OREANDA-NEWS. Bengal Energy Ltd. (TSX:BNG) (“Bengal” or the “Company”) today announces its financial and operating results for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 ended December 31, 2017.

FISCAL Q3 2018 SUMMARY:

The following is an overview of the financial and operational results during the three-month period ended December 31, 2017:

Operational Summary:

  • Production Volumes – Production in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 averaged 354 barrels of oil equivalent per day (“boepd”), a 8% decrease from the previous quarter and a slight decrease from Q3 fiscal 2017, respectively. Four of the five wells from the fiscal 2017 drilling campaign are now connected. In Bengal’s opinion, operational delays experienced between completion and tie-in may have been a contributor to longer well clean up timing and may have impacted initial reservoir performance. The Joint Venture will continue to monitor well performance.

Financial Summary:

  • Sales Revenue – Crude oil sales revenue was $3.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018, which is 30% higher than the $2.4 million recorded in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 due to higher sales volumes and commodity prices. Revenues in Q3 fiscal 2018 were 11% higher than Q3 fiscal 2017 due to higher realized commodity pricing.
  • Derivative contracts in place through December 2018 – From July 2017 through to December 2018, the Company has hedged approximately 135,000 barrels of production at a floor price of US $47 per barrel. Of all of the barrels hedged 50% are swaps and 50% are puts. During the quarter ended December 31, 2017, realized losses from derivative financial instruments was $0.2 million. 
  • Funds Flow from Operations – Bengal generated funds flow from operations of $1.3 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2017, which is a significant increase from the $0.1 million generated in the preceding quarter due to higher sales volumes and commodity prices.
  • Net Income (Loss) – Bengal reported a net income of $0.2 million for the current quarter compared to net loss of $0.5 million in the preceding quarter. Excluding the impact of unrealized foreign exchange and unrealized hedging gains and losses, the adjusted net income (1) for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 was $0.7 million compared to adjusted net income of $0.4 million during the preceding quarter and $1.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2017. 
  • Credit Facility – Subsequent to the closing of Q3, Westpac agreed to amend the terms of the 2nd Extension Agreement dated September 25, 2017. Previously, the terms required Bengal to make principal payments on its facility of $2.5MM US on June 30, 2018 and $2.5MM US on December 31, 2018. The new amendment will defer the full amount of the June 30, 2018 into the second half of 2019 and the December 2018 principal payment has been reduced to $1.5MM US. The balance of the December 2018 payment will also be deferred until the second half of 2019. In return, Bengal has agreed to amend the Debt Service Coverage Ratio covenant definition, provide for a Cash sharing arrangement and agree to a Review Event by April 30, 2019. Bengal expects to finalize this agreement prior to the close of the fiscal year-end March 31, 2018.

1 See non-IFRS measurements section on page 6 of Bengal’s Q3 FY18 MD&A.

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL SUMMARY

$000s except per share, volumes and netback amounts Three Months Ended
     Nine Months Ended
      
December 31
     December 31
      
             
  2017     2016   % Change     2017   2016   % Change  
Oil sales revenue $ 3,211   $ 2,325   38   $ 7,927 $   7,115   11  
Realized (loss) gain on financial instruments $ (198)   $ 1,149   (117)   $ 856 $   3,741   (77)  
Royalties $ 223   $ (47)   (575)   $ 506 $   134   278  
% of revenue   7     (2)   (450)     6   2   200  
Operating & transportation $ 733   $ 1,270   (42)   $ 2,641 $   3,877   (32)  
Operating netback(1) $ 2,057   $ 2,251   (9)   $ 5,636 $   6,845   (18)  
Cash from  operations $ 431   $ 934   (54)   $ 2,769 $   3,872   (29)  
Funds from operations: $ 1,268   $ 1,412   (10)   $ 3,212 $   4,557   (30)  
Per share ($) (basic & diluted)(2)   0.01     0.02   (50)     0.03   0.07   (57)  
Net income (loss) $ 206   $ (2,288)   (109)   $ 255 $ (4,699)   (105)  
Per share ($) (basic & diluted)   0.00     (0.03)   (100)     0.00   (0.07)   (100)  
Adjusted net income (loss)(3) $ 698   $ 773   (10)   $ 1,602 $   2,424   (34)  
Per share ($) (basic & diluted)   0.01     0.01   -     0.02   0.04   (50)  
Capital expenditures $ 342   $ 1,234   (72)   $ 2,572 $   4,937   (48)  
Oil Production (bopd)   354     355   -     369   391   (6)  
Netback(1) ($/boe)            
Revenue $ 98.52   $ 71.28   18   $ 78.17 $   66.24   18  
Realized (loss) gain on            
financial instruments   (6.07)     35.22   (117)     8.44   34.83   (76)  
Royalties   6.84      ( 1.44)   (575)     4.99   1.25   299  
Operating & transportation   22.49      38.93   (42)     26.04   36.10   (28)  
Netback/boe $ 63.12   $ 69.01   (9)   $ 55.58 $   63.72   (13)  

(1)  Operating netback is a non-IFRS measure and includes realized losses on financial instruments. Netback per boe is calculated by dividing revenue (including realized loss on financial instruments) less royalties, operating and transportation costs by the total production of the Company measured in boe.
(2)  Funds from operations per share is a non-IFRS measure calculated by dividing funds from operations by weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding for the periods disclosed.
(3)  Adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income per share are non-IFRS measures.  The comparable IFRS measure is net income (loss).  A reconciliation of the two measures can be found in the table on page 6.

Bengal has filed its consolidated financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for the third fiscal quarter of 2018 with the Canadian securities regulators. 

About Bengal

Bengal Energy Ltd. is an international junior oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in Australia. The Company is committed to growing shareholder value through international exploration, production and acquisitions. Bengal’s common shares trade on the TSX under the symbol “BNG”. 

 

Barrels of Oil Equivalent
When converting natural gas to equivalent barrels of oil, Bengal uses the widely recognized standard of 6 thousand cubic feet (mcf) to one barrel of oil (boe). However, a boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 mcf: 1 bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.

Certain Defined Terms
boe – barrels of oil equivalent
boepd – barrels of oil equivalent per day
bbl – barrel
mcf – thousand cubic feet
                                                 
Non-IFRS Measurements
Within this release, references are made to terms commonly used in the oil and gas industry. Funds from operations, funds from operations per share and netbacks do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and previous GAAP and are referred to as non-IFRS measures. Funds from operations per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding consistent with the calculation of net income (loss) per share. Netbacks equal total revenue less royalties and operating and transportation expenses calculated on a boe basis. Management utilizes these measures to analyze operating performance. The Company’s calculation of the non-IFRS measures included herein may differ from the calculation of similar measures by other issuers. Therefore, the Company’s non-IFRS measures may not be comparable to other similar measures used by other issuers. Funds from operations is not intended to represent operating profit for the period nor should it be viewed as an alternative to operating profit, net income, cash flow from operations or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS. Non-IFRS measures should only be used in conjunction with the Company’s annual audited and interim financial statements. A reconciliation of these measures can be found in the table on page 6 of Bengal’s Q3 FY18 MD&A.