RE: Loan20 Feb 2024 17:12
Reminder of this Investor Question of 31/10/23 and answer:
Now Balcombe has been approved please can you outline next steps and timeline for testing and what is the longer term plans for the site. Thanks Asked on 31 October 2023
One of the reasons we had wanted a global refinance in the first place, is that the current senior loan facility “sweeps” away excess cash to accelerated debt repayments which means that exploratory capex, as at Balcombe, will need to wait for a refinance and certainty that no appeal against the recent judgement will be made or accepted.
That said, the refinance completed, this will be amongst the top priorities for 2024. Assuming no appeal is accepted or successful, we will begin re-engagement with the local community regarding their concerns and with WSCC regarding satisfaction of planning conditions and the EA regarding permit conditions as well as upgrading our plans for what is, initially, a very minor intervention.
The second stage – a full well test spread – would only proceed if the winning of commercial volumes of oil was determined to be an exceptionally high probability in the relatively simple first stage of works but we cannot leave an indefinite pause between the two stages to seek finance. Angus farmed into a 25% interest into Balcombe some six or seven years ago at the height of the broad-based enthusiasm for the Kimmeridge as a play in the Weald Basin and presently the Board is weighing the cost of the various stages of the operation versus our interest in the field and we have opened discussions with our partners in the field regarding those respective obligations and interests.