President Uhuru Kenyatta greets Mr Paul McDade, Tullow Oil's then CEO,
ahead of a meeting at State House in Nairobi on August 24, 2016. PHOTO |
PSCU
British exploration firm Tullow Oil has
stated that it has the financial muscle required to
develop petroleum
reserves in Uganda and Kenya, even after the sudden exit of its chief
executive triggered a collapse of its share price.
Tullow,
which is in advanced stages of developing oilfields in the two
countries, now says it has "reset" its operations to ensure production
schedules remain on course.
“A
review of the production performance issues in 2019 and its implications
for the longer-term outlook of the fields has been undertaken and has
shown that the Group needs to reset its forward-looking guidance,” said
the Tullow Kenya Managing Director Martin Mbogo in a response to The EastAfrican.
“The
board has committed to undertaking a thorough reassessment of the
group's cost base and future investment plans in order to allocate
appropriate capital to the group’s core production assets, development
projects and continued exploration.
"The board believes this reassessment and the resultant actions will reset the business and deliver value to shareholders.”
EXECUTIVES' EXIT
Tullow lost half of its market value after
its shares took a nosedive on December 9, following a surprise exit of
its Chief Executive Officer Paul McDade, and Exploration Director Angus
McCoss. The two had been at the company for over a decade.
The company also cut its production outlook and suspended dividend payment.
The
firm, however, insists that its investment plans in Kenya and Uganda
will not be affected by the difficulties that it is going through,
giving hope to the East African states whose prospects for petrodollars
largely hang on the fate of the UK company.
Mr
Mbogo says Tullow still has enough cash to finance its operations,
insisting that the dip in share value will not dent its ability to raise
funding for future projects.
“We
do not see the change having an impact on Uganda and Kenya Projects.
Our focus remains to deliver an FID (final investment decision) in Kenya
in late 2020 while in Uganda, our focus remains to progress the project
and together with our Uganda Joint Venture partners, we are engaging
the government with a view to finding an amicable solution to pending
issues that have delayed FID,” Mr Mbogo told The EastAfrican.
Tullow has reviewed its production performance in 2019 to prepare a longer-term outlook.
Part
of the business ‘reset’ will involve an assessment of its investment
pipeline to inform where its capital will be allocated in what may
signify less aggression towards new ventures starting next year.
DIVIDEND QUESTION
Mr
Mbogo said the exits, which were preceded by year-long production
hitches in the company’s main producing assets, the TEN and Jubilee
fields in Ghana, as well as operational delays in Kenya and Uganda, were
not tied to Tullow’s failed sale of part of its stake in the Uganda
operation that hit a snag over a tax dispute.
“As
earlier announced, the executives’ exit was due to the Board’s
disappointment with the performance of Tullow’s business. A review of
the production performance issues in 2019 and its implications for the
longer-term outlook of the fields has been undertaken and has shown that
the Group needs to reset its forward-looking guidance,” he said without
giving further details on the planned reset of the business.
Tullow’s
share price at the London Stock Exchange plunged from £141.4 ($184.57)
before the resignations before recovering to Friday’s trading range of
about £63.40 ($82.62).
The group
now forecasts its output next year at 70,000 to 80,000 barrels a day,
down from 87,000 barrels a day in 2019. Analysts attributed the reduced
production forecast to the negative impact on the valuation of its key
assets and the sharp share plunge.
PRODUCTION FORECAST
Tullow Oil started trading on the London Stock Exchange 30 years ago.
The
company had reduced its 2019 production forecast more than once as the
Ghana oilfields continued to experience a range of challenges.
The
surprise exit of its executives, the board’s decision to suspend
dividend payout and revision of production guidance had cast a dark
shadow over the company’s outlook and raised concerns that ongoing
efforts toward full field development in Kenya could stall.
Tullow
reported $85.4 million after-tax profit last year, rebounding from
$175.3 million loss in 2017. The company closed 2018 on a net asset base
of $2.9 billion, up from $2.7 billion in 2017.
In
Kenya, Tullow is in a joint venture partnership with Africa oil and
Total to develop commercially viable crude oil deposits in the country’s
northern districts of Turkana.
Kenya’s
Ministry for Petroleum remained upbeat over objective to become an oil
exporting nation by 2024, backing Tullow’s position that its current
setback will not deter the plans.
“We
look at Tullow as part of the joint venture. Remember there is Total
and Africa Oil in there so we are not worried with what is happening at
Tullow for now. Our plans remain on course and we will be working on the
steps lined up as we advance towards full field development and the
building of the pipeline,” Kenya’s Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew
Kamau told The EastAfrican.
OPERATIONAL UPDATES
In
June, Tullow revealed to the Kenyan parliament that it will spend some
$5 billion by 2022 when the first phase of Full Field Development is
projected to be complete.
The
firm said that the amount would cater for exploration, appraisal and
full-field development between 2010 and 2022, with about $2 billion
already spent.
The firm will also
need to summon more financial resources as Kenya prepares to build the
heated crude oil pipeline to be used in transporting the waxy oil to
Lamu Port for storage and subsequent export. The British explorer will
co-own a 25 per cent stake in the multibillion-dollar project that will
see partners seek financing to cover its portion of funding.
Analysts will be watching keenly as the firm releases its full-year financial and operational updates on February 12.
An operational review through the group’s Trading Statement is expected on January 15.
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