Earnings Labs

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (GTE)

Q3 2014 Earnings Call· Sat, Nov 8, 2014

$8.92

+1.36%

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Gran Tierra Energy's results conference call for the quarter ended September 30, 2014. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that in addition to historical information, certain comments made during this conference call, particularly those anticipating future financial performance, business prospects, and overall operating strategies, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be identified by words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intend, predict, and hope, or similar expressions. Such statements, which include estimated or forward-looking production and financial information or results, are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Listeners are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by Gran Tierra Energy in its reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those risks set forth in Gran Tierra Energy's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission November 5, 2014. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or if the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, Gran Tierra Energy's actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected. Listeners are urged not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made in today's conference call. Gran Tierra Energy assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as may be required by applicable law or regulation. Today's conference call also includes the non-GAAP measure funds flow from operations. The press release disseminated by Gran Tierra Energy this morning includes a reconciliation of this non-GAAP item with the company's GAAP net income or loss, as well as information about why management believes the measure is useful in evaluating the company's performance and is available on Gran Tierra Energy's website, www.grantierra.com. All dollar amounts mentioned in today's conference call are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated. Finally, this earnings call is the property of Gran Tierra Energy Inc. Any copying or rebroadcasting of this call is expressly forbidden without the written consent of Gran Tierra Energy. I will now turn the conference over to Mr. Dana Coffield, president and chief executive officer of Gran Tierra Energy. Mr. Coffield, please proceed.

Dana Coffield

Analyst

Thank you, operator. Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us for Gran Tierra Energy’s third quarter 2014 results conference call. With me today is Duncan Nightingale, our new chief operating officer, and James Rozon, our chief financial officer. First, let me start by welcoming Duncan back to our corporate executive team in Calgary. Duncan recently returned to Calgary after a successful three and a half year tenure as president of our Colombia business unit and has just recently assumed the position of chief operating officer. As some of you may recall, Duncan was previously vice president of exploration for Gran Tierra Energy. Now, yesterday, we disseminated a press release that included detailed financial information about the quarter. In addition, Gran Tierra Energy’s 2014 report on form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2014 has been filed on EDGAR and SEDAR and will be available on our website at www.grantierra.com. I’m going to begin today’s conference call talking about some of the key developments for the quarter. James will discuss key aspects of this quarter’s financial results and Duncan will then take a few minutes to provide an operations update. I will then return to provide a budget update, including remarks. Gran Tierra Energy delivered strong results in the third quarter by focusing its core assets and operating capabilities while we approached the major milestone of first production in Peru in December 2014. In Colombia, the Costayaco and Moqueta fields continued to deliver strong production and cash flow. I am happy to announce the Moqueta exploitation license was finally approved, and we continue to work towards reaching production levels of approximately 8,000 barrels of oil per day gross in 2015. The Moqueta-15 and 16 wells were recently drilled and Moqueta-17 is expected to spud in November. Production from…

James Rozon

Analyst

Thank you, Dana, and good afternoon. Our operational success has translated into another quarter of financial success, allowing us to retain a strong balance sheet to continue funding our growth strategy. For the third quarter of 2014, revenue and other income increased by 9% to $162 million from $149 million, compared with the second quarter of 2014, due to increased production, partially offset by decreased realized prices. Average realized oil prices decreased by 9% to $85.40 per barrel for the three months ended September 30, 2014, compared with $93.72 per barrel in the second quarter of 2014, due to lower benchmark prices and higher volumes sold in the current period, for which the price is adjusted for transportation costs. Revenue and other income in the third quarter of 2014 decreased by 5% to $162 million, compared with $171 million in the corresponding quarter in 2013, as a result of decreased realized prices, partially offset by increased production. And oil inventory on losses reduction, primarily in Colombia, accounted for 1,344 barrels of oil per day of increased production, compared with an oil inventory increase of 407 barrels of oil per day, which reduced production in the comparative quarter. The oil inventory reduction was due to the liquidation of inventories to a new customer with a protracted sales cycle and the reduced impact of pipeline disruptions. The average price received per barrel of oil decreased by 12% to $85.40 for the third quarter of 2014, from $96.69 in the third quarter of 2013, primarily due to decreases in the benchmark prices during the three-month period, a reduction of the Ecopetrol price of $2.94 per barrel as a result of an increased port operations fee charged to us and higher volumes sold to alternative customers to Ecopetrol during periods of OTA pipeline disruptions.…

Duncan Nightingale

Analyst

Thank you, James, and good afternoon to everyone. Gran Tierra once again delivered strong results this past quarter by successfully executing its operations plans. On the Chaza Block in Colombia, development of the Moqueta field is progressing with Moqueta-15 drilled, completed, and put on production in September. To further develop the field, the Moqueta-16 well was drilled to test a deeper adjacent fault block outside the existing booked oil reserves area and encountered water. This well is now being sidetracked into the existing booked reserves area and will be used as a producer and potentially converted to an injector at a later date to maintain the reservoir pressure. We plan to spud the Moqueta-17 well in November 2014. Production from the Moqueta field has grown to approximately 6,000 barrels of oil per day gross, and is expected to average 4,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day net after royalty in 2014, consistent with the original production guidance issued in December 2013. The development of the Costayaco field is ongoing, with the Costayaco-19 development well drilled in the third quarter of 2014 and will be used initially as a producer, then converted to a water injection well to help maintain reservoir pressure. That well is now being completed for production while the Costayaco-21 development well is now undergoing a workover and expected to be back on production before the end of the month. Production from the Costayaco field is expected to average 11,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, net after royalty, in 2014. Also on the Chaza Block, subsequent to end quarter, Gran Tierra Energy spud the Eslabon Sur Deep-1 exploration well. Operations are continuing and the well is expected to reach TD bteo2 November. Gran Tierra Energy has deferred the Corunta-1A exploration well on the Chaza Block and may…

Dana Coffield

Analyst

Thank you, Duncan. So Gran Tierra Energy’s planned capital program for exploration [and production] operations in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Argentina for 2014 has been reduced to $472 million from $482 million. This includes $248 million for Colombia, $26 million for Brazil, $18 million for Argentina, $175 million for Peru, and $5 million associated with corporate activities. Gran Tierra Energy is well-positioned technically and financially to continue growing reserves and production on our existing land base from existing assets, all supported by a strong balance sheet. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the pending startup of production at the [unintelligible] field that is expected to begin in December. We continue to work extremely hard as we approach this important milestone, a milestone marking the first revenue in a major new development in the [unintelligible] Basin in Peru. Now, that concludes our prepared remarks for this afternoon. We would now be pleased to answer any questions you might have [unintelligible].

Operator

Operator

[Operator instructions.] And the first question will be from the line of Nathan Piper with RBC Capital Markets.

Nathan Piper - RBC Capital Markets

Analyst

Thinking about Peru, two aspects of this. First of all, do you need some of this production test data to allow you to submit a field development plan for the Bretana field? And then the second question is, given the current oil price and let’s hope it doesn’t stay here forever, but if it does, how do you assess the economics of Peru, which at one point was to be cash flow funded, but may now have to be funded in a different way? What contingencies do you have to fund the project in a different way?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

So the first question is no, we don’t need the long term test data to submit the development plan. We’re doing the feed study right now from an engineering design, and our intent is to submit that sort of March/April timeframe, say early second quarter, to the government. And that development plan will have a whole variety of options available to us to modify as we gather more data. So we don’t need the LTT test results for the development plan submission. Now the second part of the question, of course, is all pricing. It’s got everyone anxious on the duration and the [unintelligible] point at which it levels off. [We’ve sort of been] considering oil price in the development plan, as well as the timing of the development plan. It was never actually contemplated, I don’t think, or perhaps it would have been [plays] that would be entirely funded from cash flow and cash available. If we accelerate the development, bring forward the plateaued production, which is what we’re currently contemplating doing, then that would require additional funding, some sort of a project financing. There’s a variety of options that we would call upon for this additional funding, if and when needed. So right now it’s a moving target. We’re still doing the development plan, so we don’t actually currently even know ourselves what the actual timing expenditures, magnitude expenditures, will be. We won’t know that until, again, the second quarter of next year, and then hopefully by the second quarter of next year, we’ll have more color on oil prices, and then we can plan the timing of spending, the pace of development, and financing options that may be required at that time.

Nathan Piper - RBC Capital Markets

Analyst

I assume that [unintelligible] have made some inquiries to the banks about the appetite for project finance of development in Peru. I guess you don’t want to start that in Q2 of next year, or maybe you are. I guess wanted to see what contingency, what sort of work you’ve done already, just in case the current oil price, and just in case you want to bring the project forward. Have you had some preliminary discussions with lenders?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

We have lenders coming to the office all the time offering financing, but as far as any substantive discussions, the answer is no.

Operator

Operator

Your next question is from the line of Jamie Somerville of TD Securities.

Jamie Somerville - TD Securities

Analyst

Just wondering, with regard to capex, maybe my math is wrong, but it looks to me like your guidance implies that you’re expecting to spend $200 million in the fourth quarter, which would be roughly twice as much as you’ve ever spent in any quarter. So can I just ask what your conviction is that you’re actually going to complete that capex budget program?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

Yeah, it’s going to be a challenge to get it all done before year end. May be some slippage. But the current plan is to do what we have in our current forecast.

Jamie Somerville - TD Securities

Analyst

One specific item within that is the Bretana Sur appraisal well. Can I just ask you for your conviction that you’re going to get that well done in time to have it included in year-end reserve estimates?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

It’s going to be tight to do that [unintelligible]. The rig is actively moving, but [unintelligible] water, etc. So it may be a challenge to get it done by year end. If the drilling does carry over into, say, January, we will still do a reserve update for the field, and depending on time, it would probably come out in early February, along with our year-end reserves update, which typically comes out in early February. So if there’s a slippage of a week or two into January, but [unintelligible] to do the reserve update, and it will still come out more or less same time as the year-end reserves.

Operator

Operator

Your next question is from the line of Jean Blanchette of Amber Capital.

Jean Blanchette - Amber Capital

Analyst

I was just wondering, your stock is trading at a significant discount to the net asset value of proven reserves. I was wondering what you thought about this, and if you intend to do anything about this in the current market. Maybe drilling less wells and doing something else with your cash?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

We’re certainly thinking about it. We’re all thinking seriously about it. Given the magnitude of the capital spending coming forward with Bretana, at this time, we’re not considering using that cash for buying back stock or paying dividends or other things like that to try to change the share price. We’re tracking exactly with our peers, some of whom are buying back stock or paying dividends. You know, we’re pushing [unintelligible] with the current change in oil price, so really with our cash, we’re really focused on being prepared to execute on our developments, execute on our work programs, execute on developing reserves and growing production, even if oil remains where it is or falls lower. We want to keep a strong balance sheet so we can continue delivering on those reserves.

Jean Blanchette - Amber Capital

Analyst

You’re the worst-performing stock of all the Colombian stocks this year. Maybe the market is signaling something that you should listen to?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

I disagree with you. Our closest peers are [RX] and [Rubiales]. Rubiales has outperformed us primarily because of the take out rumors associated with, I would suggest, the government, associated with one of the big funds in Mexico. [RX] certainly had an outstanding year in growing [unintelligible] reserves in the first six months of this year. If you look at the three companies, the three closest peers in Colombia, you’ll see they’ve tracked each other almost exactly for the last six months, three months, one month, and one week, since oil price has dropped. It depends on the timeframe you use. If you use one year, they’ve done better. If you use six months, three months, which are probably more relevant today, we’ve tracked each other very closely.

Jean Blanchette - Amber Capital

Analyst

That’s fair, but your stock price has been almost as low as where it was during the crisis in 2008, 2009. I mean, obviously there’s something going wrong with the formula that you’re currently going on with. I mean, seriously, is there any other plan going forward?

Dana Coffield

Analyst

Well, we can’t change reality. We’re in Colombia and Peru, and oil prices are what they are. We plan to execute on our [unintelligible]. So we’re not going to reallocate capital to Eagle Ford Shale and we’re not going to change industries.

Operator

Operator

Gentlemen, there are no further questions at this time. Please continue.