RE: RNS27 Jun 2023 07:11
We remain focused on closing out legacy contracts, with five of the remaining eight contracts expected to be completed(2) during the second half of the year or early in 2024. On the Thai Oil Clean Fuels contract, good progress is being made on the construction phases of the project. The execution plan remains in line with the update provided with the FY22 year end results and discussions with the client in relation to cost recoveries are ongoing.
Bidding activity remains high with a total pipeline scheduled for award by December 2024 of approximately US$57 billion, of which US$14 billion is scheduled for award in 2023.
Asset Solutions
Order intake(1) in the first half is expected to be approximately US$1.0 billion, with a book-to-bill of approximately 1.4x, comprising both new contract awards and extensions in both the Asset Operations and Wells and Decommissioning service lines.
Asset Solutions continued to deliver robust performance in the first half, with revenue expected to be approximately US$0.7 billion.
The EBIT margin in the first half is expected to be between 2%-3%. We expect EBIT to be weighted to the second half of the year, with full year EBIT in line with guidance.
Asset Solutions has a strong pipeline of opportunities with US$16 billion scheduled for award by December 2024, of which US$7 billion is scheduled for award in 2023.
In New Energies, we have continued to secure further early-stage awards and strategic alliances with technology providers in the first half, including an exclusive partnership with OCI Global to deliver their gasification-based green methanol projects. We remain well positioned over the medium-term to secure engineering, procurement, and construction scopes of work, as well as other execution phase project work, as projects reach final investment decision.
Integrated Energy Services (IES)
IES’ financial performance in the first half of the year is expected to be in line with the guidance provided in April 2023. Net production is expected to be 0.6 million barrels of oil (mboe) for the first half of the year (H1 2022: 0.6 mboe).
ORDER BACKLOG
The Group's backlog(3) is expected to significantly increase to approximately US$5.6 billion at 30 June 2023 (31 December 2022: US$3.4 billion), reflecting strong order intake in both E&C and Asset Solutions.
CASH FLOW AND NET DEBT
We continue to target a broadly neutral free cash flow for the full year, with a reduction in working capital weighted to the second half. We therefore expect free cashflow to be negative in the first half, reversing in the second half. As a consequence, net debt is expected to increase at 30 June 2023, and to reduce by year end.
Conference call
Afonso Reis e Sousa, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call for analysts and investors at 8.30am today.