Union Jack Oil PLC Widmerpool Gulf and Humber Basin Acquisition (0326O)

TIDMUJO

RNS Number : 0326O

Union Jack Oil PLC

15 May 2018

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 until the release of this announcement

15 May 2018

Union Jack Oil plc

("Union Jack" or the "Company")

Acquisition of Further Interest in Widmerpool Gulf Licence (PEDL201)

Acquisition of Interest in Humber Basin Licence (PEDL181)

Union Jack Oil plc (AIM: UJO), a UK-focused onshore hydrocarbon production, development and exploration company is pleased to announce that it has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Celtique Energie Petroleum Limited whereby Union Jack and its Commercial Partner Humber Oil & Gas Limited ("Humber Oil & Gas" or "Commercial Partner") will each make an investment to acquire a 16.25% interest in PEDL201 ("Widmerpool Gulf") and a 12.5% interest in PEDL181 ("Humber Basin") for a cash consideration of GBP7,500 each ("Consideration").

This is the second investment made by the Company alongside its Commercial Partner in low cost onshore oil and gas licences. Both licences have no immediate conventional or unconventional work programme commitments or planned activities.

PEDL201 is located in the Widmerpool Gulf and PEDL181 is located in the Humber Basin. The licences are contained within a wider area that, according to studies published by the British Geological Society ("BGS") on behalf of the Oil & Gas Authority ("OGA"), are considered prospective for both oil and gas; the report (The Carboniferous Bowland Shale gas study: geology and resource estimation, DECC 2013) is available from the OGA's website.

Internationally, horizontal drilling and specialised completion technologies in tight formations have permitted extensive unconventional developments in both oil and gas, most notably in the United States. Potential in-place volumes on the licences could represent significant economic value, even if only recovery factors at the low end of those achieved in the US can be replicated in the UK onshore.

As an indication of the potential economic value of the licences, and while valuations are dependent on a number of factors, not least the ability to be able to operate successfully, Edison Investment Research Limited ("Edison") recently published equity research on implied values for unconventional UK onshore activities based on recently observed transaction valuations, that ranged between US$614 - US$2,200 per acre (Focus on UK shale - a low-cost option; 30 April 2018).

Edison's value range applied to Union Jack's net acreage in PEDL201 and PEDL181

 
          Licence Area   Edison Value Range (US$/acre)   Interest (%)       Net   Implied Value 
                                                                        Acreage      (US$mm) 
-------- 
               (acres)       Lower           Upper                      (acres)   Lower   Upper 
--------  ------------  ---------------  --------------  ------------  --------  -------  ------ 
PEDL201         19,768        614            2,200              26.25     5,189    3.2     11.4 
                        ---------------  -------------- 
PEDL181         39,314                                          12.50     4,914    3.0     10.8 
--------  ------------  ---------------  --------------  ------------  --------  -------  ------ 
Total           59,083                                                   10,104    6.2     22.2 
 

Applying Edison's unconventional acreage value ranges to Union Jack's licence interests, implies a value range between US$6 million and US$22 million.

David Bramhill, Executive Chairman of Union Jack commented:

"We are delighted to have been able to make a further investment in attractive licences in the Widmerpool Gulf and Humber Basin at nominal cost, alongside our Commercial Partner, Humber Oil & Gas.

"Union Jack will hold these licences as an investment given the Board's view that they both have significant value upside given the potential for future unconventional oil and gas exploration activities in the UK onshore.

"While further work will need to be undertaken by the onshore oil and gas industry in the UK to prove the commerciality of unconventional oil and gas projects, the transaction value ranges proposed by Edison provide an encouraging valuation indicator and supports Union Jack's confidence that the risk/reward balance of these investments is favourable to our shareholders."

Completion of the acquisition of the licence interests is subject to OGA approval.

On completion, the interests held in PEDL201 will be:

 
 Egdon Resources U.K. Limited    45.00% (operator) 
 Union Jack Oil plc              26.25% 
                                ------------------ 
 Humber Oil & Gas Limited        16.25% 
                                ------------------ 
 Terrain Energy Limited          12.50% 
                                ------------------ 
 

On completion, the interests held in PEDL181 will be:

 
 Europa Oil & Gas Limited        50.00% (operator) 
 Egdon Resources U.K. Limited    25.00% 
                                ------------------ 
 Union Jack Oil plc              12.50% 
                                ------------------ 
 Humber Oil & Gas Limited        12.50% 
                                ------------------ 
 

For further information, please contact:

 
 Union Jack Oil plc                [phone] 
 David Bramhill 
 
 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP    [phone] 
 Nominated Adviser 
 Lindsay Mair 
 Richard Hail 
 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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May 15, 2018 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)