Canaccord update14 Jan 2021 14:28
Canaccord (House Broker) comment on todays news:
"Talitha well spuds onshore Alaska"
PANR-AIM | Price 44p | Market Cap £252.5M
SPECULATIVE BUY Unchanged
PRICE TARGET 83p Unchanged
Canaccord Genuity view
"Pantheon spudded its much anticipated well, Talitha #A (PANR, WI: 89.2%) on the North Slope of Alaska, ahead of schedule on 13th January. The well has been designed to evaluate four different anticipated reservoir zones, for each of which full logging, ***coring***, and testing is planned. In combination, the four reservoir zones are estimated to have over 1 bbbls gross recoverable potential.
The Talitha #A well is being drilled from a pad located eight miles west of the Dalton Highway (the north-south road link) and the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). That location should allow for rapid further appraisal and development of any commercial resources in Talitha.
It is also four miles from the Pipeline State#1 (PS#1) well drilled by ARCO in 1988, which found movable hydrocarbons in all four expected reservoirs in Talitha.
Separately, the company has also acquired leases in two areas adjacent to its current acreage. That now gives Pantheon full control of the Talitha project and the emerging Theta West target, and should strengthen the company's hand in any future potential farm-out/sale discussions.
Drilling
Timetable: The drilling and testing programme will be shaped in part by the weather conditions. All operations must be completed before the spring thaw sets in, usually around end March.
Primary target: Shelf Margin Deltaic (SMD), which is also the shallowest of the four expected zones. SMD has independently determined 302 mmbbls gross prospective resources.
The well has been optimally located for this reservoir. The location is updip of the PS#1 discovery, and Pantheon anticipates improved reservoir properties at Talitha #A. Given the reservoir's geometries, it is not optimally located for the lower three zones.
New acreage
Lease area increase of 40%: Pantheon is acquiring a 100% interest in 66k acres adjacent to its current 100k acre leases. The acquisition cost, due to the State of Alaska, is $3.3m, with a 20% deposit and the balance to be paid following formal title transfer.
Benefits: The licences are for an initial 10 year term and give Pantheon full control over the Talitha project and the potential of the Theta West target. In the long term, assuming drilling success at Talitha and beyond, this low-cost acquisition could prove very valuable. The new leases are covered by Pantheon's 3D seismic data.
East Texas dispute ***update***
The company has residual interests onshore East Texas. Kinder Morgan Treating LP (KM) is seeking payment of $3.4m with respect to a gas treating agreement there between KM and Vision Operating Company (VOC). Pantheon believes it has no liability, as it owned <0.1% of VOC and was not a signatory to, nor is named in, the agreement. ***This matter has previo