REG - Deltic Energy PLC Viaro Energy Limited - Scheme Timetable Update

Deltic EnergyAnnouncement

13/10/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 9753C  Deltic Energy PLC  13 October 2025

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE
A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

13 October 2025

 

 

RECOMMENDED CASH ACQUISITION

 

of

 

DELTIC ENERGY PLC ("Deltic")

 

by

 

ROCKROSE ENERGY LIMITED ("Viaro Bidco")

 

(A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF VIARO ENERGY LIMITED)

 

to be effected by means of a scheme of arrangement under

Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006

 

Scheme Timetable Update

 

 

On 30 June 2025, the boards of Viaro Bidco and Deltic announced that they had
reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer for the entire
issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Deltic (the "Acquisition"),
to be implemented by way of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under
Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme") which was approved by Deltic
shareholders on 28 August 2025.

 

Completion of the Acquisition remains subject to outstanding conditions, which
include, inter alia, the North Sea Transition Authority's ("NSTA") consent to
a change in control of the licences held by Deltic.  The NSTA is the UK
regulator focused, among other areas, on oil and gas exploration and
production activities in the UK's North Sea.

 

Deltic provided notice of the proposed change in control to the NSTA on 1 July
2025 and the NSTA confirmed it had received the information required to
proceed with the consultation from Viaro Bidco on 9 July 2025. Guidance
published by the NSTA states that, as a general rule, a decision in relation
to a change in control will be provided within three months of an application.
However, Viaro Bidco and Deltic have recently received correspondence from the
NSTA which indicates that, whilst the NSTA is looking to complete the
assessment as soon as practicable, this assessment process is taking longer
than the guidance published by the NSTA and is now unlikely to be completed
before the end of November.

 

Viaro Bidco and Deltic remain optimistic that completion of the Acquisition
will occur in Q4 2025, and a further announcement will be made as appropriate.

 

Capitalised terms used in this announcement (the "Announcement") shall, unless
otherwise defined, have the same meanings as set out in the Scheme Document
published on 25 July 2025. All references to times in this Announcement are to
London, United Kingdom times unless stated otherwise.

 

**ENDS**

 

 

Enquiries:

 Deltic
 Andrew Nunn                                                                  +44 207 887 2630

 Sarah McLeod

 Allenby Capital (Rule 3 Adviser, Nominated Adviser and Financial Adviser to  +44 203 328 5656
 Deltic)

 David Hart

 Alex Brearley

 Daniel Dearden-Williams

 Viaro Bidco                                                                  +44 203 826 4800
 Francesco Mazzagatti

 Hannam & Partners (Financial Adviser to Viaro Bidco)
 Samuel Merlin                                                                +44 207 907 8500

 Neil Passmore

 

 

 

Important notices about financial advisers

 

H & P Advisory Limited, trading as Hannam & Partners, which is
authorised and regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, is acting
exclusively for Viaro Bidco and no one else in connection with the matters
described in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other
than Viaro Bidco for providing the protections afforded to clients of Hannam
& Partners nor for providing advice in relation to the subject matter of
this announcement. Neither Hannam & Partners nor any of its affiliates
owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether
direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise)
to any person who is not a client of Hannam & Partners in connection with
this announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.

 

Allenby Capital Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA in the
United Kingdom, is acting as financial adviser to Deltic and no one else in
connection with the matters described in this Announcement and will not be
responsible to anyone other than Deltic for providing the protections afforded
to clients of Allenby Capital nor for providing advice in connection with the
matters referred to herein. Neither Allenby Capital nor any of its
subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or
responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in
tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Allenby
Capital in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein,
any offer or otherwise.

 

Further Information

 

This Announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and
does not constitute, or form part of, any offer to sell or an invitation to
purchase any securities; a solicitation of an offer to buy, otherwise acquire,
subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities pursuant to the
Acquisition or otherwise; or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any
jurisdiction pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise nor shall there be any
purchase, sale, issuance or exchange of securities or such solicitation in any
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, sale issuance or exchange is
unlawful.

 

The statements contained in this Announcement are made as at the date of this
Announcement, unless some other time is specified in relation to them, and
publication of this Announcement shall not give rise to any implication that
there has been no change in the facts set forth in this Announcement since
such date.

 

This Announcement does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent
document.

 

Disclosure requirements of the Takeover Code

 

Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Takeover Code, any person who is interested in 1 per
cent. or more of any class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of
any securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an offeror in
respect of which it has been announced that its offer is, or is likely to be,
solely in cash) must make an Opening Position Disclosure following the
commencement of the Offer Period and, if later, following the announcement in
which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position
Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short positions
in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of each of (i) the
offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s). An Opening
Position Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no
later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the 10th business day following the
commencement of the Offer Period and, if appropriate, by no later than 3.30 pm
(London time) on the 10th business day following the announcement in which any
securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant persons who deal in
the relevant securities of the offeree company or of a securities exchange
offeror prior to the deadline for making an Opening Position Disclosure must
instead make a Dealing Disclosure.

 

Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Takeover Code, any person who is, or becomes,
interested in 1 per cent. or more of any class of relevant securities of the
offeree company or of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing
Disclosure if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree
company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure must
contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's interests and
short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities of
each of (i) the offeree company and (ii) any securities exchange offeror(s),
save to the extent that these details have previously been disclosed under
Rule 8. A Dealing Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be
made by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the business day following the
date of the relevant dealing. If two or more persons act together pursuant to
an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire or
control an interest in relevant securities of an offeree company or a
securities exchange offeror, they will be deemed to be a single person for the
purpose of Rule 8.3.

 

Opening Position Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company and by
any offeror and Dealing Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company,
by any offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see
Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).

 

Details of the offeree and offeror companies in respect of whose relevant
securities Opening Position Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made
can be found in the Disclosure Table on the Panel's website at
www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk, including details of the number of relevant
securities in issue, when the Offer Period commenced and when any offeror was
first identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit on
+44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you are required to
make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing Disclosure.

 

Electronic Communications

 

Please be aware that addresses, electronic addresses and certain other
information provided by Deltic Shareholders, persons with information rights
and other relevant persons for the receipt of communications from Deltic may
be provided to Viaro Bidco during the Offer Period as required under Section 4
of Appendix 4 to the Takeover Code to comply with Rule 2.11(c) of the Takeover
Code.

 

Overseas jurisdictions

 

The release, publication or distribution of this Announcement in jurisdictions
other than the United Kingdom, and the availability of the Acquisition to
Deltic Shareholders who are not resident in the United Kingdom, may be
restricted by the laws of those jurisdictions and therefore persons into whose
possession this Announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe
such restrictions. In particular, the ability of persons who are not resident
in the United Kingdom to vote their Deltic Shares with respect to the Scheme
at the Court Meeting, or to execute and deliver forms of proxy appointing
another to vote at the Court Meeting on their behalf, may be affected by the
laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located. Further details
in relation to Overseas Shareholders will be contained in the Scheme Document
(or, if the Acquisition is implemented by way of a Takeover Offer, the offer
document). Any failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a
violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law, the companies and persons involved in the
Acquisition disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such
restrictions by any person.

 

Unless otherwise determined by Viaro Bidco or required by the Takeover Code,
and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Acquisition will not be
made available, directly or indirectly, in, into or from a Restricted
Jurisdiction. Accordingly, copies of this Announcement and all documents
relating to the Acquisition are not being, and must not be, directly or
indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or
from a Restricted Jurisdiction, and persons receiving this Announcement and
all documents relating to the Acquisition (including custodians, nominees and
trustees) must not mail or otherwise distribute or send them in, into or from
such Restricted Jurisdiction. If the Acquisition is implemented by way of
Takeover Offer (unless otherwise permitted by applicable law or regulation),
the Takeover Offer may not be made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by
use of mails or any other means or instrumentality (including, without
limitation, facsimile, e-mail or other electronic transmission, telex or
telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or any facility of a
national, state or other securities exchange of any Restricted Jurisdiction
and the Takeover Offer will not be capable of acceptance by any such use,
means, instrumentality or facilities or from within any Restricted
Jurisdiction.

 

This Announcement has been prepared in connection with proposals in relation
to a scheme of arrangement pursuant to and for the purpose of complying with
English law and the Takeover Code and information disclosed may not be the
same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been
prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the United
Kingdom. Nothing in this Announcement should be relied on for any other
purpose.

 

The Acquisition shall be subject to the applicable requirements of the
Takeover Code, the Panel, the London Stock Exchange, the FCA and the AIM
Rules.

 

Additional information for U.S. investors

 

The Acquisition relates to the shares of an English company and is being made
by means of a scheme of arrangement provided for under English company law. A
transaction effected by means of a scheme of arrangement is not subject to the
tender offer or proxy solicitation rules under the US Exchange Act.
Accordingly, the Acquisition is subject to the disclosure requirements and
practices applicable in the United Kingdom to schemes of arrangement which
differ from the disclosure requirements of the US tender offer and proxy
solicitation rules.

 

If, in the future, Viaro Bidco exercises its right to implement the
Acquisition by way of a Takeover Offer, which is to be made into the US, such
Takeover Offer will be made in compliance with the applicable US laws and
regulations, including Section 14(e) and Regulation 14E under the US Exchange
Act. Such a Takeover Offer would be made in the US by Viaro Bidco and no one
else.

 

In accordance with normal United Kingdom practice and pursuant to Rule
14e-5(b) of the U.S. Exchange Act, Viaro Bidco, its affiliates, their advisers
and the nominees or brokers (acting as agents) may make certain purchases of,
or arrangements to purchase, shares in Deltic outside the Acquisition, such as
in open market purchases or privately negotiated purchases, during the period
in which the Acquisition remains open for acceptance. If such purchases or
arrangements to purchase were to be made, they would comply with applicable
law, including UK laws and the US Exchange Act. Any information about such
purchases or arrangements to purchase shall be disclosed as required under UK
laws and will be available to all investors (including US investors) via the
Regulatory Information Service and shall be available on the London Stock
Exchange website at www.londonstockexchange.com. To the extent that such
information is required to be publicly disclosed in the UK in accordance with
applicable regulatory requirements, this information will, as applicable, also
be publicly disclosed in the United States.

 

It may be difficult for US holders of Deltic Shares to enforce their rights
and any claim arising out of the US federal securities laws in connection with
the Acquisition, since Viaro Bidco and Deltic are located in non-US
jurisdictions, and some or all of their officers and directors may be
residents of non-US jurisdictions. US holders of Deltic Shares may not be able
to sue a non-US company or its officers or directors in a non-US court for
violations of the US securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel a
non-US company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's
judgement.

 

Neither the Acquisition nor this Announcement have been approved or
disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities
commission in the United States or any other US regulatory authority, nor have
such authorities approved or disapproved or passed judgement upon the fairness
or the merits of the Acquisition, or determined if the information contained
in this Announcement is adequate, accurate or complete. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.

 

The receipt of cash pursuant to the Acquisition by a US holder as
consideration for the transfer of its Deltic Shares pursuant to the
Acquisition will likely be a taxable transaction for US federal income tax
purposes and under applicable US state and local, as well as foreign and
other, tax laws. Each US holder of Deltic Shares is urged to consult their
independent legal, tax and financial advisers regarding the tax consequences
of the Acquisition applicable to them, including under applicable US state and
local, as well as overseas and other, tax laws.

 

Forward-looking statements

 

This Announcement (including information incorporated by reference in this
announcement), oral statements made regarding the Acquisition, and other
information published by Viaro Bidco or Deltic may contain statements about
Viaro Bidco and Deltic that are or may be deemed to be forward-looking
statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included
in this Announcement may be forward-looking statements. Without limitation,
any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets",
"plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "shall",
"should", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects", "is subject to", "budget",
"scheduled", "forecast" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative
thereof, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include
statements relating to the following: (i) future capital expenditures,
expenses, revenues, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness,
financial condition, dividend policy, losses and future prospects; (ii)
business and management strategies and the expansion and growth of Viaro
Bidco's or Deltic's operations and potential synergies resulting from the
Acquisition; and (iii) the effects of government regulation on Viaro Bidco's
or Deltic's business.

 

Such forward-looking statements are prospective in nature and are not based on
historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections of the
management of Viaro Bidco and Deltic about future events, and are therefore
subject to risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected
results and are based on certain key assumptions. Many factors could cause
actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any
forward-looking statements, including: changes in the global, political,
social, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory forces, future
exchange and interest rates, changes in tax rates, future business
combinations or disposals, changes in the behaviour of market participants,
the speculative nature of oil and gas exploration, fluctuations in demand and
pricing in the oil and gas exploration industry and risks and hazards
associated with the business of oil and gas exploration. Other unknown or
unpredictable factors could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements
should therefore be construed in light of such factors. Neither Viaro Bidco
nor Deltic, nor any of their respective associates or directors, officers or
advisers, provides any representation, assurance or guarantee that the
occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements in this Announcement will actually occur. Due to such uncertainties
and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All
subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to any
member of the Viaro Group or the Deltic Group, or any of their respective
associates, directors, officers, employees or advisers, are expressly
qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above.

 

Viaro Bidco and Deltic expressly disclaim any obligation to update any
forward-looking or other statements contained herein, except as required by
applicable law or by the rules of any competent regulatory authority, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

Publication on a website

 

A copy of this Announcement will be available, free of charge, subject to
certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions,
on Viaro Bidco's website at https://viaro.co.uk/disclaimer/ and Deltic's
website at https://delticenergy.com/disclaimer/ by no later than 12.00 noon
(London Time) on the Business Day following the publication of this
Announcement.

 

General

 

If you are in any doubt about the contents of this Announcement or the action
you should take, you are recommended to seek your own independent financial
advice immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor or
independent financial adviser duly authorised under FSMA if you are resident
in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriately authorised
independent financial adviser.

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