Energy
Savannah Acquires 49% Interest In Stubb Creek Field, Nigeria
Savannah Energy PLC has announced that it has signed separate Share Purchase Agreements (“SPAs”) with Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (“SIPC”) and Jagal Ventures Limited (“Jagal”) to acquire 100% of the outstanding share capital of Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Nigeria Limited (“SIPEC”) (the “SIPEC Acquisition”).
The company also announced that it published an updated Competent Persons Report (“CPR”), compiled by CGG Services (UK) Ltd, covering its assets in Nigeria.
Offering details on these, the company’s Communications Manager in Nigeria, Okwudili Onyia in a statement, revealed that “SIPEC’s principal asset is a 49% non-operated interest in the Stubb Creek oil and gas field (“Stubb Creek”), located in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. An affiliate of Savannah, Universal Energy Resources Limited, is the 51% owner and operator.”
The SIPC SPA would see Savannah Energy SC Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Savannah) acquire a 75% equity interest in SIPEC for cash consideration of US$52 million, payable on completion and subject to customary adjustments for a transaction of this nature from 1 September 2023.
In addition, the Jagal SPA would see Savannah Energy SC Limited acquire a 25% equity interest in SIPEC for cash consideration of US$7.5 million (without adjustment), payable on completion, plus US$2 million in deferred cash consideration payable in eight equal quarterly instalments post-completion.
The transaction consideration is expected to be funded through a new bank debt facility arranged by The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited and the existing cash resources of the Company. Completion under each of the SPAs is subject to the parties’ satisfaction of customary conditions precedent, including certain regulatory approvals, as well as a mechanism ensuring that completion under both SPAs occurs simultaneously.
As at year end 2023, SIPEC had an estimated 8.1 MMstb of 2P oil reserves and 227 Bscf of 2C Contingent gas resources. SIPEC oil production is estimated at an average for 2024 of 1.4 Kbopd. Savannah’s Reserve and Resource base will increase by approximately 46 MMboe following completion of the SIPEC Acquisition.
It is anticipated that, within 12 months following completion of the SIPEC Acquisition, Stubb Creek gross production should increase by approximately 2.7 Kbopd to approximately 4.7 Kbopd through implementation of a de-bottlenecking programme.
The SIPEC Acquisition will secure significant additional feedstock gas available for sale to Savannah’s 80% owned Nigerian gas processing and distribution subsidiary, Accugas Limited (“Accugas”). At present, Accugas has eight principal gas customers, including large thermal power stations, such as Calabar Generation Company Limited, as well as key industrial players, such as Lafarge Africa PLC and the Central Horizon Gas Company Limited. With a weighted average remaining contract life of 14 years, Savannah’s natural gas supplies are a critical enabler of the Nigerian economy and currently support approximately 20% of Nigeria’s thermal power generation.
Since Savannah announced its intention to acquire Accugas in late 2017: (i) volumes of gas transported; (ii) the number of significant customers served; and (iii) the Company’s contribution to thermal power generation in Nigeria have each more than doubled.
The following information in relation to the SIPEC Acquisition is included in accordance with the disclosure requirements of Schedule Four to the AIM Rules for Companies:
For the financial year ended 31 December 2022, SIPEC audited accounts show income after tax of US$27.8 million (excluding exceptional income of US$42.3 million) and total assets of US$136.5 million.
CEO, Savannah Energy, said, Andrew Knott, “Savannah remains committed to growing our core business in Nigeria through a combination of both value accretive acquisitions and organic projects.
“This is reflected in this morning’s announcement of the SIPEC Acquisition. The base case acquisition has been priced in line with our expected returns criteria, with the identified upside cases (the oil de-bottlenecking and new gas sales to Accugas projects) hoped to add significant value to the Stubb Creek field over time.”
Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd (SNEPCo) rode on new wells, optimized reservoir and optimal facility management to produce more oil at Bonga in 2023 than the previous one, a review of operations has shown.
Biztellers reports that Nigeria’s first deep-water development produced some 138,000 barrels of oil per day (boepd) in 2023 compared to around 101,000 in 2022.
The improvement, Biztellers gathered, was driven by drilling of new wells, optimising reservoir and facility management and excellent asset management, inter alia.
Managing Director, SNEPCo, Elohor Aiboni, said, “Bonga continues to justify the investments and hard work that led to its discovery.
“The uptick in production is the result of commitment by staff, continuous improvements in production processes and maintenance and the support of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) and our co-venture partners – TotalEnergies Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Agip Exploration and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited.
“Working together, we will continue to power lives and deliver value to all stakeholders.”
Recall that Bonga began production in November 2005 through the 225,000-barrels-per-day capacity Bonga FPSO, anchored 120 kilometres offshore. The FPSO exported the 1 billionth barrel of oil last year.
The operations have resulted in remittance of taxes and royalties to the Government of Nigeria to finance development, development of indigenous contactors and service providers, and a wide-ranging social investment portfolio which has improved lives across the country.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reassured industry stakeholders that oil and gas service companies that have established capacities in the country will continue to enjoy patronage.
The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made this commitment on Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State when he led officials of the Board and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to visit companies that deliver pipe coating and related services.
The team visited Brightwaters Energy Limited, formerly known as Willbros Nigeria Ltd, Solewant Nigeria Limited and Pipe Coaters Nigeria, managed by Tenaris Nigeria Ltd.
According to the ES, the visits were to assess the companies’ facilities and determine how the Board can galvanize the industry to patronise them.
He underscored the importance of getting first-hand information on in-country capabilities before making key decisions on oil and gas projects. He insisted that operating companies must support and patronise local oil and gas service companies in compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
Ogbe emphasized that activities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry must be used to create employment opportunities for the nation’s teeming youths and help to resuscitate the economy, in line with the aspirations of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
The Chief Executive Officer of Brightwaters Energy Limited, Scott Gregory thanked the ES for leading the visit while highlighting that Brightwaters carried out Nigeria’s first pipe coating in 1962.
He recalled that the facility had 3,000 employees some years back, executing various spheres of oil and gas projects. He conveyed the management’s aspiration to return the
firm to those high-performance levels and sought the Board’s support to win oil and gas projects that would resuscitate the sprawling facility.
“We feel that we can be a positive contributor to Nigeria through the capacities that we have. We want to bring real, true value to the table,” he added.
He admitted that the coating facility had suffered downtime, but assured that the plant would be up and running within 60 days of the award of a new contract.
The Chairman of Tenaris Nigeria, Dr. Ernest Nwapa welcomed the NCDMB’s team to PCNL’s facilities.
He commended the efforts made by the agency to push local content in the industry, attributing it to the good culture that had been established at the Board over the years.
Nwapa, who was the pioneer Executive Secretary of the NCDMB expressed delight that some of the oil and gas projects that had been pending for nearly ten years were now being developed and expressed hope that existing local capacities would be maximized in the execution of those projects.
The team was taken around the company’s facilities and shown the various equipment of PCNL in readiness for the award of new contracts.
Nwapa pledged the commitment of the company to meet the expectations of clients as well as allow them to participate in the supervision of the work in their factory.
The PCNL facility covers an area of 160,000 m2 in the Onne Free Trade Zone. The company offers Anticorrosion, CWC, Thermal Insulation, Internal and Bends Coating plants as well as Double Jointing and Anode Installation Facilities.
At Solewant Group, an EPCI and Pipe Coating Company, the NCDMB delegation was shown round the company’s facilities as well as the new investments, such as the 5mega watts generators, procured to guarantee power supply to the facility.
Accompanying Engr. Ogbe on the facility visits were the Director Projects Certification and Authorization Division (PCAD), Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, General Manager PCAD, Engr. Maurice Iwhiwhu, Special Technical Assistant (STA) to the Executive Secretary, Engr. Mofe Megbele, Deputy Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Obinna Ezeobi, and other staff members of the Board.
The SPDC team was led by the General Manager, Nigerian Content Development, Mr.Lanre Olawuyi.
The NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NNPC E&P Ltd), NNPC Ltd’s flagship upstream subsidiary, and Natural Oilfield Services Ltd (NOSL), a subsidiary of Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Ltd (SEEPCO), has announced the successful commencement of oil production at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 13 in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Biztellers reports that the production commenced on the 6th of May 2024 with 6,000 barrels of oil with expectations to be ramped up to 40,000 barrels per day by May 27th, 2024.
The first oil flow from OML 13 is a historic milestone in the partnership between NNPC E&P Ltd and NOSL, highlighting their dedication to driving growth and development in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, which remains a vital component of the nation’s economy.
The achievement does not only signify the culmination of rigorous planning and execution by the teams involved, but also represents a new era of economic empowerment and development opportunities for the host communities.
Furthermore, for Nigeria, the first oil from OML 13 holds some significance as it contributes to the country’s efforts to increase its oil production capacity, which is crucial for meeting domestic energy needs and driving economic growth.
The NNPC E&P Ltd and NOSL partnership is also committed to operating in a manner that is safe, environmentally responsible, and beneficial to the local communities.
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