"I am pleased to provide a trading update for the first seven months of 2025, highlighting Total Revenues1 of US$147.3 million and good progress in our core objectives for the year, including a 37% increase in cash collections year-on-year, with almost US$220 million collected in the year to date, and a 12% improvement in the Trade Receivables balance compared to year-end 2024.
We are also reporting today that we have signed a turnkey drilling contract for up to two wells on the Uquo Field in Nigeria, with the Uquo NE development well due to start drilling in January 2026 and first gas targeted by the end of that quarter. Uquo NE is forecast to provide gas volumes of up to 80 MMscfpd, which may be followed by the drilling of an exploration well, Uquo South, targeting an Unrisked Gross GIIP of 131 Bscf of incremental Prospective gas Resources. Our Stubb Creek asset continues to perform well, with current daily production of 3.2 Kbopd, up 20% on the average level for 2024. We continue to target further increases in Stubb Creek production as we progress the planned expansion programme there.
2025 continues to be an exciting year for the business and we continue to work towards "ticking-off" the delivery of the nine focus area projects that we outlined at the beginning of the year, being: (1) securing a further increase in our rate of cash collections in Nigeria2; (2) completion of the refinancing of our principal Nigerian debt facilities; (3) completion of the planned acquisition of 100% of Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Nigeria Limited (the "SIPEC Acquisition") which was achieved during Q1 2025; (4) commencement of the Stubb Creek expansion project which was achieved during Q2 2025; (5) the advancement of our Chad/Cameroon arbitration processes3; (6) the commencement of the safe and successful drilling of our planned Uquo development well and potential Uquo exploration well; (7) the potential advancement of our R3 East development in Niger4; (8) the refinement of our power sector business model; and (9) the delivery of further transformational acquisitions.
I look forward to reporting further progress towards the achievement of many of our focus area projects at the time of our half year results in September and in the months that follow."