 0.13 | (300 | ) | ||||||||||
| Deferred income tax recovery ($/boe) | - | - | - | 0.04 | - | 100 | ||||||||||||
| Net earnings (loss) ($/boe) | 95.43 | (62.67 | ) | (252 | ) | 104.20 | (95.46 | ) | (209 | ) | ||||||||
(1) See "Oil and Gas Terms" section.
(2) See "Product Types" section.
(3) See "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures" section.
Selected financial and operational information outlined in this news release should be read in conjunction with Leucrotta's audited financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for year ended December 31, 2021, which are available for review under the Company's profile on The System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR") at www.sedar.com.
UPDATE
Gas Processing and Battery Funding Agreements
On March 17, 2022, the Company has entered into a 10-year gas processing agreement with NorthRiver Midstream Inc. ("NRM") to provide 50 mmcf/d of firm processing capacity at NRM's West Doe gas processing facility. The agreement commences after the construction of the Mica Battery (see below) and is subject to a ramp-up period. Leucrotta will also hold certain rights to additional firm processing capacity that, along with Leucrotta's owned 25 mmcf/d processing facility at Doe, will allow Leucrotta to reach 25,000 boe/d in the Mica area. There is no commitment for the Company until it makes a final investment decision.
Concurrent with this agreement, NRM has agreed to provide up to $55 million of capital funding that Leucrotta will use to construct a battery facility at Mica (the "Mica Battery"). The Mica Battery will consist of facilities for in-field processing of oil, gas and water and will deliver gas to NRM's West Doe gas processing facility. The Mica Battery will have an initial capacity of 60 mmcf/d expandable to 90 mmcf/d with added compression.
Proposed Corporate Transaction
On March 28, 2022, the Company announced that it had entered into an arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement") whereby Vermilion Energy Inc. ("Vermilion") would acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Leucrotta ("Leucrotta Shares") in exchange for $1.73 cash per Leucrotta Share, 1.0 common share of a new Montney-focused exploration and production company ("ExploreCo"), and 0.1917 of an ExploreCo common share purchase warrant (one whole warrant being an "ExploreCo Arrangement Warrant"). Each ExploreCo Arrangement Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one ExploreCo common share at an exercise price of $0.27 per share at any time on or before 30 days following the closing of the Arrangement. The Arrangement is expected to close late May 2022.
Under the terms of the Arrangement, ExploreCo will receive approximately $43.5 million cash, net of transaction costs, and certain oil and gas properties in the Two Rivers, BC area. In addition, ExploreCo plans to raise net proceeds of up to $36.9 million through the exercise of the ExploreCo Arrangement Warrants and two private placement financings. The proceeds of the financings will be used to fund future capital projects.
OIL AND GAS TERMS
The Company uses the following frequently recurring oil and gas industry terms in the news release:
Liquids
bbls: Barrels
Bbl/d: Barrels per day
NGLs: Natural gas liquids (includes condensate, pentane, butane, propane, and ethane)
Condensate: Pentane and heavier hydrocarbons
Natural Gas
Mcf: Thousands of cubic feet
Mcf/d: Thousands of cubic feet per day
MMbtu: Million of British thermal units
MMbtu/d: Million of British thermal units per day
Oil Equivalent
Boe: Barrels of oil equivalent
Boe/d: Barrels of oil equivalent per day
Disclosure provided herein in respect of a boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion rate of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent has been used for the calculation of boe amounts in the news release. This boe conversion rate is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead.
NON-GAAP AND OTHER FINANCIAL MEASURES
This news release refers to certain measures that are not determined in accordance with IFRS (or "GAAP"). These non-GAAP and other financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other entities. The non-GAAP and other financial measures should not be considered alternatives to, or more meaningful than, financial measures that are determined in accordance with IFRS as indicators of the Company's performance. Management believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP and other financial measures provides useful information to shareholders and investors in understanding and evaluating the Company's ongoing operating performance, and the measures provide increased transparency to better analyze the Company's performance against prior periods on a comparable basis.
Adjusted funds flow
Management uses adjusted funds flow to analyze performance and considers it a key measure as it demonstrates the Company's ability to generate the cash necessary to fund future capital investments and abandonment obligations and to repay debt, if any. Adjusted funds flow is a non-GAAP financial measure and has been defined by the Company as cash flow from operating activities excluding the change in non-cash working capital related to operating activities, expenditures on decommissioning obligations, and transaction costs on property disposition. Management believes the timing of collection, payment or incurrence of these items involves a high degree of discretion and as such may not be useful for evaluating the Company's cash flows. Adjusted funds flow is reconciled from cash flow from operating activities as follows:
| Three Months Ended December 31 | Year Ended December 31 | |||||||||||
| ($000s) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
| Cash flow from operating activities | 4,367 | 212 | 9,509 | 1,187 | ||||||||
| Add (deduct): | ||||||||||||
| Decommissioning expenditures | 156 | 39 | 207 | 144 | ||||||||
| Transaction costs on property disposition | - | - | 750 | - | ||||||||
| Change in non-cash working capital | 1,752 | 556 | 2,404 | 24 | ||||||||
| Adjusted funds flow (non-GAAP) | 6,275 | 807 | 12,870 | 1,355 | ||||||||
Net operating expenses
Net operating expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure, determined by deducting processing revenues primarily generated by processing third party volumes at processing facilities where the Company has an ownership interest. It is common in the industry to earn third party processing revenue on facilities where the entity has a working interest in the infrastructure asset. Where the Company has excess capacity at one of its facilities, it will look to process third party volumes as a means to reduce the cost of operating/owning the facility. As such, third party processing revenue is netted against operating expenses in the news release. Net operating expenses is calculated as follows:
| Three Months Ended December 31 | Year Ended December 31 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Oil and NGLs | 1,381 | 621 | 2,454 | 3,125 | ||||||||
| Natural gas | 1,454 | 1,486 | 4,718 | 5,601 | ||||||||
| Operating expenses | 2,835 | 2,107 | 7,172 | 8,726 | ||||||||
| Less: processing revenue | (132 | ) | (165 | ) | (815 | ) | (477 | ) | ||||
| Net operating expenses (non-GAAP) | 2,703 | 1,942 | 6,357 | 8,249 | ||||||||
Operating netback
Management considers operating netback an important measure as it demonstrates its profitability relative to current commodity prices. Operating netback is calculated as oil and natural gas sales less royalties, net operating expenses, and transportation and marketing expenses and is calculated as follows:
| Three Months Ended December 31 | Year Ended December 31 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Oil and natural gas sales | 16,365 | 6,515 | 40,219 | 23,586 | ||||||||
| Royalties | (2,639 | ) | (304 | ) | (4,884 | ) | (868 | ) | ||||
| Net operating expenses | (2,703 | ) | (1,942 | ) | (6,357 | ) | (8,249 | ) | ||||
| Transportation and marketing expenses | (1,285 | ) | (1,720 | ) | (5,508 | ) | (7,935 | ) | ||||
| Operating netback (non-GAAP) | 9,738 | 2,549 | 23,470 | 6,534 | ||||||||
Capital expenditures and acquisitions
Leucrotta utilizes capital expenditures and acquisitions as a measure of capital investment on property, plant, and equipment, exploration and evaluation assets and property acquisitions compared to its annual budgeted capital expenditures. Capital expenditures and acquisitions are calculated as follows:
| Three Months Ended December 31 | Year Ended December 31 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Capital expenditures - property, plant, | ||||||||||||
| and equipment | 16,124 | 193 | 28,793 | 6,953 | ||||||||
| Capital expenditures - exploration | ||||||||||||
| and evaluation assets | 4,720 | 202 | 10,266 | 6,763 | ||||||||
| Property acquisitions | 608 | - | 608 | - | ||||||||
| Capital expenditures and acquisitions | 21,452 | 395 | 39,667 | 13,716 | ||||||||
Capital Management Measures
Adjusted working capital (deficiency)
Management uses adjusted working capital (deficiency) as a measure to assess the Company's financial position. Adjusted working capital (deficiency) includes current assets less current liabilities excluding the effects of any current portion of risk management contracts. Adjusted working capital (deficiency) is reconciled to working capital (deficiency) in note 18 "Capital management" of the Company's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Non-GAAP Financial Ratios
Adjusted Funds Flow per Share
Adjusted funds flow per share is a non-GAAP financial ratio, calculated using adjusted funds flow and the same weighted average basic and diluted shares used in calculating net earnings (loss) per share.
Net operating expenses per boe
The Company utilizes net operating expenses per boe to assess its operating efficiency of its petroleum and natural gas assets on a per unit of production basis. Net operating expense per boe is calculated as net operating expenses divided by total production for the applicable period.
Operating netback per boe
The Company utilizes operating netback per boe to assess the operating performance of its petroleum and natural gas assets on a per unit of production basis. Operating netback per boe is calculated as operating netback divided by total production for the applicable period.
Supplementary Financial Measures
The supplementary financial measures used in this news release (primarily average sales price per product type, and certain per boe and per share figures) are either a per unit disclosure of a corresponding GAAP measure, or a component of a corresponding GAAP measure, presented in the financial statements. Supplementary financial measures that are disclosed on a per unit basis are calculated by dividing the aggregate GAAP measure (or component thereof) by the applicable unit for the period. Supplementary financial measures that are disclosed on a component basis of a corresponding GAAP measure are a granular representation of a financial statement line item and are determined in accordance with GAAP.
PRODUCT TYPES
The Company uses the following references to sales volumes in the news release:
Natural gas refers to shale gas
Oil and condensate refers to condensate, light and medium crude oil, and tight oil combined
Other NGLs refers to butane, propane and ethane combined
Oil and NGLs refers to light and medium crude oil, tight oil, and NGLs combined
Oil equivalent refers to the total oil equivalent of shale gas, light and medium crude oil, tight oil, and NGLs combined, using the conversion rate of six thousand cubic feet of shale gas to one barrel of oil equivalent as described above.
The following is a complete breakdown of sales volumes for applicable periods by specific product types of shale gas, light and medium crude oil, tight oil, and NGLs:
| Sales Volumes by Product Type | Q1 2021 | Q2 2021 | Q3 2021 | Q4 2021 | Year 2021 | ||||||||||
| Condensate (bbls/d) | 124 | 79 | 68 | 98 | 93 | ||||||||||
| Other NGLs (bbls/d) | 41 | 34 | 26 | 24 | 31 | ||||||||||
| NGLs (bbls/d) | 165 | 113 | 94 | 122 | 124 | ||||||||||
| Light and medium crude oil (bbls/d) | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||
| Tight oil (bbls/d) | 354 | 318 | 231 | 989 | 474 | ||||||||||
| Condensate (bbls/d) | 124 | 79 | 68 | 98 | 93 | ||||||||||
| Oil and condensate (bbls/d) | 478 | 397 | 299 | 1,087 | 567 | ||||||||||
| Other NGLs (bbls/d) | 41 | 34 | 26 | 24 | 31 | ||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs (bbls/d) | 519 | 431 | 325 | 1,111 | 598 | ||||||||||
| Shale gas (mcf/d) | 13,053 | 10,559 | 8,953 | 13,074 | 11,403 | ||||||||||
| Natural gas (mcf/d) | 13,053 | 10,559 | 8,953 | 13,074 | 11,403 | ||||||||||
| Oil equivalent (boe/d) | 2,695 | 2,191 | 1,817 | 3,290 | 2,498 |
| Sales Volumes by Product Type | Q1 2020 | Q2 2020 | Q3 2020 | Q4 2020 | Year 2020 | ||||||||||
| Condensate (bbls/d) | 144 | 166 | 145 | 125 | 145 | ||||||||||
| Other NGLs (bbls/d) | 271 | 317 | 248 | 94 | 232 | ||||||||||
| NGLs (bbls/d) | 415 | 483 | 393 | 219 | 377 | ||||||||||
| Light and medium crude oil (bbls/d) | 41 | - | - | - | 10 | ||||||||||
| Tight oil (bbls/d) | 406 | 645 | 397 | 426 | 469 | ||||||||||
| Condensate (bbls/d) | 144 | 166 | 145 | 125 | 145 | ||||||||||
| Oil and condensate (bbls/d) | 591 | 811 | 542 | 551 | 624 | ||||||||||
| Other NGLs (bbls/d) | 271 | 317 | 248 | 94 | 232 | ||||||||||
| Oil and NGLs (bbls/d) | 862 | 1,128 | 790 | 645 | 856 | ||||||||||
| Shale gas (mcf/d) | 12,354 | 16,019 | 13,739 | 13,508 | 13,903 | ||||||||||
| Natural gas (mcf/d) | 12,354 | 16,019 | 13,739 | 13,508 | 13,903 | ||||||||||
| Oil equivalent (boe/d) | 2,921 | 3,797 | 3,080 | 2,897 | 3,173 |
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This document contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intends", "forecast", "plans", "guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information.
More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company's risk management program, oil and condensate, other NGLs, and natural gas production, operating expenses, capital programs, and adjusted working capital. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including expectations and assumptions relating to prevailing commodity prices and exchange rates, applicable royalty rates and tax laws, future well production rates, the performance of existing wells, the success of drilling new wells, the availability of capital to undertake planned activities, and the availability and cost of labour and services.
Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in development, exploration and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production rates, costs, and expenses, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, marketing and transportation, environmental risks, competition, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and changes in tax, royalty, and environmental legislation. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this document are made as of the date hereof for the purpose of providing the readers with the Company's expectations for the coming year. The forward-looking statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities law.
Leucrotta is an oil and natural gas company, actively engaged in the acquisition, development, exploration, and production of oil and natural gas reserves in northeastern British Columbia, Canada.
Further Information
For additional information, please contact:
Leucrotta Exploration Inc.
Suite 2110, 530 - 8th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3S8
Phone: (403) 705-4525
www.leucrotta.ca
Mr. Robert J. Zakresky
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Nolan Chicoine
Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121078
