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DNO Reports Record Revenues

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced 2018 net profit of USD 354 million on revenues of USD 829 million, the highest annual revenues in the Company’s 47-year history. Cash flow from operations increased 40 percent to USD 472 million in 2018, of which USD 334 million represented free cash flow.

Operated production averaged 117,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) including 81,700 boepd on a Company Working Interest (CWI) basis, up from 113,500 boepd and 73,700 boepd, respectively, during 2017. January 2019 operated production averaged 128,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) or 90,000 bopd on a CWI basis.

The Company stepped up its operational spend in 2018 to nearly USD 300 million to support the fast-track development of the Peshkabir field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the ongoing drilling program at the Tawke field within the same license.

Spending levels in 2019 are projected to rise more than 40 percent from 2018 levels to an estimated USD 420 million. DNO’s 2019 drilling program includes up to 20 exploration and production wells in Kurdistan, including up to 14 wells at the Tawke field, four at Peshkabir and two at the Baeshiqa license. Another five wells are planned in Norway on DNO’s licenses.

In Kurdistan, two recently completed wells, Peshkabir-9 and Tawke-52, will be placed on production in February. Testing of the first Baeshiqa exploration well targeting the Cretaceous reservoir has been delayed by extensive rainfall but is also expected to commence this month.

Already the leading international oil company in Kurdistan, with a 75 percent operating interest in fields contributing a third of the region’s total exports, the Company is now firmly establishing itself in Norway as it completes the takeover of Faroe Petroleum plc. With 90 licenses, of which 22 are operated, DNO will leapfrog to the ranks of the top five companies in total licenses held in Norway.

“The Faroe transaction transforms DNO into a more diversified company with a strong, second leg,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “This represents not a pivot away from Kurdistan but a pivot to Norway,” he added. “We are now well positioned in two areas in which we have a comparative, even competitive, advantage.”

The combination places DNO among the top three European-listed independent oil and gas companies in production and reserves.

DNO has acquired more than 96 percent of Faroe shares and initiated the compulsory acquisition of the remaining shares. The integration of the Faroe and DNO organizations is well underway; the new combined entity has over 1,100 employees and offices in Oslo, Stavanger, Erbil, Dubai, London, Aberdeen and Great Yarmouth.

The Company will release pro-forma financials and 2019 investment programs and budgets for the combined entity in February and March.

Separately, DNO’s Board of Directors have approved a dividend payment of NOK 0.20 per share to be made on or about 27 March 2019 to all shareholders of record as of 18 March 2019. DNO shares will be traded ex-dividend as of 15 March 2019.

(Source: DNO)

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KRG Update on Oil Production and Ops

Tawke Licence:

The Kurdistan Regional Government notes the updates by DNO and Genel Energy on November 1st regarding production increases under the Tawke Production Sharing Contract (PSC).

The KRG is pleased with the efforts of the Tawke PSC Contractors in the Peshkabir area of the Tawke PSC Licence, where production has risen to over 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) within 18 months, exceeding expectations.

The recent boost in production at the Peshkabir area has more than compensated for the natural decline of the main Tawke field area, where production is now down to about 80,000 bpd, from 109,000 bpd in July 2017. Overall production under the Tawke PSC Licence reached 126,000 during October, compared to 114,000 bpd in July 2017. The current average is around 130,000 bpd (click here to view the chart).

Pipeline Upgrades:

The KRG has also recently completed an upgrade of its export pipeline by installing another pumping station at Shaikhan, which boosts capacity of the pipeline from 700,000 bpd to 1 million bpd. This extra capacity will accommodate future production growth from KRG producing fields, and can also be used by the federal government to export the currently stranded oil in Kirkuk and surrounding areas.

Oil Export:

The KRG currently exports over 400,000 bpd of crude oil. The KRG’s policy of maintaining consistent and timely payments to its producing oil companies has led to more investment in its oil fields, stabilising production levels and paving the way for further production increases during 2019.

These export achievements generate more revenues that will help to reduce the KRG’s overall debts and aid the economic revival and sustainability of the Kurdistan Region. The KRG’s policy of supporting its producers provides further evidence that Kurdistan’s PSCs are a win-win for investors and the citizens of the Kurdistan Region.

(Source: KRG)

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“Peshkabir is on Steroids” – DNO Boss

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced a rise in third quarter 2018 net profit to USD 63 million from operating revenue of USD 171 million on the back of solid production, regular export payments and higher oil prices.

Operated production averaged 117,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) during the quarter including 81,500 boepd on a company working interest basis. DNO received three monthly export payments totaling USD 164 million net to its 75 percent operated interest in the Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Realized export prices averaged USD 61 per barrel during the quarter.

Net profit for the three months ending September was ahead of the USD 93 million net loss in the same period last year, excluding the one-time recognition of its Kurdistan Settlement Agreement in August 2017, and above the USD 43 million in the second quarter this year. Operating revenue was up from USD 73 million in the third quarter a year earlier and USD 147 million in the preceding quarter in 2018.

Notwithstanding third quarter spend of USD 71 million, DNO maintained its strong financial position with free cash balances of USD 640 million. In addition, the Company held USD 335 million in marketable securities as at 30 September, including a 28.22 percent stake in London-listed Faroe Petroleum plc, a 5.64 percent stake in Oslo-listed Panoro Energy ASA, a 4.83 percent stake in Olso-listed RAK Petroleum plc and a 3.23 percent stake in DNO held through treasury shares.

Going into the fourth quarter, on the Tawke license in Kurdistan containing the Tawke and Peshkabir fields the Company has ramped up production from the Peshkabir field to over 50,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from six wells less than 18 months after commencement of operations, beating its end-2018 target ahead of schedule and below budget. Six wells are currently producing from Peshkabir, and the seventh, Peshkabir-8, will shortly commence test production. Peshkabir-9 will spud in mid-November.

“Peshkabir is on steroids,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “Production continues to climb and we are proud of our operating teams who set stretch targets and then proceed to beat them,” he added. “With the fast-track, low-cost development of Peshkabir, DNO continues to tease out Kurdistan’s promise as a world class oil province,” Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani said.

The Company has four active rigs in Kurdistan, of which one is at the Peshkabir field, two at the Tawke field and one at the Baeshiqa license. In mid-October, the Company spud the Baeshiqa-1 exploration well to test the Cretaceous at the Baeshiqa structure. A back-to-back well to test the deeper Jurassic and Triassic on the same structure will follow in December. A third well is planned to test the Jurassic and Triassic on a separate structure during 2019.

At the Tawke field, two shallow Jeribe wells, Tawke-50 and Tawke-51, were brought onstream during October. The Tawke-49 well, drilled to the deeper Cretaceous, will follow later this month. The well has been drilled utilizing underbalanced technology, the first on the license, and is producing from the target zone while drilling. The Tawke-52 Cretaceous well will spud by the end of November. Tawke is currently producing at an average rate of 80,000 bopd.

Elsewhere, the Rungne prospect offshore Norway was spud last month by operator Faroe Petroleum; DNO separately holds a 10 percent interest in the license. The Company will participate in at least five additional wells offshore Norway next year.

The Company currently holds 21 Norway licenses, including the 20 percent interest in a Barents Sea license recently acquired from Chevron containing the Korpfjell prospect.

The Company has received ten monthly Kurdistan export payments year-to-date totaling USD 500 million net to DNO, of which USD 59 million was received in October. This compares to USD 380 million received net to DNO during the full-year 2017.

DNO expects to exit the year with operated Kurdistan production of at least 130,000 bopd, representing more than one-half of total production by international operators and around one-third of all Kurdistan exports.

(Source: DNO)

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Peshkabir Production Pushes 50,000 bpd

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced production at the Peshkabir field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq has ramped up to 50,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd), meeting the end-2018 target ahead of schedule and below budget.

One of two recently completed wells, Peshkabir-7, is producing over 10,000 bopd from nine Cretaceous zones through temporary test facilities and exported. The other, Peshkabir-6, drilled as a production well, but with the additional objective of appraising deeper formations, has established a deeper Cretaceous oil/water contact level than previously estimated. Further testing is underway, including test production of multiple producing zones.

The Peshkabir-8 well, spud in late August, is drilling ahead at 2,325 meters. Once completed, the rig will move to spud Peshkabir-9 in November.

Four other wells at Peshkabir now produce at a combined rate of close to 40,000 bopd following a workover at Peshkabir-3 which boosted production from that well to 11,000 bopd from 8,000 bopd.

Peshkabir production is processed through temporary test facilities until commissioning of a central processing facility with a capacity of up to 50,000 bopd by end-2018. The Company is also installing a 10-inch pipeline from Peshkabir to Fish Khabur with a capacity of 60,000 bopd. Field production is currently transported to Fish Khabur by tanker truck and a 6-inch pipeline.

At the Company’s flagship Tawke field, the Tawke-50 shallow Jeribe well drilled to a depth of 320 meters will be brought on production within several days. The Tawke-49 Cretaceous well is drilling ahead at 2,245 meters and will be completed later this month. Two additional Tawke wells, one each in the Jeribe and the Cretaceous, will be drilled by the end of the year. Workovers are also underway at two wells. Tawke production currently stands at just over 80,000 bopd.

Elsewhere in Kurdistan, the Company is about to spud its first well at the Baeshiqa license. Baeshiqa contains two undrilled structures with multiple target reservoirs in the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic. The first well will target the Cretaceous and will be followed by a back-to-back well to test the deeper Jurassic and Triassic on the same structure. A third well to test the Jurassic and Triassic on a separate structure will be drilled in 2019.

“We are all in on our Kurdistan operations and delivering,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani (pictured). “Peshkabir continues to exceed expectations and we are eager to probe the promising potential at Baeshiqa,” he added.

In Norway, the Company will participate in two exploration wells to be spud in 2018. DNO currently holds 21 licenses in the country and plans an additional five exploration wells next year. The Company’s growing Norway portfolio is complemented by a 28.22 percent shareholding in UK-listed Faroe Petroleum plc.

“With USD 1 billion in financial assets, including more than USD 600 million in cash and the balance in marketable securities and treasury shares, we are well-positioned to grow our footprint in Kurdistan and Norway with the drill bit and the acquisition of producing assets,” said Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO Reports Payment for Tawke Deliveries

By John Lee.

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, has reported receipt of USD 69.03 million as payment for May 2018 crude oil deliveries to the export market from the Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The funds will be shared by DNO and partner Genel Energy plc pro-rata to the companies’ interests in the license.

Separately, a payment of USD 5.99 million has been received net to DNO, representing three percent of gross Tawke license revenues during May, as provided for under the August 2017 receivables settlement agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

DNO operates and has a 75 percent interest in the Tawke license, which contains the Tawke and Peshkabir fields.

Following regularization of export payments for Tawke license production since February 2016, the Company will no longer make monthly receipts announcements. The Company will instead update the market on export volumes and values as part of its quarterly financial reporting.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO Presses Foot on Accelerator in Kurdistan

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced plans for its first dividend distribution to shareholders in 13 years following release of strong half-year 2018 results, including revenues of USD 289 million which were up 83 percent from the same period last year. The Company also reported a net profit of USD 61 million and free cash flow of USD 142 million during the first half of the year.

“With growing production and robust and reliable revenues, the dividend announcement underscores confidence in our strong growth prospects,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani (pictured). “Kurdistan is back and so is DNO,” he added.

The Company continues to ramp up activity in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where fast track development of the Peshkabir field is expected to boost output by another 15,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) to 50,000 bopd by yearend.

The Company, the most active driller in Kurdistan, has three rigs operating across its licenses with a fourth to be added next month.

Two rigs will be active at the flagship Tawke field to reverse natural field decline through workovers and the drilling of two wells in the main Cretaceous reservoir and two wells in the shallow Jeribe reservoir.

Operations will commence at the Baeshiqa license with another rig to be mobilized to spud the first well in September as part of a back-to-back, three-well exploration program. DNO acquired a 32 percent interest in and operatorship of the Baeshiqa license last year, joining ExxonMobil (32 percent), the Turkish Energy Company (16 percent) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (20 percent).

At Peshkabir, the fourth rig will spud Peshkabir-8 in 10 days followed by Peshkabir-9 in October. Early production and successful appraisal have raised previous field proven (1P) and proven and probable (2P) reserves. Two newly completed wells, Peshkabir-6 and Peshkabir-7, will commence testing by the end of this month before being placed on production. Peshkabir-6 is key to unlocking further Cretaceous and Triassic reserves.

“Peshkabir is proving prolific in production and has generated over USD 300 million in gross revenue since startup last year or three times the investment,” said Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani.

Elsewhere, DNO recently completed the sale of its Tunisia assets and relinquished Block SL18 in Somaliland as part of the Company’s ongoing rationalization of its portfolio through divestment of non-core assets and focus on expanding operations in Kurdistan and Norway.

Offshore Norway, the Company recently added six new exploration licenses for a total of 21 licenses and plans to participate in one exploration well in the fall, followed by at least five wells next year.

DNO retains indirect interests in North Sea assets through its 28.23 percent strategic stake in Faroe Petroleum plc and, given the size of its shareholding, will request seats on the board and has asked for an extraordinary general meeting to be called for this purpose.

DNO exited the second quarter with a cash balance of USD 584 million in addition to USD 288 million in marketable securities and treasury shares. The Company’s outstanding bond debt stands at USD 600 million.

The planned annual dividend distribution of NOK 434 million (USD 50 million equivalent), payable in two tranches, is subject to shareholder approval. To facilitate the distribution of the planned dividend, the DNO Board of Directors will convene an extraordinary general meeting on 13 September 2018 (i) to seek approval for payment of a dividend of NOK 0.2 per share in H2 2018 to be distributed to shareholders of record on 13 September 2018 (as registered in the VPS on 17 September 2018), and (ii) to seek authorization to approve an additional dividend payment of NOK 0.2 per share in H1 2019.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO Picks Up Peshkabir Production in Kurdistan

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced a two-thirds increase in production from the Peshkabir field in the Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to 25,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) following completion of the Peshkabir-4 well testing program.

The well has been placed on production at a rate of 10,000 bopd through a 72/64″ choke with 790 psi wellhead pressure through temporary, capacity-constrained test facilities and the oil trucked to Fish Khabur for export.

The Peshkabir-4 well was designed as a high angle well to assess the central part of the structure four kilometers west of the Peshkabir-3 well and drilled to a measured depth of 3,525 meters, including a 1,150 meter extended reach reservoir section. A total of 11 zones were tested and flowed between 1,500 bopd and 7,000 bopd per zone.

The next well in the 2018 field development campaign, Peshkabir-5, has been drilled seven kilometers west of Peshkabir-3 and has successfully proved the westward extension of the field. Completed in June, it is currently undergoing final testing; a total of four zones have been tested so far and flowed between 4,000 bopd and 7,500 bopd per zone.

DNO will bring this well onstream in August and expects to reach and surpass its previously announced summer 2018 Peshkabir production target of 30,000 bopd.

“The pickup in Peshkabir production puts new meaning to the fast in fast track in development of this field by the DNO team,” said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s Executive Chairman.  “And we expect Peshkabir to continue to surprise to the upside,” he added.

Two other wells, Peshkabir-6 and Peshkabir-7, are drilling ahead at 3,900 meters and 3,100 meters, respectively. Peshkabir-6, a near vertical well, will explore the field’s deeper Triassic formation and establish the Cretaceous oil/water contact level. Peshkabir-7 is a high angle producer well located between Peshkabir-4 and Peshkabir-5.

The Peshkabir field was brought on production in 2017 and two drilled wells last year, Peshkabir-2 and Peshkabir-3, have produced at a constant combined rate of around 15,000 bopd.

DNO operates and has a 75 percent interest in the Tawke license, which contains the Tawke and Peshkabir fields, with partner Genel Energy plc holding the remainder. Together, output from the two fields has averaged 106,000 bopd year-to-date.

(Source: DNO)

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Genel, DNO, receive KRG Payment for March

By John Lee.

Genel Energy and DNO have said that the Tawke partners have received $62.19 million from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as payment for March 2018 crude oil deliveries to the export market from the Tawke licence.

Genel’s net share of the payment is $15.52 million.

The Taq Taq partners have received a gross payment of $6.20 million from the KRG for oil sales during March 2018; Genel’s net share of this payment is $3.41 million.

Genel has also received an override payment of $8.37 million from the KRG, representing 4.5% of Tawke gross licence revenues for the month of March 2018, as per the terms of the Receivable Settlement Agreement.

In total, Genel’s net share of payments relating to March 2018 exports totals $27.30 million.

(Source: Genel Energy)

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DNO Completes $400m Bond Placement

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, has completed the private placement of USD 400 million of new, five-year senior unsecured bonds to be issued at 100 percent of par with a coupon rate of 8.75 percent. The bond placement received strong investor demand across international markets and was oversubscribed.

The bond issue is expected to be settled on or about 31 May 2018, subject to customary conditions precedent. An application will be made for the bonds to be listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

In connection with the bond placement, the Company has agreed to roll over USD 200 million in nominal value of DNO01 bonds (ISIN: NO0010740392) at 103.25 percent of par plus accrued interest into the new bond. The rolled over bonds will be canceled and USD 200 million of outstanding DNO01 bonds will remain.

Net proceeds from the new bonds will be used towards refinancing the outstanding DNO01 bonds and for general corporate purposes.

Pareto Securities AS acted as lead manager and bookrunner with Danske Bank and SpareBank 1 Markets AS as co-managers and bookrunners.

(Source: DNO)

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DNO Contemplates New Bond Issue

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas company with operations in Iraqi Kurdistan, is contemplating the issuance of a new, five-year senior unsecured bond with a minimum size of USD 400 million through a private placement.

The coupon rate and the issue size will be determined during the accelerated book building commencing today.

The net proceeds from the contemplated bond issue will be used towards the refinancing of DNO’s existing DNO01 bond (ISIN NO 0010740392) and for general corporate purposes.

Existing DNO01 bondholders that participate in the contemplated new bond issue will be given the opportunity to offer part or all of their DNO01 bonds at 103.25 percent of par plus accrued interest at settlement of the contemplated new bond issue.

Pareto Securities AS is acting as lead manager and bookrunner with Danske Bank and SpareBank 1 Markets AS acting as co-managers and bookrunners.

(Source: DNO)