Calgary, Alberta and Houston, Texas–(Newsfile Corp. – November 25, 2019) – PetroTal Corp. (TSX: TAL) (AIM: PTAL) (“PetroTal” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce that drilling of the Company’s second horizontal well (“5H”), located on the Bretaña field, Peru, is progressing according to budget and timeline. The well reached the target Vivian formation at the prognosed vertical depth of 2,696 meters and 700 meters of the planned 870 meters horizontal section have been drilled, which is inside the main productive oil reservoir. Completion of the well, tie-in, and initial production tests are expected to commence on or before December 15, 2019.
The Company also expects to complete commissioning of the Central Production Facilities (“CPF-1”) during the week of December 22, 2019, increasing the nominal production facility capacity to 10,000 barrels of oil per day (“BOPD”) and 40,000 barrels of water per day (“BWPD”). Based on our recent field production experience of being able to produce 8,000 BOPD with a facility having 5,000 BOPD nominal capacity, management similarly expects that CPF-1 will be able to handle in the order of 15,000 BOPD.
In light of management’s confidence that the 5H will behave similarly to the 4H well, which produced 200,000 barrels of oil in just 35 days, and that the CPF-1 will handle more than its nominal oil processing capacity, the Company is pleased to increase its year-end production guidance from 10,000 BOPD to 11,000 – 13,000 BOPD.
Manolo Zuniga, President and Chief Executive Officer stated:
“We are delighted with the progress made on the 5H well and the commissioning of the CPF-1 facilities. We set ourselves an ambitious target of achieving 10,000 BOPD by year-end 2019, so to exceed this is of great testament to the team we have assembled. I would like to congratulate our operations and drilling team for executing at an extremely high level since we started operations two years ago, and showcasing that we can handle more oil than the equipment’s nominal capacity which is now allowing us to forecast higher 2019 exit oil rates and, importantly, a strong production base as we enter 2020.”
Qualified Person’s Statement
Estuardo Alvarez-Calderon, the Company’s Vice President, Operations, who has over 35 years of relevant experience in the oil industry, has approved the technical information contained in this announcement. Mr. Alvarez-Calderon received a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin and is registered on the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists.
ABOUT PETROTAL
PetroTal is a publicly‐traded, dual‐listed (TSX: TAL) (AIM: PTAL) oil and gas development and production company domiciled in Calgary, Alberta, focused on the development of oil assets in Peru. PetroTal’s flagship asset is the Bretaña oil field in Peru’s Block 95 where oil production was initiated in June 2018, six months after acquisition. Additionally, the Company has large exploration prospects and is engaged in finding a partner to drill the Osheki prospect in Block 107. The Company’s management team has significant experience in developing and exploring for oil in Northern Peru and is led by a Board of Directors that is focused on safely and cost effectively developing the Bretaña oil field. More information on the Company can be found at www.PetroTal‐Corp.com.
For further information, please contact:
Doug Urch
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
durch@PetroTal-Corp.com
T: (713) 609-9101
Manolo Zuniga
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mzuniga@PetroTal-Corp.com
T : (713) 609-9101
Mark Antelme / Jimmy Lea
Celicourt Communications
petrotal@celicourt.uk
T : 44 (0) 208 434 2643
James Spinney / Ritchie Balmer / Eric Allan
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated & Financial Adviser)
T: 44 (0) 207 409 3494
John Prior / Emily Morris
Numis Securities Limited (Joint Broker)
T: +44 (0) 207 260 1000
Jonathan Wright / Hugh R. Sanderson
GMP FirstEnergy (Joint Broker)
T: +44 (0) 20 7448 0200
READER ADVISORIES
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release may contain certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Such statements relate to possible future events, including, but not limited to the Company’s objectives; the Company’s proposed drilling, completions and other activities and the anticipated results of such activities; cost controls and savings; anticipated future production and revenue; future development and growth prospects. In addition, statements relating to expected production, reserves, recovery, costs and valuation are deemed to be forward-looking statements as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions that the reserves described can be profitably produced in the future. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “estimate”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “continue”, “may”, “objective” and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including, but not limited to, expectations and assumptions concerning the ability of existing infrastructure to deliver production and the anticipated capital expenditures associated therewith, reservoir characteristics, recovery factor, exploration upside, prevailing commodity prices and the actual prices received for PetroTal’s products, the availability and performance of drilling rigs, facilities, pipelines, other oilfield services and skilled labour, royalty regimes and exchange rates, the application of regulatory and licensing requirements, the accuracy of PetroTal’s geological interpretation of its drilling and land opportunities, current legislation, receipt of required regulatory approval, the success of future drilling and development activities, the performance of new wells, the Company’s growth strategy, general economic conditions, availability of required equipment and services and prevailing commodity prices. 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 because 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. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses; and health, safety and environmental risks), commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, legal, political and economic instability in Peru, access to transportation routes and markets for the Company’s production, changes in legislation affecting the oil and gas industry and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures. Please refer to the risk factors identified in the Company’s MD&A and annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2018 which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company 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.
OIL AND GAS INFORMATION: The NSAI Report was prepared by NSAI, an independent qualified reserves evaluator, in accordance with the standards contained in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (the “COGE Handbook”) and the reserve definitions contained in National Instrument 51‐101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (“NI 51‐101”).
References in this press release to production test rates, initial test production rates, and other short-term production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons, however such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will commence production and decline thereafter and are not indicative of long term performance or of ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for PetroTal. A pressure transient analysis or well-test interpretation has not been carried out in respect of all wells. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the test results should be considered to be preliminary.
FOFI DISCLOSURE: This press release contains future-oriented financial information and financial outlook information (collectively, “FOFI”) about PetroTal’s prospective results of operations, production, NPV10 and components thereof, all of which are subject to the same assumptions, risk factors, limitations and qualifications as set forth in the above paragraphs. FOFI contained in this press release was approved by management as of the date of this press release and was provided for the purpose of providing further information about PetroTal’s anticipated future business operations. PetroTal disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any FOFI contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required pursuant to applicable law. Readers are cautioned that the FOFI contained in this press release should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed herein. All FOFI contained in this press release complies with the requirements of Canadian securities legislation, including NI 51-101.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
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