29 May 2013 07:00
29 May 2013
Ruspetro plc ("Ruspetro" or the "Company")
Sberbank Loan Restructured
London, 29 May 2013: Ruspetro plc (LSE: RPO), the independent oil & gas development and production company listed on the London Stock Exchange, with operations in the Khanty-Mansiysk region of the West Siberian basin, today announces that Sberbank has restructured its loan to the Company.
Sberbank has agreed to a three year extension and a two year interest payment holiday on their $297.4 million loan, now due in April 2018. Interest payments will be waived in 2013, and interest payments in 2014 will be waived if the Company meets certain covenants.
Over this two year period, the interest payment waiver by Sberbank represents a US$50 million reduction in cash outflows for the Company. The effective interest rate of the loan is 8%, payable semi-annually from 2015. The cost of arrangement of the restructuring to the Company is US$1 million.
Tom Reed, Chief Financial Officer, commented:
"This new arrangement with Sberbank enables the Company to fully focus on monetizing our gas reserves and developing our oil business. Sberbank's support has been invaluable to Ruspetro throughout our history, and this transaction again underlines their commitment to and confidence in the Company and its management team. "
Enquiries
Investors / Analyst enquiriesDominic Manley, Ruspetro+44 207 318 1265 / +44 7540 460 872
Twitter: @ruspetroplc
MediaPatrick Handley / Catriona McDermott, Brunswick+44 207 404 5959
About Ruspetro
Ruspetro plc is an independent oil & gas development and production company, listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange (LSE: RPO). The Company's operations are located on three contiguous licence blocks in the middle of the Krasnoleninsk Arch in Western Siberia. Ruspetro assets include proved and probable (2P) reserves of over 1.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent.