28th March 2024
Pantheon
Resources plc
Progress on Funding
Arrangements and Development & Appraisal
Planning
Investor Presentation via
Investor Meet Company
Pantheon Resources plc (AIM: PANR)
("Pantheon" or "the Company"), the oil and gas company with a 100%
working interest in the Kodiak and Ahpun projects, covered by
193,000 acres of leases with an additional c. 66,000 acres to be
awarded following successful bids in the December 2023 lease sales,
all in close proximity to pipeline and transportation
infrastructure on Alaska's North Slope, is pleased to share the
following update on its development planning and funding
initiatives.
Ahpun Development Planning
·
Initial dynamic modelling for 10,000 ft lateral
well in the Ahpun topset horizons ("Topsets") supports Pantheon's
previously released analysis of > 2 million barrels ("mmbbl")
per well Estimated Ultimate Recovery ("EUR") and first year average
production rate of 2,000 bpd of marketable liquids.
·
SLB is concluding the development plan for the
deeper Ahpun Alkaid Zone and will now turn to the shallower Ahpun
Topsets development plan.
·
Pantheon's technical team has identified well pad
and bottom hole locations sufficient to recover Company estimates
of 481 mmbbls from the Ahpun Topsets and Alkaid Zone (best estimate
contingent recoverable resources).
·
In order to mitigate delays to financing
discussions that would have resulted from Netherland, Sewell &
Associates, Inc.'s ("NSAI") Ahpun report only becoming available
around the end of Q2 2024, Pantheon commissioned Independent Expert
Reports ("IER") for (the shallower) Ahpun Topsets and (the deeper)
Alkaid Zone from Cawley Gillespie & Associates ("CGA") and Lee
Keeling & Associates (LKA) respectively. The full reports,
expected shortly, are integral to financing discussions, and will
be announced to the market and posted to Pantheon's website when
completed.
o Given NSAI could not commence Ahpun work until after the
completion of its work on Kodiak, CGA was appointed as it could
commence earlier, thereby reducing the timeline to delivery of an
IER on the Ahpun Topsets by some three months. CGA has conducted
reserves auditing work on existing North Slope fields and has been
able to work in parallel with NSAI's evaluation of
Kodiak.
o LKA
has previously evaluated the Alkaid Zone in the Ahpun Field and,
given their existing knowledge, was able to update this work with
subsequent data from Alkaid-2 in a shorter timeframe.
o NSAI
will now prepare its IER on the entirety of the Ahpun Field,
including any additional resources confirmed by successful
appraisal of the eastern extension, prior to Final Investment
Decision ("FID").
·
Pantheon is completing management estimates of
prospective resources in the eastern extension to Ahpun Topsets
covered by the new leases successfully bid for in December 2023,
and accessible from western side of Sag River. Results will be
released as soon as available.
Kodiak and Eastern Extension of Ahpun: Appraisal
Planning
·
Expect to receive the initial NSAI Kodiak
recoverable resource update to incorporate the new acreage at or
near end of Q1 2024 / early Q2 2024.
·
Full NSAI report will be announced to the market
and posted to Pantheon's website when received.
·
Pantheon is undertaking preparations to support
winter campaigns for up to three appraisal wells in western portion
of Kodiak field, subject to funding.
·
The Company is currently preparing drilling plans
for a Megrez-1 well into eastern Ahpun Topsets from alongside
Dalton Highway using either an ice pad for winter drilling or rig
mats for summer drilling, again subject to funding.
Funding Arrangements
· Offtaker Finance Initiatives:
o Advanced
discussion on a proposed agreement with Alaska Gasline Development
Corp ("AGDC"), subject to regulatory approvals, Alaska LNG FID and
assignable to ultimate customers, to supply up to 500 million cubic
feet per day ("mmcfd") of natural gas at exit of Ahpun gas plant at
a base price not to exceed $1/ million British thermal unit
("mmbtu"), with a final price subject to negotiation, for up to 40
years. Targeting delivery of initial volumes in 2029, ramping up to
full capacity by 2032.
o Pantheon
and AGDC are working cooperatively to identify mutually beneficial
opportunities to further reduce the natural gas
price.
o Pantheon
retains the rights to any helium and other gaseous products
produced or remaining as a byproduct of future LNG produced with
Pantheon natural gas via Alaska LNG.
o Well tests
of associated gas from the Ahpun and Kodiak fields indicate
approximately 0.5% CO2 content, well below the 3% maximum limit for
in-state utility gas.
·
Vendor Finance Initiatives:
o Pantheon is working with two large service companies on
mutually beneficial arrangements for oilfield services. This would
reduce upfront cash requirements and allow scheduling of equipment
availability, including potentially new build facilities customised
to field conditions. Services would be supplied under long term
contracts benchmarked to industry norms and with incentives for
exceeding target service costs.
o Pantheon expects to be able to provide details of other
discussions with vendors in the coming months.
·
There can be no guarantees that either vendor
financing or offtaker financing arrangements can be concluded on
terms acceptable to each party.
The Company will host an Investor
Meet Company webinar to discuss the status of development and
appraisal planning on 10 April 2024 at 17:00 BST. Participants can
register via the following link:
https://www.investormeetcompany.com/pantheon-resources-plc/register-investor.
Anyone following Pantheon Resources
PLC with Investor Meet Company will automatically receive a
notification.
The presentation is open to all
existing and potential shareholders. Questions can be submitted
pre-event via your Investor Meet Company dashboard up until 09 Apr
2024, 09:00 BST, or at any time during the live
presentation.
David Hobbs, Executive Chairman of Pantheon Resources,
commented:
"We have made considerable progress during the past several
months towards accessing funding on the least dilutive basis
possible. The competitive advantage of our location and gas
composition, which could potentially provide gas for in-State use
through Alaska LNG, should allow Pantheon to capture the benefit of
reduced numbers (and CapEx) of gas reinjection wells along with a
path to low-cost commercialisation of the helium potential now
identified in the Kodiak field.
"The updated Independent Expert Report from NSAI on our 100%
owned Kodiak project and the two Independent Expert Reports from
CGA and LKA have shortened the timeframe for potential partners to
fast-track their technical and commercial due diligence to meet our
target of concluding non-equity funding arrangements by the end of
Q2 2024. These will be released, along with SLB's dynamic modelling
results, when they are received in the next few weeks. We will
delay completion of NSAI's assessment of Ahpun from its original
timetable to incorporate the results of planned further drilling in
the Topsets (previously referred to as SMD) and to support the FID
for the overall Ahpun Development."
Frank Richards, President of AGDC,
commented:
"Alaska is facing an energy crisis, and AGDC is exploring
every option to deliver a new, affordable, reliable, and long-term
energy supply. This proposed agreement provides for more than
enough gas to meet Alaska's in-state energy requirements, this gas
features very low carbon dioxide content eliminating the need for
additional treatment costs, and Pantheon's fields are conveniently
situated directly along the Alaska LNG pipeline route. We look
forward to working with Pantheon to finalize these agreements as we
advance Alaska LNG."
Further information, please contact:
Pantheon Resources plc
|
+44 20 7484 5361
|
David Hobbs, Executive
Chairman
Jay Cheatham,
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
Justin Hondris, Director, Finance
and Corporate Development
|
|
|
|
|
|
Canaccord Genuity
plc (Nominated Adviser and broker)
|
+44 20 7523 8000
|
Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor
James Asensio
Ana Ercegovic
|
|
|
|
BlytheRay
|
+44 20 7138 3204
|
Tim Blythe
Megan Ray
Matthew Bowld
AGDC
Tim Fitzpatrick
|
+19 0771 74978
|
The information contained within
this Announcement is deemed by Pantheon Resources PLC to constitute
inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR").
Notes to Editors
Pantheon Resources plc is an AIM
listed Oil & Gas company focused on developing the Ahpun and
Kodiak fields located on state land on the Alaska North Slope
("ANS"), onshore USA, where it has a 100% working interest in c.
193,000 acres. In December 2023, Pantheon was the successful bidder
for an additional 66,240 acres with very significant resource
potential, contiguous to the Ahpun and Kodiak projects. Following
the issue of the new leases, which are expected to be formally
awarded in summer 2024 upon payment of the balance of the
application monies, the Company will have a 100% working interest
in c. 259,000 acres. Certified contingent resources attributable to
these projects exceeds 1 billion barrels of marketable liquids,
located adjacent to Alaska's Trans Alaska Pipeline System
("TAPS").
Pantheon's stated objective is to
demonstrate sustainable market recognition of a value of $5-$10/bbl
of recoverable resources by end 2028. This is based on targeting
Final Investment Decision ("FID") on the Ahpun field by the end of
2025, subject to regulatory approvals, building production to at
least 20,000 barrels per day of marketable liquids into the TAPS
main oil line, and applying the resultant cashflows to support the
FID on the Kodiak field by the end of 2028.
A major differentiator to other ANS
projects is the close proximity to existing roads and pipelines
which offers a significant competitive advantage to Pantheon,
allowing for materially lower infrastructure costs and the ability
to support the development with a significantly lower pre-cashflow
funding requirement than is typical in Alaska.
The Company's project portfolio has
been endorsed by world renowned experts. Netherland, Sewell &
Associates ("NSAI") estimate a 2C contingent recoverable resource
in the Kodiak project that total 962.5 million barrels of
marketable liquids and 4,465 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
NSAI is currently working on updated estimates for the Kodiak Field
to incorporate the additional acreage, and CGA and LKA are working
on estimates for the Ahpun Field.