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DNO Raises Kurdistan Output Forecast

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported strong second quarter operational and financial results powered by high oil and gas prices and by solid production in its operated flagship Kurdistan Tawke license.

Spurred by quarterly revenue of USD 361 million and free cash flow of USD 167 million, the Company reduced debt and exited the quarter in a positive net cash position for the first time since 2018.

“DNO is committed to put its capital to work in its core competency and capture new opportunities created as peers and even some of the largest European companies scale back spending and focus instead on harvesting,” said Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “We believe in the oil and gas business and in our responsibility to all stakeholders, including host governments who want to capitalize on current prices and consumers who now call for more production, not less,” he added.

Operational cash flow totaled USD 341 million, including USD 50 million towards arrears built up by Kurdistan from non-payment of certain 2019 and 2020 Tawke invoices. These arrears, which stood at USD 259 million at yearend 2020, were reduced to USD 87 million as of 30 June 2022, excluding interest.

The Company’s operational spend in the second quarter totaled USD 198 million in line with the USD 800 million projection for the year. During the quarter, operational spend of USD 81 million in Kurdistan was divided between the Tawke license (USD 66 million) and the Baeshiqa license (USD 15 million); operational spend in the North Sea stood at USD 117 million.

Operating profit dropped to USD 81 million from USD 236 million in the previous quarter due to asset impairments of USD 127 million primarily related to the Ula area in the North Sea and expensed exploration of USD 48 million.

The Company reduced its interest-bearing debt through a USD 200 million bond redemption and exited the quarter with cash deposits of USD 801 million. With USD 671 million in bond and reserves-based lending debt, net cash stood at USD 129 million.

Gross production at the Tawke license averaged 106,900 barrels of oil per day (bopd) during the second quarter, of which Peshkabir contributed 62,300 bopd and Tawke 44,600 bopd, the latter representing the first quarterly production increase since 2015 at this legacy field as new wells are drilled, workovers conducted on existing ones and gas injection continued.

Of total Kurdistan production, 80,400 bopd were net to DNO’s interest. North Sea net production averaged 11,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), bringing the Company’s total quarterly net production to 92,000 boepd.

In the second quarter, four new production wells were brought onstream in the Tawke license with three at Tawke and one at Peshkabir. Together with wells drilled in the first quarter, natural field decline has been arrested and reversed, including at Tawke, raising the Company’s full-year projection to 107,000-109,000 bopd.

Following government approvals, DNO commenced trucking of production in mid-June from the Zartik-1 discovery well in the operated Baeshiqa license for export at an average rate of 600 bopd. Production from the well has been choked back as the Company targets zones with lower gas-to-oil ratios to avoid flaring. Development of the license continues with the drilling of Zartik-2 and Zartik-3, to be followed by Baeshiqa-3 in the fourth quarter.

In the North Sea, operated Brasse field development progressed into front end engineering and design ahead of planned project sanction by yearend 2022. The Company remains an active North Sea explorer with three more exploration wells to be drilled this year in addition to the four already drilled in the first half of 2022, one of which, Kveikje (DNO 29 percent), is considered a likely commercial discovery, as previously reported.

Key figures

Q2 2022 Q1 2022 Full Year 2021
Gross operated production (boepd) 107,178 106,465       108,713
Net production (boepd)    91,937    92,548         94,477
Revenues (USD million)       361        339          1,004
Operating profit/-loss (USD million)         81        236             321
Net profit/-loss (USD million)         72        140             204
Free cash flow (USD million)       167        152             362
Net debt (USD million)      -129          27             153

(Source: DNO)

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DNO reports Record Revenues

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported record revenues exceeding USD 1 billion in 2021, up 63 percent from a year earlier, on the back of high oil and gas prices and solid production performance. Annual operating profit climbed to USD 321 million, reversing operating loss of USD 315 million in 2020.

Strong 2021 free cash flow of USD 362 million drove a 68 percent reduction in net debt to USD 153 million at yearend.

“Notwithstanding the continued impact of the pandemic, DNO became a billion-dollar company last year on the fiftieth anniversary of its founding,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “We are as committed as ever to explore for and produce oil and gas in a commercially attractive but also socially responsible and environmentally sensitive manner,” he said, adding, “This is our business model, this is DNO’s DNA.”

As previously reported, gross production at the Company’s flagship Tawke license in Kurdistan averaged 108,700 barrels of oil per day (bopd) last year, of which the Peshkabir field contributed 61,800 bopd and the Tawke field 46,900 bopd. Of the total, 81,500 bopd were net to DNO’s interest. North Sea net production averaged 12,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), bringing the Company’s total 2021 net production to 94,500 boepd.

In 2022, DNO plans an operational spend of USD 800 million across the portfolio.

In Kurdistan, DNO is ramping up its drilling activities to maintain Tawke license gross production at around 105,000 bopd during the year, as well as a contribution from the operated Baeshiqa license in excess of 4,000 bopd. In December, the first phase field development plan for the license was approved by the Kurdistan Regional Government, clearing the way for a fast-track project to deliver early production from previously drilled but suspended discovery wells. Three additional Baeshiqa development wells will also be drilled this year.

In the North Sea, DNO projects net production in 2022 to remain around 13,000 boepd. The Company will participate in drilling the highly anticipated Edinburgh exploration well in the UK and six additional prospects offshore Norway, aiming to build on last year’s successes with the Røver Nord exploration well and the Bergknapp appraisal well.

Also in Norway, the DNO-operated Brasse project as well as the partner-operated Iris-Hades, Gjøk and Orion discovieries target 2022 project sanction, supporting the Company’s North Sea growth ambitions.

The Company’s net reserves stood at 321 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) of proven and probable reserves (2P) at yearend 2021 with additional contingent resources (2C) of 189 MMboe, according to preliminary numbers.

A videoconference call with executive management will follow today at 10:00 (CET). Please visit www.dno.no to access the call.

Other key figures

Q4 2021 2021 2020
Gross operated production (boepd) 107,472 108,713 110,282
Net production (boepd) 94,175 94,477 100,063
Revenues (USD million) 396 1,004 615
Operating profit/-loss (USD million) 128 321 -314
Net profit/-loss (USD million) 65 204 -286
Free cash flow (USD million) 227 362 150
Net debt (USD million) 153 153 473

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DNO reports Third Quarter 2021 Results

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported third quarter revenues of USD 253 million, a 38 percent quarter-on-quarter increase driven by higher North Sea sales and strengthening commodity prices.

The Company’s operating profit climbed seven percent to USD 65 million, weighed down by non-cash net impairments of USD 40 million primarily related to revised Ula area cost and production profiles in the North Sea.

Cash flow from operating activities totaled USD 163 million in the third quarter. Net debt was reduced by USD 36 million to USD 360 million, the lowest level since 2018.

“Like much of the rest of our resilient industry, we are recovering rapidly from the early ravaging of the oil and gas markets by the runaway pandemic,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “We are back delivering value to our host countries, shareholders and other partners in an efficient and responsible manner,” he added.

Gross operated production at the Company’s flagship Tawke license in Kurdistan averaged 105,200 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in the third quarter, of which the Peshkabir field contributed 59,900 bopd and the Tawke field 45,300 bopd. Of the total, 78,900 bopd were net to DNO. In the North Sea, net production averaged 13,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), bringing the Company’s total third quarter net production to 92,000 boepd.

DNO’s USD 110 million Peshkabir-Tawke gas project, which was commissioned in mid-2020, has injected eight billion cubic feet of otherwise flared gas through the end of the third quarter, capturing 480,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. In September, the Company initiated a USD 25 million second phase of the gas capture project to reinject and retain gas in the Tawke reservoir and avoid flaring. Having already eliminated routine venting of methane in operations in 2019, DNO recently launched a leak detection and repair initiative to measure, monitor and mitigate fugitive methane emissions.

Elsewhere in Kurdistan, commerciality was declared on the DNO-operated Baeshiqa license and plans submitted for a fast-track development.

DNO’s active North Sea exploration program notched up a success in the third quarter with appraisal drilling on the 2020 Bergknapp discovery (DNO 30 percent) resulting in a 35 percent upgrade of DNO’s recoverable resource estimate. Also during the quarter, DNO made an oil discovery on the Gomez prospect (DNO 65 percent and operator). Due to uncertainty of producibility, no estimate of recoverable volumes has been established pending further analysis. Another third quarter 2021 appraisal well, Black Vulture (DNO 32 percent), was dry. Following the end of the quarter, the Mugnetind exploration well (DNO 30 percent) encountered limited hydrocarbons and is unlikely to be commercial.

The Brasse development (DNO 50 percent and operator) is on track for a 2022 project sanction with DNO recently entering into a strategic framework agreement with Technip FMC covering subsea deliveries (SURF and SPS).

During the third quarter, the Company completed the placement of USD 400 million of new five-year senior unsecured bonds with at a coupon rate of 7.875 percent, lowering DNO’s average interest rate on its debt while extending the maturity profile.

A videoconference call with executive management will follow today at 15:00 (CET). Please visit www.dno.no to access the call.

(Source: DNO)

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KRG Approves DNO Purchase of Exxon Stake in Baeshiqa

By John Lee.

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced that the Kurdistan Regional Government has approved the Company’s acquisition of ExxonMobil‘s remaining 32 percent interest in the Baeshiqa license, doubling DNO’s stake.

In parallel, commerciality has been declared on the license with plans submitted for fast-track development including early production from previously drilled but suspended wells.

DNO has already demonstrated proof of concept of producing these wells through temporary test facilities, having trucked some 15,000 barrels of 40 degree API and 22 degree API oil for export in 2019 and 2020 from the Baeshiqa-2 and Zartik-1 discovery wells.

Following the transaction, the joint venture comprises DNO as operator with a 64 percent (80 percent paying) interest, the Turkish Energy Company (TEC) with a 16 percent (20 percent paying) interest and the Kurdistan Regional Government with a 20 percent carried interest.

Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s Executive Chairman, said:

“This acquisition and plans for fast-track development underscore our belief in the potential of the Baeshiqa license and more broadly our long-term commitment to Kurdistan.

“Once we get the green light from the authorities to proceed, first production will be a matter of months rather than years.“

DNO’s 3,204 meters discovery well, Baeshiqa-2, tested hydrocarbons to surface from multiple stacked Jurassic and Triassic zones. Two zones flowed naturally at rates averaging over 3,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) of light gravity oil each and another averaged over 1,000 bopd also of light gravity oil. DNO drilled Zartik-1, the second discovery well, 16 kilometers to the southeast of Baeshiqa-2, to a depth of 3,021 meters. This well tested hydrocarbons to surface from several Jurassic zones, with one zone flowing naturally at rates averaging 2,000 bopd of medium gravity oil.

DNO acquired its first 32 percent interest and assumed operatorship of the Baeshiqa license from ExxonMobil in 2018. As consideration for both acquisitions DNO has covered ExxonMobil’s share of exploration costs since January 2019 and the seller will receive payment of USD 15 million.

In addition to the 327-square kilometer Baeshiqa license, DNO operates the Tawke license containing the Tawke and Peshkabir fields in Kurdistan. Combined production from these fields averaged 110,300 bopd in the second quarter of 2021.

(Source: DNO)

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KRG Bureaucracy Delays DNO Investment

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, has reported operating profit of USD 61 million in the quarter ending 30 June 2021, its second consecutive profitable quarter since the onset of the COVID pandemic. Revenues totaled USD 184 million, up USD 14 million from the previous quarter, as higher oil and gas prices more than compensated for lower North Sea volumes sold.

Gross operated production at the Company’s flagship Tawke license in Kurdistan averaged 110,300 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in the second quarter, of which the Peshkabir field contributed 63,000 bopd and the Tawke field 47,300 bopd. Of the total, 82,700 bopd were net to DNO’s interest during the quarter.

DNO’s North Sea net production dropped to 9,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in the second quarter, primarily due to planned summer maintenance shutdowns at Marulk and Alve and infill drilling at Ula and Tambar. The Company expects the North Sea contribution to average 13,000 boepd for the year.

In the wake of an ongoing reorganization of Kurdistan’s Ministry of Natural Resources, the Company has experienced extended delays to the final approval of its 2021 Tawke field work program and budget as well as to the approvals necessary to fast track early production from the Baeshiqa license. The delays are expected to defer USD 50 million in 2021 DNO net spending in Kurdistan which could have generated up to 15,000 bopd gross production across DNO’s three operated fields (Tawke, Peshkabir and Baeshiqa) going into 2022.

With no new wells coming on production at the Tawke field in more than a year, the natural production decline has been partially offset by pressure support from reinjection of over 20 million cubic feet of gas per day from the Peshkabir field in addition to workovers and interventions of existing wells.

“We are eager to invest and produce more oil in Kurdistan,” said DNO’s executive chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “In nearly two decades of operations in Kurdistan, DNO has confronted and overcome multiple challenges and we are well positioned to continue to do so,” he added.

In the North Sea, DNO maintains an active drilling program in 2021, including two appraisal wells on previous discoveries and three exploration wells, the first of which has been drilled leading to a discovery. In addition, the Company plans 10 development wells this year.

Recently, the DNO-operated Brasse project selected the Equinor-operated Oseberg facilities as the preferred development host. With total field reserves of 35 million boe and a relatively modest topside construction scope on Oseberg, Brasse has robust project economics based on a 2022 project sanction target.

With an operational cash flow of USD 160 million, an increase of 135 percent from the first quarter, the Company reduced its bond debt to USD 700 million through a USD 100 million partial bond redemption. DNO exited the quarter with a net interest-bearing debt of USD 396 million, the lowest level since yearend 2018.

DNO received USD 159 million in the second quarter from Kurdistan, up from USD 75 million in the first quarter of 2021. Additional payments this week bring the total 2021 receipts from Kurdistan to USD 290 million year-to-date. The arrears built up as a result of Kurdistan’s withholding of payment of certain invoices to DNO in 2019 and 2020 total USD 214 million, excluding any interest.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO Adds New Oil Reserves

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, has announced it replaced 87 percent of 2020 production through additions to its proven (1P) reserves notwithstanding reduced activity in the wake of low oil prices.

In the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Company replaced 111 percent of last year’s production through additions to 1P reserves.

Yearend 2020 Company Working Interest (CWI) 1P reserves totaled 201 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) compared to 206 MMboe at yearend 2019, after adjusting for 35 MMboe of production and 30 MMboe of upward technical revisions.

DNO exited the year with 332 MMboe of CWI proven and probable (2P) reserves and 507 MMboe of CWI proven, probable and possible (3P) reserves. DNO’s CWI contingent (2C) resources stood at 152 MMboe.

At yearend 2020, DNO’s 1P reserves life stood at 5.8 years, its 2P reserves life at 9.6 years and its 3P reserves life at 14.6 years; all were up slightly from 2019 levels.

On a gross basis, yearend 1P reserves at the Tawke license in Kurdistan containing the Tawke and Peshkabir fields climbed to 234 million barrels of oil (MMbbls) from 228 MMbbls a year earlier. Tawke license 2P reserves stood at 394 MMbbls at yearend 2020 (400 MMbbls in 2019) and 3P reserves at 605 MMbbls (641 MMbbls in 2019).

Across its North Sea portfolio at yearend 2020, on a CWI basis, DNO’s 1P reserves stood at 41 MMboe, 2P reserves at 64 MMboe and 3P reserves at 96 MMboe. The Company’s North Sea 2C resources totaled 120 MMboe.

At yearend 2020 and on a gross basis, at the Baeshiqa license in Kurdistan containing two large structures with multiple independent stacked target reservoirs, 2C resources stood at 43 MMbbls, following successful drilling and testing of the exploration Baeshiqa-2 and Zartik-1 wells. No reserves were recorded at the Baeshiqa license at yearend 2020 pending conclusion of the ongoing appraisal activities to determine commerciality.

“All things considered, from a reserves replacement perspective DNO had a stellar year in 2020 notwithstanding the sharp cuts in our spend and the challenges of keeping operations going in the face of Covid restrictions in movement of our people, contractors and supplies,” said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s Executive Chairman.

International petroleum consultants DeGolyer and MacNaughton (D&M) carried out an independent assessment of the Tawke and Baeshiqa licenses in Kurdistan. Gaffney, Cline & Associates (GCA) carried out an independent assessment of DNO’s licenses in Norway and the United Kingdom.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO Buys Exxon’s Stake in Iraqi Oilfield

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, has announced the acquisition of ExxonMobil‘s 32 percent interest in the Baeshiqa license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, doubling DNO’s operated stake to 64 percent (80 percent paying interest), pending government approval.

The Company plans to continue an exploration and appraisal program on the license while fast tracking early production from existing wells in 2021.

DNO has already demonstrated proof of concept of producing through temporary test facilities, having delivered 15,000 barrels of 40o API oil and 22o API oil for export from the Baeshiqa-2 and Zartik-1 wells, respectively.

In November 2019 DNO issued a notice of discovery on the Baeshiqa license after flowing hydrocarbons from several Jurassic and Triassic zones to surface in the 3,204 meters (2,549 meters TVDSS) Baeshiqa-2 exploration well. Following acid stimulation, the zone flowed variable rates of light oil and sour gas.

Two zones flowed naturally at rates averaging over 3,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) of light gravity oil each and another averaged over 1,000 bopd also of light gravity oil. Subsequent analyses on surface samples collected during testing confirm that the Triassic reservoirs contain saturated oil with a gas cap.

An exploration well was completed in 2020 on a second structure (Zartik) some 15 kilometers southeast of the Baeshiqa-2 discovery well. The 3,021 meters (2,322 meters TVDSS) well tested hydrocarbons to surface from several Jurassic zones, with the uppermost zone flowing naturally at rates averaging over 2,000 bopd of medium gravity oil.

The Company currently estimates gross license contingent recoverable resources from three of the tested zones in the two wells ranging from 12 million barrels of oil (mmbbls) (1C) to 156 mmbbls (3C), with a 2C volume of 43 mmbbls.

“By increasing our stake in the Baeshiqa license now, we demonstrate our belief in its ultimate potential,” said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani (pictured), DNO’s Executive Chairman. “Following the stabilization of oil prices and export payments in Kurdistan, DNO is stepping up spending on new opportunities,” he added.

DNO acquired its first 32 percent interest from ExxonMobil and assumed operatorship of the Baeshiqa license in 2018.

The 324 square kilometer license is situated 60 kilometers west of Erbil and 20 kilometers east of Mosul. The license contains two large structures, Baeshiqa and Zartik, which have multiple independent stacked target reservoir systems, including in the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic. The remaining partners in the license include TEC [Turkish Energy Company] with a 20 percent paying (16 percent net) interest and the Kurdistan Regional Government with a 20 percent carried interest.

In addition to the Baeshiqa license, DNO also operates the Tawke license containing the Tawke and Peshkabir fields in Kurdistan. Gross operated production from the Tawke license averaged 110,300 bopd in 2020.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO announces 2020 Interim Results

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported interim 2020 revenues of USD 615 million, down a third from a year earlier in the wake of weak oil prices triggered by the pandemic and global economic contraction.

Net production totaled 95,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), down nine percent, as the Company cut spending to preserve cash.

For the full year, DNO reported a net loss of USD 286 million driven by the lower revenues and pre-tax asset impairments of USD 276 million, most of which were reported in the third quarter.

With solid cash flow from operations of USD 236 million and North Sea tax refunds of another USD 236 million, DNO exited 2020 with a cash balance of USD 477 million, essentially unchanged from the start of the year, following repayment of USD 161 million in bond debt.

The Company drilled six exploration wells last year leading to three likely commercial discoveries, including Røver Nord and Bergknapp in Norway and Zartik in Kurdistan’s Baeshiqa license. The discoveries will be considered for fast-track development and tie-in to existing offshore or onshore infrastructure.

DNO will drill two potentially high impact exploration wells this year, notably the much anticipated Edinburgh prospect that straddles the Norway-United Kingdom border in which the Company holds a 45 percent stake and the Gomez prospect offshore Norway in which the Company holds an 85 percent stake.

The total 2021 well count, including development wells, will increase to 27 from 17 last year.

Temporary Norwegian petroleum tax incentives are driving other stepped-up investments. The Company is proceeding to concept selection for the operated Brasse field, accelerating infill drilling at Ula, Tambar and Brage fields in 2021 and evaluating the Iris/Hades, Røver Nord, Alve Gjøk, Orion/Syrah and Trym South discoveries for project sanction in 2022.

DNO projects operational spend of USD 700 million this year, up from USD 511 million in 2020.

The Company achieved a net 2P reserve replacement ratio of 64 percent in 2020, notwithstanding limited activity, ending the year with 332 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) of proven and probable reserves, down 13 mmboe from yearend 2019, according to preliminary figures.

More here:

(Source: DNO)

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DNO boosts Kurdistan Oil Output in Q3

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported boosting Kurdistan output to 113,700 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in the third quarter, reversing declines triggered by oil market convulsions in the wake of Covid-19.

Production from the DNO-operated Tawke and Peshkabir fields was up 12 percent from the prior quarter following a campaign of quick turnaround, low cost well interventions and the startup of the Kurdistan region of Iraq’s first enhanced oil recovery project.

Both fields have outperformed expectations and DNO projects replacement of a significant share of its reserves produced this year in Kurdistan, even as the Company scaled back drilling of new wells to meet a one-third budget reduction in response to lower oil prices and a four-month payment hiatus in Kurdistan.

The Peshkabir-to-Tawke gas capture and reinjection project, in operation since mid-year, is continuing to cut gas flaring and greenhouse emissions by half at Peshkabir to 7 kilograms CO2 equivalent for each barrel of oil equivalent produced, while unlocking additional oil at Tawke. To date, two billion cubic feet of otherwise flared gas have been reinjected with positive reservoir response, adding up to 5,000 bopd.

“Starting in June, our Kurdistan teams took up the challenge of doing more with less,  launching creative solutions they called Operation Throttle-Up and Operation Afterburner, which delivered the stellar operational results we report today,” said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s Executive Chairman. “Once again, at DNO the oil we produce is conventional; how we do it is not.”

Across the portfolio, third quarter 2020 Company Working Interest (CWI) production increased nine percent from the second quarter to 97,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), of which Kurdistan contributed 80,200 bopd and the North Sea 17,700 boepd.

DNO expects to exit the year with Kurdistan and North Sea production at third quarter levels.

Revenues more than doubled to USD 163 million in the third quarter on the back of improved oil prices and higher cargo liftings of previously produced oil in the North Sea. EBITDA climbed to USD 76 million in the third quarter up from USD 13 million in the previous quarter on higher revenues.

However, North Sea non-cash impairments of USD 202 million pre-tax (USD 118 million post-tax) related principally to the South East Tor and Iris/Hades assets led to an operating loss of USD 208 million.

In July 2020, the Company completed the drilling of Zartik-1, the third exploration well on the Baeshiqa license on a separate structure around 15 kilometers southeast of the Baeshiqa-2 discovery well. Testing of the Zartik-1 Upper Jurassic reservoirs continued through the third quarter. Evaluation of the results of the previously reported discoveries in the Baeshiqa-2 well is ongoing to determine commerciality.

Temporary Norwegian petroleum tax incentives are driving investment plans, with the Company maturing development options for the Brasse field (2021 PDO) and evaluating the Iris/Hades, Fogelberg and Trym South discoveries (2022 PDOs). Appraisal of the Bergknapp discovery (DNO 30 percent), among Norway’s largest discoveries this year, is scheduled for 2021.

Two exploration wells are scheduled in the fourth quarter with Polmak already drilling in the Barents Sea (DNO 20 percent) and Røver Nord to spud shortly in the Northern North Sea (DNO 20 percent). These wells will be followed by an active exploration program in 2021 including wildcat wells at Gomez in the Southern North Sea (DNO 85 percent) and Edinburgh cross-border (UK-Norway) in the North Sea (DNO 45 percent).

Following the latest UK licensing round, DNO was awarded four licenses (two operated) all with previous discoveries.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO “Steps Up Activity”

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported stepped up investments across its portfolio on the back of higher production and significantly improved liquidity outlook as the Company recovers from the oil market turmoil that upended the second quarter of 2020.

Operated production in July at the Company’s flagship Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq is up 15,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) month-on-month to 115,000 bopd following a well intervention campaign fast tracked in June with the stabilization of oil prices and improved export payment terms.

In the North Sea segment, DNO projects receipt of USD 215 million in tax refunds in the second half of the year, including USD 70 million from the recently announced temporary changes to petroleum taxation in Norway.

“The worst of the coronavirus pandemic hit to our business is behind us and DNO is back identifying and capturing opportunities,” said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s Executive Chairman. “Still, we are prepared to act quickly, as we did in March, if a strong second wave comes,” he added.

Second quarter Company Working Interest (CWI) production stood at 89,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) of which Kurdistan contributed 71,900 bopd and the North Sea 17,800 boepd.

Gross operated Tawke license production averaged 102,000 bopd, including 58,100 bopd from the Tawke field and 43,900 bopd from the Peshkabir field, together down 11 percent from the first quarter as development activity dropped off to preserve cash at a time of historically low and uncertain oil prices.

Second quarter revenues slid to USD 72 million and operating losses climbed to USD 81 million, both driven by weak commodity prices across the portfolio and lower cargo liftings of produced oil in the North Sea.

At the Baeshiqa license in Kurdistan, DNO continued drilling the third exploration well on a second structure (Zartik) some 15 kilometers southeast of the Baeshiqa-2 discovery well. The rig has been released and testing will commence in August in Lower Jurassic and Upper Triassic zones intersected by the well and expected to last three months. Evaluation of the Baeshiqa-2 results is ongoing to determine commerciality.

During the first half of 2020 DNO received a total of USD 224 million in payments from the Kurdistan Regional Government. In addition, the Company received a USD 23 million June entitlement payment after the end of the reporting period. Discussions are ongoing to reach an agreement on acceptable terms and timing of payment of arrears totaling USD 240 million due to DNO for the November 2019-February 2020 entitlements and November 2019-June 2020 override payments.

Notwithstanding the interruption of these payments and DNO’s repayment of the remaining USD 138.5 million of the DNO01 bond at maturity on 18 June 2020, the Company exited the first half of 2020 with a strong cash balance of USD 427 million. Net debt at the end of the second quarter stood at USD 537 million, down from USD 559 million at the end of the first quarter.

Last month, DNO commissioned the Peshkabir-to-Tawke gas reinjection project, the first enhanced oil recovery project in Kurdistan, to unlock additional oil volumes at Tawke while significantly reducing gas flaring and CO2 discharges at Peshkabir.

Prompted by the tax changes in Norway, the Company is working with partners to accelerate infill drilling at the Ula, Tambar and Brage producing fields, revisit development options for the Brasse field and actively evaluate the Iris/Hades, Fogelberg and Trym South discoveries.

DNO will remain an active explorer in the North Sea, targeting 4-6 wildcat wells a year.

(Source: DNO)