Yesterdays broker report4 Jun 2019 10:20
Tower released its FY18 results this morning, which don’t contain any material new information. Management remain confident they can find a financing solution for progressing the high impact drilling campaign in Cameroon, due to commence in July. We don’t make any changes to our model, but reiterate that, assuming Tower can fund NJOM3, we believe the risk reward is extremely compelling.
As already announced, Tower made good progress in 2018, with a CPR carried out by Oilfield International confirming the significant contingent and prospective resources associated with Tower’s Thali block off Cameroon. Financials are not meaningful, but Tower reported a loss before impairment of $1m (2017 -$1.6m) and a YE cash balance of $331k. Management have continued to focus on keeping corporate costs as low as possible. The impairment charge of $2.8m is associated with Zambia, for which we included no value. Tower also announced that Graeme Thomson is retiring from the Board.
Subsequent to year end, Tower raised £1.7m (gross) at a placing price of 1p per share, and agreed an interim financing $750k Bridging Loan Facility. As already known, Tower will need to raise further funds in the next 12 months or agree a farmout etc in order to meet its liabilities, especially the commitment to drill the NJOM3 well. The total net commitment in 2019 is $10.5m, and the net commitment from 2020 onwards is $2.4m. Whilst there can be no guarantee, the Directors are confident they can raise sufficient finance in a timely manner and believe they are now well advanced in raising those funds at the asset level.
Since the year-end, Tower has completed the well engineering, ordered long lead items, secured a rig and selected all the contractors to provide services to the well including the test programme. The Topaz Drilled remains on schedule to move to the site in July. Given Tower’s presence in country and the potential it sees therein, it is continuing to discuss a further potential PSC in Cameroon.
Operator New Age continues to conduct a farm-out process for the Algoa Gamtoos licence (Tower 50%), which has mean prospective resources of 664mmboe associated with five leads and prospects, including a potential 364mmboe Deep Albian structure, analogous to TOTAL’s giant Brulpadda discovery in the Outeniqua Basin Slope.
We make no changes to our NAV of 9.4p, or our PT of 6.5p. Given that we estimate a four well development of Njonji could have an NPV of over $160m net to Tower, with significant further potential upside, we remain with our BUY recommendation.