2 Apr 2013 07:00
2 April 2013
EGDON RESOURCES PLC
("Egdon" or "the Company")
Sale of Certain Interests in PL090 and PEDL237 and Earn-in Arrangements
Egdon Resources plc (AIM:EDR) is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement for the sale of a 12.5% interest in Wessex Basin Licences PL090 and PEDL237 to Corfe Energy Limited ("Corfe") for a cash consideration of £500,000. The Waddock Cross field development area in PL090 is excluded from the transaction.
In addition, under the terms of an Earn-In Agreement, Egdon will be able to earn back a 6.25% interest in both Licences through paying the costs attributable to such interest as well as the costs attributable to the 6.25% interest acquired by Corfe from Egdon up to a combined maximum of £500,000. The net financial effect of the transaction to Egdon is as if it had benefitted from a "two for one" promote on the relevant proportion of the gross £4 million work programme planned on the Licences.
The parties have agreed to acquire a programme of 3D seismic over the Casterbridge prospect, the Broadmayne prospect and other prospective structures which is expected to commence during the fourth quarter of 2013. Following completion of the seismic programme and prior to the drilling of an exploration well on either of the Licences, Egdon is entitled to opt out of the Earn-In obligation but under these circumstances will re-assign its 6.25% Earn-in interest to Corfe.
Corfe has also reached agreement on the same terms with First Oil Expro Limited and Aurora Exploration Limited and on completion of the Earn-In the Licence Interests in PL090 and PEDL237 will be as follows:
Egdon (Operator) 38.7500%
First Oil Expro Limited 22.6042%
Aurora Exploration Limited 16.1458%
Corfe Energy Limited 12.5000%
Dorset Exploration Limited1 10.0000%
The transfer of interests is subject to approval by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
The PL090 and PEDL237 licencees have also agreed an Area of Mutual Interest in respect of the existing licence areas and certain adjacent areas.
Commenting on the transaction Mark Abbott, Managing Director of Egdon said:
"The transaction with Corfe is a further example of delivery of Egdon's "farm-out" strategy to reduce financial exposure and accelerate activity on key exploration projects and provides the impetus for the acquisition of a 3D seismic programme over the main prospective trend later in 2013. The intention is to firm-up a drilling location to test a high potential Sherwood Sandstone Prospect in 2014. We have identified two prospective structures at Casterbridge and Broadmayne where Egdon evaluate combined gross Best Estimate Prospective Resources of around 50 million barrels of oil. The planned 3D seismic programme should enable us to identify the best location for a future exploration well.
Elsewhere in the area the Waddock Cross planning decision is now expected during April with a planned production start-up around mid-year, dependent upon a positive decision on planning."
1 Dorset Exploration Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Egdon Resources plc
For further information please contact:
Egdon Resources plc
Mark Abbott, Jerry Field 01256 702292
Buchanan
Richard Darby, Gabriella Clinkard, Tom Hufton 020 7466 5000
Nominated Adviser and Broker - Cantor Fitzgerald Europe
David Porter, Rick Thompson (Corporate Finance) 020 7107 8000
Richard Redmayne (Corporate Broking)
Notes to Editors:
Egdon Resources plc
Egdon Resources plc (LSE: EDR) is an established UK-based exploration and production company primarily focused on onshore exploration and production in the hydrocarbon-producing basins of the UK and France.
Egdon currently holds interests in twenty nine licences in the UK and France and has an active programme of exploration, appraisal and development within its balanced portfolio of oil and gas assets. Egdon is an approved operator in both the UK and France.
Egdon was formed in 1997 and listed on AIM in December 2004.
In accordance with the AIM Rules - Note for Mining and Oil and Gas Companies, the information contained in this announcement has been reviewed and signed off by the Managing Director of Egdon Resources plc Mark Abbott, a Geoscientist with over 26 years' experience.
Evaluation of potential recoverable hydrocarbons has been assessed in accordance with 2007 Petroleum Resources Management System prepared by the Oil and Gas Reserves Committee of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and reviewed and jointly sponsored by the World Petroleum Council (WPC), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE).