REG - Canadian O'Seas Petr - Operations Update and Director Appointment

Canadian Overseas PetroleumAnnouncement

20/04/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 8296W  Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd  20 April 2023

Operations Update and Director Appointment

 

London, United Kingdom; Calgary, Canada: April 20, 2023 - Canadian Overseas
Petroleum Limited and its affiliates ("COPL" or the "Company") (XOP: CSE)
& (COPL: LSE), an international oil and gas exploration, production and
development company with production and development operations focused in
Converse and Natrona counties, Wyoming, USA, is pleased to give an update on
its operations and announce the appointment of an additional Non-Executive
Director.

 

Operations Update Highlights

·    Construction of the Company's Barron Flats Shannon Unit ("BFSU") $4.5
million high pressure gas gathering system upgrade to commence in April;

o  Procurement of long lead items for the BFSU gas gathering system upgrade
and upgrades to certain BFSU wellsite facilities is underway.

·    Conversions of BFSU flowing wells to pumping-flowing wells have
commenced;

·    The second Cole Creek Unit ("CCU") recompletion for Frontier 1 oil
production will commence in Q2 2023;

·    Oil production is increasing as facility and winter/spring weather
related issues are resolved;

·    Frontier oil Joint Venture discussions are continuing, now focused on
commercial terms.

 

Barron Flats Shannon Unit

The Company is embarking on a capital program to improve its production levels
by resolving constraints and bottlenecks that have limited oil production at
the Company's operated BFSU over 2022 to present. This program will allow for
increased oil production currently restricted primarily due to high pressure
produced associated/injectant gas. In addition, modifications to the
configurations of high productivity flowing producing wells should reduce
paraffin induced production interruptions in these wells thus increasing
overall production and significantly reducing field operating costs.

Construction of the BFSU Gas Gathering System Upgrade is to commence on April
29 subject to weather. Construction to commissioning is expected to take
approximately 2-3 months, with possible delays due to supply chain constraints
around specialized associated upgraded wellsite equipment. The project
consists of 5 miles of high-pressure steel pipe routed through the core area
of the field. Initially, eight (8) wells of the 34 producing wells will be
tied into the high-pressure system, with the current low pressure gas
gathering system servicing the remaining wells. The system is designed to
optimally capture additional wells with increased pressures as the field
miscible flood matures. This aspect will reduce initial costs, as these
tie-ins will be staged over time. In conjunction, upgrades to the wellsite
facilities of the wells to be tied into the upgraded system will be made.
These upgrades will include the addition of high-pressure separators and
higher pressure rated treaters. Total cost to upgrade the system is estimated
at $4.5 million.

Oil production from four high productivity flowing wells was impeded in 2022
to present due to paraffin plugging high in the tubing strings. Though the
design of the well configurations for these wells allowed for treatments to
mitigate these paraffin issues; the issues experienced nor their frequency
were not foreseen. To increase average daily oil production from these wells,
they will be converted to pumping-flowing wells with enhanced pressure rated
wellsite equipment to permit safe and efficient operations. Field operating
costs will also be reduced measurably due to the reduction in well
interventions to remove paraffin blockages.

After the commissioning of the upgraded gas gathering system and enhancements
of the wellsite facilities, temporary gas flaring will cease with all gas
recovered for miscible reinjection. In addition, the Company then intends to
increase miscible gas injection from the current approximately 3.5 MMCF/d to a
maximum of 8.5 MMCF/d through the purchase of additional natural gas and LPG.
This will cause the miscible flood scheme to get back on track resulting in
increased production volumes after injection volumes were reduced in 2022 due
to high pressures experienced in certain production wells. Costs of this
additional miscible injectant are substantially lower currently compared to
2022, the Company is not though in a position to forecast these future costs.

 

Cole Creek Unit

At the CCU, a second Frontier 1 recompletion will commence in Q2 once surface
access restrictions due to melting snow and spring conditions allow. The
Company is encouraged by its first unstimulated Frontier 1 recompletion at
11-27-35N-77W, which though completed in late December was shut-in for periods
in the first quarter due to severe winter storms and high snow accumulations.
This well is still under evaluation, with the issues encountered considered
for the second recompletion campaign.

 

Production

The Company's crude oil production averaged 1,200 Bbls/d in Q1 2023 (gross).
During the period severe winter storms caused multiple field shut downs due to
high snow accumulations and low temperatures. Oil production on April 17(th)
was approximately 1,000 Bbls/d (gross), with 350 Bbl./d (gross) shut in at the
BFSU for a flowing to pumping-flowing well conversion and production facility
repairs. These works have been completed, with the wells being returned to
production in a staged step-up manner. In addition, there is a similar
production volume (>300 Bbls/d) restricted due to pressure related facility
constraints. These constraints will be alleviated on commissioning of the gas
gathering upgrades. Increased production is being observed at certain low
productivity wells due to miscible flood response. Production on these wells
(pumping) is being optimized to increase daily production rates, with
optimization interrupted throughout the winter months due to the multiple
severe winter storms.

At the Cole Creek Unit, approximately 100 Bbls/d (gross) is currently shut in
due to temporary access restrictions resulting from high snow melt and
associated surface runoff.

 

Joint Venture Discussions

Discussions with a large oil company who approached the Company regarding the
exploitation of its Frontier oil resources are continuing with current focus
on commercial terms. These discussions, as well as the identity of the party
involved, will remain confidential until their disclosure is appropriate by
agreement. Substantial additional technical evaluation has been undertaken
during this period, which has led to a better understanding, and increased
confidence, of this resource.

 

Arthur Millholland, President and CEO commented: "Our recent Bond issue has
allowed the Company to embark on long planned projects to remove the
constraints and bottlenecks to our oil production from our Barron Flats
miscible flood. We are embarking on these projects after a very difficult
winter in Wyoming with near record snowfall and low temperatures experienced
in multiple severe winter storms. Spring though has come, and with it the
issues of warmer weather which will be temporary. The Joint Venture
discussions continue to move forward and we are encouraged by their recent
progress."

 

Non-Executive Director Appointment

The Company is pleased to announce, Mr. Thomas Richardson of Oxford, United
Kingdom, has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director effective April 20,
2023. Mr. Richardson will serve until his re-election at the Company's Annual
and Special Meeting on May 30(th), 2023.

Mr. Richardson has over 20 years of experience across banking and oil and gas.
Mr. Richardson is currently Chairman of Fenikso Limited, an Oil & Gas
company listed in the UK, where he has been on the board for over 2 years.
Mr. Richardson has held various CEO roles including Metallon Corporation
Limited, a private pan African Natural Resources and infrastructure investment
company and Nice Tech Holdings AG, a private Food Tech company. Mr. Richardson
served as CFO of Nostrum Oil & Gas Plc (until 2020) and oversaw the
Company's admission to the Premium segment of the London Stock Exchange in
2014. Prior to joining Nostrum in 2011, Mr. Richardson worked for ING, JP
Morgan and NM Rothschild covering investment banking, capital markets and
credit & rates. Mr. Richardson has a B.Sc in Economics & Politics from
the University of Bristol.

The Company welcomes Mr. Richardson to its Board of Directors.

 

About the Company:

COPL is an international oil and gas exploration, development and production
company actively pursuing opportunities in the United States with operations
in Wyoming.

The Company operates three Units: Cole Creek 100% WI, Barron Flats Shannon
(Miscible) 85% WI and the Barron Flats Federal (Deep) 85% WI in addition to
non-unitized lands 100% WI.

The Company's Wyoming operations are one of the most environmentally
responsible with minimal gas flaring and methane emissions combined with
electricity sourced from a neighbouring wind farm to power production
facilities.

 

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Arthur Millholland, President & CEO

Mr. Ryan Gaffney, CFO

Canadian Overseas Petroleum Limited

Tel: + 1 (403) 262 5441

 

Cathy Hume

CHF Investor Relations

Tel: +1 (416) 868 1079 ext. 251

Email: cathy@chfir.com (mailto:cathy@chfir.com)

 

Charles Goodwin

Yellow Jersey PR Limited

Tel: +44 (0) 77 4778 8221

Email: copl@yellowjerseypr.com (mailto:copl@yellowjerseypr.com)

 

Peter Krens

Equity Capital Markets, Tennyson Securities

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186 9033

 

Alex Wood & Keith Dowsing

Joint Broker

Alternative Resource Capital

AW: +44 (0) 7559 910872

KD: +44 (0) 7559 910873

 

Andrew Chubb / Neil Passmore

Advisors/Joint Brokers

Hannam & Partners

+44 (0) 20 7907 8500

 

The Common Shares are listed under the symbol "XOP" on the CSE and under the
symbol "COPL" on the London Stock Exchange.

 

This news release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the
words "initial, "scheduled", "can", "will", "prior to", "estimate",
"anticipate", "believe", "should", "forecast", "future", "continue", "may",
"expect", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on
certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including, but
not limited to, the ability to raise the necessary funding for operations,
delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects
or capital expenditures. Although the Company believes that the expectations
and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are
reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking
statements since the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be
correct since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions,
by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties most of
which are beyond the control of Canadian Overseas Petroleum Ltd. For example,
the uncertainty of reserve estimates, the uncertainty of estimates and
projections relating to production, cost overruns, health and safety issues,
political and environmental risks, commodity price and exchange rate
fluctuations, changes in legislation affecting the oil and gas industry could
cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed or implied by the
forward-looking information.  Forward-looking statements contained in this
news release are made as of the date hereof and Canadian Overseas Petroleum
undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking
statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

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