Pieridae Energy Limited (“Pieridae” or the “Company”) (TSX:
PEA) is pleased to announce it has completed the sale
of its Goldboro assets (the “Goldboro Sale”) and has issued notice
to repay in full the Company’s subordinated secured bridge loan
(the “Bridge Loan”). The balance of the Bridge Loan repayment in
excess of the Goldboro Sale proceeds will be funded by the
Company’s existing liquidity. Pieridae is also pleased to announce
it has agreed to a private placement of common shares with Alberta
Investment Management Corporation (“AIMCo”), an existing Pieridae
shareholder (the “Private Placement”), the proceeds of which will
be used to repay a portion of the Company’s existing credit
facilities. Also, in response to sustained low natural gas prices,
Pieridae is shutting-in approximately 6,250 boe/d of production
that flows to a third-party owned and operated facility in the
Company’s Central Alberta core area.
Darcy Reding, President & CEO, commented “We
are excited to conclude the sale of Goldboro, an important step in
concentrating our strategy onto our upstream and midstream
businesses. We are also very pleased with the ongoing support of
our lenders and of AIMCo, who have each made additional commitments
to enable the repayment of the highest cost loan in our capital
structure. Pieridae will be stronger financially with a lower risk
profile and a clearer investment proposition that benefits our
shareholders.”
BRIDGE LOAN REPAYMENT
On July 25, 2024, Pieridae issued a binding
repayment notice (the “Repayment Notice”) to TEC pursuant to which
the Company has agreed to fully repay the 18% fixed rate,
subordinated convertible Bridge Loan which matures December 13,
2024. Pursuant to the Repayment Notice, the Bridge Loan will be
settled in cash on or prior to August 24, 2024 in the amount of
$24.0 million, including outstanding principal and accrued
interest. Extinguishing the Bridge Loan with cash reduces the
Company’s total debt and avoids more significant equity dilution
that would otherwise occur in the event of a full conversion of the
Bridge Loan to common shares.
GOLDBORO SALE
In November 2023, Pieridae announced its
intention to sell its Goldboro assets. On July 25, 2024 Pieridae
finalized the Goldboro Sale for cash consideration of $12.0
million, subject to normal closing adjustments and the release of
security by Third Eye Capital Corporation (“TEC”), concurrent with
repayment of the Bridge Loan.
The conclusion of the Goldboro Sale is an
important step in the Company’s previously announced strategic
pivot away from the legacy of an integrated east coast LNG project.
Pieridae has now completed the shift to focus on operating and
growing the Company’s natural gas, NGL and sulphur production and
optimizing its midstream processing facilities in the Foothills
region of Alberta.
PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Concurrent with the closing of the sale of the
Goldboro assets, Pieridae has entered into a subscription agreement
with AIMCo to issue 12,800,000 common shares to AIMCo at a price of
$0.35 per share, for proceeds of $4.48 million in a non-brokered
private placement. Pieridae has 159,111,336 common shares
outstanding prior to the Private Placement and will have
171,911,336 common shares outstanding following the Private
Placement. Proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to
repay a portion of the Company’s existing credit facilities.
The Company has received conditional approval
for the Private Placement from the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”)
and, pursuant to National Instrument 45-102 - Resale of Securities,
the shares issued under the Private Placement are subject to a four
month plus one day hold period, commencing on the day of closing
which is anticipated to occur on or about the date of repayment of
the Bridge Loan.
ADVISORS
Peters & Co. Limited is acting as exclusive
financial advisor to Pieridae with respect to the Private
Placement. Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP is acting as Pieridae’s
legal advisor.
PRODUCTION SHUT-IN
Pieridae has initiated the shut-in of
approximately 6,250 boe/d of uneconomic sour gas production in its
Central Alberta core area due to extremely low AECO natural gas
prices and high processing costs. The production flows to a
third-party processing facility and is expected to be completely
shut-in by July 26, 2024. Pieridae continually evaluates the
economic performance of its producing assets to optimize net
operating income during periods of sustained low commodity
prices.
ABOUT PIERIDAE
Pieridae is a Canadian energy company
headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The Company is a significant
upstream producer and midstream custom processor of natural gas,
natural gas liquids, condensate, and sulphur from the Canadian
Foothills and adjacent areas in Alberta and in northeast British
Columbia. Pieridae’s vision is to provide responsible, affordable
natural gas and derived products to meet society’s energy security
needs. Pieridae’s Common Shares trade on the TSX under the symbol
“PEA”.
For further information, visit
www.pieridaeenergy.com, or please contact:
Darcy Reding, President & Chief Executive
OfficerTelephone: (403) 261-5900 |
Adam Gray, Chief Financial OfficerTelephone: (403)
261-5900 |
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Investor
Relationsinvestors@pieridaeenergy.com |
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Forward-Looking
StatementsCertain of the statements contained herein may
constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking
information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws
(collectively “forward-looking statements”). Words such as “may”,
“will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “anticipate”, "agreed to",
"focus on", "optimize", "grow", "reduce", "avoid", “vision”,
"strategy", "proposition", "ongoing" and other similar words and
expressions may be used to identify the forward-looking statements
contained herein. These statements reflect management’s current
beliefs and are based on information currently available to
management. Forward-looking statements contained herein include,
without limitation: the intended use of proceeds from the Goldboro
Sale and the Private Placement; the Company's ability to draw on
its existing credit facilities; expectations with respect to the
closing of the Private Placement, including timing thereof;
expectations with respect to repayment of the Bridge Loan,
including mechanics and timing thereof; the anticipated benefits of
the repayment of the Bridge Loan, including, but not limited to,
increasing the Company's financial strength and lowering its risk
profile, improving the Company's investment profile, reducing the
Company's total debt, avoiding equity dilution and other benefits
to shareholders; expectations with respect to ongoing support from
the Company's lenders and AIMCo; the release of security held by
TEC in connection with the Goldboro Sale; and the Company's
strategic focus on operating and growing its natural gas, NGL and
sulphur production and on optimizing its midstream process
facilities.
Forward-looking statements involve significant
risk and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual
results to differ materially from the results discussed in the
forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, the risks
associated with oil and gas exploration, development, exploitation,
production, processing, marketing and transportation, loss of
markets, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations,
imprecision of resources estimates, environmental risks,
competition from other producers, incorrect assessment of the value
of acquisitions, failure to realize the anticipated benefits of
acquisitions, delays resulting from or inability to obtain required
regulatory approvals, and ability to access sufficient capital from
internal and external sources. These and other risk factors are
discussed in more detail under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in
Pieridae’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31,
2023, which is available on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at
www.sedarplus.ca. Additional risk factors include, but are not
limited to: the Private Placement may not be completed, or may not
be completed on the terms and timeline as currently expected; and
the repayment of the Bridge Loan may not be completed on the terms
or timeline as currently expected.
Forward-looking statements are based on a number
of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such
forward-looking statements, but which may prove to be incorrect.
Although Pieridae believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should
not be placed on forward-looking statements because Pieridae can
give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.
In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be
identified in this document, assumptions have been made regarding,
among other things: the impact of increasing competition; the
general stability of the economic and political environment in
which Pieridae operates; the ability of Pieridae to obtain and
retain qualified staff, equipment and services in a timely and cost
efficient manner; the ability of the operator of the projects which
Pieridae has an interest in to operate the field in a safe,
efficient and effective manner; the ability of Pieridae to obtain
financing on acceptable terms; the ability to replace and expand
oil and natural gas resources through acquisition, development and
exploration; the timing and costs of pipeline, storage and facility
construction and expansion and the ability of Pieridae to secure
adequate product transportation; future oil and natural gas prices;
currency, exchange and interest rates; the regulatory framework
regarding royalties, taxes and environmental matters in the
jurisdictions in which Pieridae operates; timing and amount of
capital expenditures; future sources of funding; production levels;
weather conditions; success of exploration and development
activities; access to gathering, processing and pipeline systems;
advancing technologies; and the ability of Pieridae to successfully
market its oil and natural gas products.
Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of
assumptions and risk factors is not exhaustive. Additional
information on these and other factors that could affect Pieridae’s
operations and financial results are included in reports on file
with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed
through the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca), and at Pieridae’s
website (www.pieridaeenergy.com).
Although the forward-looking statements
contained herein are based upon what management believes to be
reasonable assumptions, management cannot assure that actual
results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements.
Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the
date hereof and Pieridae assumes no obligation to update or review
them to reflect new events or circumstances except as required by
applicable securities laws.
Forward-looking statements contained herein
concerning the oil and gas industry and Pieridae’s general
expectations concerning this industry are based on estimates
prepared by management using data from publicly available industry
sources as well as from reserve reports, market research and
industry analysis and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of
this industry which Pieridae believes to be reasonable. However,
this data is inherently imprecise, although generally indicative of
relative market positions, market shares and performance
characteristics. While Pieridae is not aware of any misstatements
regarding any industry data presented herein, the industry involves
risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various
factors.
Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX) accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
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