Lida Wang
Analyst · Raymond James. Please go ahead with your question
Thank you, Leandro and good morning, everyone. Lots of developments have happened since our last call on March. As you may now consequently after the approvals obtained from Pampa and Petrobras Brazil, Board of Directors, last week we signed the SBA contract acquiring to controlling 67.2% stake of Petrobras Argentina for a base price of $892 million. The base price is subject to agreed adjustments, likely no material until the closing. As we signed the SBA contract, we deposit 20% of the base price in Escrow account being the remaining to be paid at the closing. Let me give you a quick glimpse of Petrobras Argentina. Petrobras Argentina [indiscernible] Argentina with a daily production of 28,000 barrels of oil and seven million cubic meters of gas, 60% gas and 40% oil currently. They also participate in refining and distribution business with our refinery install capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, plus a retail network of 260 gas stations across the country. In Petrochemicals segment, Petrobras Argentina operates two plants being the only national integrity producer of styrene, synthetic rubber, polystyrene and BOPS. In gas and energy segment, Petrobras Argentina controlled almost 1200 megawatts of the power generation capacity through two thermal gas fired power plants and one hydro plant, increasing Pampa capacity by more than 50% with premium quality asset. Petrobras Argentina also holds the other 25.5% of TGS, the largest gas transportation company and one of the leading natural gas liquids producer of Argentina. Last first quarter 2016, Petrobras posted a AR$2.4 billion of EBITDA and a net income of AR$931 million. To test this ticket Pampa was formed with a combination of own cash of up to $220 million, up to $250 million from the sale of TGS is completed prior to the closing and I'll explain later more details. Up to $700,000 of financing from a concert in a bank, prior financing of up to $225 million of which we have $140 million permitted from YPF and financing from the vehicle controlled by the controlling shareholders of the company for up to an amount of $115 million. As a part of the deal, and as of Petrobras Argentina taking over by Pampa, Petrobras Brazil will remain as a partner as they agree to acquire one third of their rights and obligations of Rio Neuquen block for an amount of $72 million. Likewise YPF we acquire the another one third of Rio Neuquen for the same amount. So the former Petrobras Argentina YPF and Petrobras Brazil will pin up with an ambitious investment plan of approximately AR$0.5 billion in Rio Neuquen one of the best and most respected gas fields in Argentina to be spend in the near future and period of which partners take in the block. Together with a one third of Rio Neuquen, YPF is also acquiring the 80% of Petrobras Argentina to state our Latina Block, another area with high gas potential in Neuquen Basin. After the completion of the aforementioned sales, Pampa Energía together with the former Petrobras Argentina will hold 8% of Argentina's total gas production, an important market share placing us as one of the country's leading oil and gas production company. Moreover after the closing, Petrobras Brazil to acquire 100% of the rights and obligations under the operating agreement Petrobras Argentina entered into by Petrobras Argentina branch and Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos in relation to the Corporación Creada Block. We assign a negative value of AR$20 million in those assets. Furthermore, in compliance with the provisions of the Argentine Capital Markets Law, [Capitalist] relating to the mandatory tender offer to be made in the event of change of control and indirect acquisition, prior to the closing of this transaction, the company will launch a mandatory cash tender offer for the minority shareholders of Petrobras Argentina. As I mentioned before, when explaining how old this acquisition ticket, the company has the necessary terms to fulfill and the cash offer. In addition to that, the company thought to evaluating the net of simultaneously with the launching of the cash offer, offer of a loan tariff change of to Petrobras Argentina shares into Pampa shares. Both the cash and exchange offering as well as the call for Shareholders Meeting to deliberate on the corresponding capital increase will be probably submitted for approval of the Board of Pampa and duly reported to the market, in accordance with the requirement establishing the Argentine Capital Markets Law, the Argentine Security and Exchange Commission with CMB Regulation applicable U.S. laws and regulations. In the long term, after the closing and completion of the cash and exchange offering, the company felt assessing the possibility of managing Pampa with Petrobras Argentina, being Pampa the surviving entity. In the event of carrying out another and after total analysis, we will submit for its approval of full company's board and shareholders. Acquiring Petrolera Argentine is a huge milestone for Pampa, which not only will significantly increase the size of the company, but also will play as one of the key players in Argentina's energy sector and a few integrated energy private owned company in Latin America. Our strategy going forward is to significantly among other things, grow our focus in gas production a business that we believe is going to play a dominant role in the next few years in Argentina. Also as related to what I mentioned before on April 22, Pampa agreed with Harz Energy a subsidiary of Group Neuss a 45 days exclusivity period to complete the sale of the stake and rights held in TGS representing the 25.5% of its shared capital for an amount of $250 million, Harz Energy paying an amount of $3 million as a consideration for the exclusivity period, which will be deducted from the purchase price. Moving to the last news towards normalization in the utilities sectors set by the new government [indiscernible], the Secretary of Electric Energy issued Resolution 22 in which increases the prices of all generation as of February 2016. For Pampa generation unit, sales resolution represented an average increase of 42% in comparison with the previous pricing scheme under Resolution 428/15. Also TGS was granted 200.1% tariff increase in gas transportation as of April 2016. In line with the Resolution 21 issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mining and which also encourages an Internal Tariff Review, ITR by April 2017. That increase must be taking on account of the ITR and subject to compliance with the mandatory investment plan for the next 12 months to be overseen by Energas, the Gas Regulator Entity. In electricity distribution it was issued Resolution 55, which details was previously reviewed by Leandro. Going to more news and generation specially in Loma de la Lata Power Plant with the President of Argentina’s, Vice President, Gabriela Michetti the Gobernador de Neuquén province, Omar Gutiérrez National and Provisional Authorities and Executives from the company, on May 2,we inaugurated the new 105 megawatt gas turbine at Loma de la Lata, which increased its installed capacity to 645 megawatts. The total investment was AS$1.1 billion. The new LMS 100 gas turbine manufactured by GE, General Electric is the same model as suspension gas turbine build with the most advanced technology available which allows the high efficiency and flexibility. Currently the commission of this new gas turbine related by the last profit incurred are being covered by GE, the contractor because we engage with them in EPC contracts. Anyway we expect to start commercial operation soon. Moreover in our goal of supporting the development of renewable energy in the country, on April 18, Loma acquired 100% of share capital of Greenwind for $2 million. Greenwind is the developer of Corti Project, a 100 megawatt install capacity wind farm to be built in Bahía Blanca, south of Buenos Aires Province. Greenwind holds the right to usufruct a 1,500 hectares field in which the wind has been measured for the last four years. Regarding the Arbitration Award against Isolux, Loma has been able to collect a total compensatory agreed amount of $16 million, including interests and expenses leaving no remaining due amount from Isolux. In relation to debt transactions last month, our subsidiary Petrolera Pampa issued short term North BCP Series 14 for an amount of AR$296 million bullet in 12 months and at plus 590 basis. Also March, Petrolera Pampa was granted by ITVC new productive launch for AR$300 million aiming to repay along with the same bank granted back in July 2015, there along with a repay in 10 quarterly increased installments beginning on January, 2017 and at a combined 23% fixed rate for the first year and a variable rate of about core plus 575 basis for the remaining period. Finally, on the news recap, on April 29, Pampa Shareholder Meeting approved the appointment of Clarisa Lifsic, Santiago Alberdi, Javier Campos Malbran, Julio Suaya Demaria as Independent Directors replacing [indiscernible]. Moreover as other independent directors were appointed José María Tenaillon, Mariano González Álzaga and [Gomez]. Regarding the committee Santiago Alberdi and Clarisa Lifsic were appointed in replacement of [Marcelo and Hector]. On May 10, the Board of Pampa approved the designation of Marcello Mindlin as Chairman and Gustavo Mariani as Vice Chairman of the Company. So regarding Pampa’s consolidated results, first of all let me remind you that we are still not include in TGS figures in our figures and because we co-control Transener, we only consider 50% of its adjusted EBITDA. So moving on to the result, in the first quarter of 2016, we presented an EBITDA of AR$1,353 million compared to an EBITDA of AR$833 million in the same period of 2015, mainly due to increases of AR$56 million in generation and AR$517 million in oil and gas segment, partially offset by increases of AR$6 million in the transmission, AR$31 million in distribution and higher losses of AR$16 million in holding and other segment. The higher EBTIDA at our generation segment was many driven by prices for oil capacity remuneration, from the application of Resolution 22 compared to 2015's first quarter prices that were under an older resolution than 482 as well as the peso devaluation, which impacts our U.S. dollar contract to which we sell the energy to CAMMESA and under Energía Plus. This effect partially offset by a lower electricity dispatch, which mostly due to technical problems a lower availability of gas in our thermal units and also due to increasing operating cost as you may know fuel oil capacity generation is all provided by CAMMESA. In Transmission segment, the EBITDA fell AR$6 million and during the first quarter of 2016 versus the same period of last year, mainly due to increasing operating cost outpaced the accrual of renewal revenues corresponding to the renewal agreement plus the fact that as of January 2015, Transener stopped recording requiring financial income on the export line [cannon] which is instead O&M remuneration at sales. The interest on the full line registered in the queue first 2015 corresponds to one time restrictive adjustments to the tenants. Moving on to the distribution segment, which was previously reviewed by Leandro, during the first quarter of 2016, the EBITDA decreased by AR$31 million on a consolidated basis compared to the same period of 2015, mainly because the resolution for reduced income and tariff increase to end users were not able to offset the operating and energy processing cost. In the oil and gas segment, in the first quarter of 2016 we posted an adjusted EBITDA of AR$645 million compared to AR$127 million in the same period of 2015. This EBITDA was mainly driven by higher natural gas sales from our joint venture between Petrolera Pampa and YPF in [indiscernible] as well as the effect of the peso evolution impacting our U.S. dollar sales price. In that sense, during the first quarter of 2016, we produced an average of 2.1 million cubic meters per day versus 906,000 cubic meters in the same period 2015, which represents an increase of 136% increase quarter-over-quarter. The agreement with YPF signed in 2013 and initial committed to invest $150 million was later extended in May 2015 an increase to a total investment from Petrolera of around $350 million to be done by 2017. As of March under this JV we have 97 productive wells we around 1.7 million cubic meters per day of natural gas production during the quarter. Overall, including the agreement with Petrolera and Apache as of March, we have 121 productive wells. Finally our holding segment represented a negative EBITDA of AR$30 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to a loss of AR$414 million in the same period of 2015. Finally in terms of net income, Pampa presented a consolidated profit of AR$673 million in the first quarter of 2016 of which AR$608 million corresponds to the shareholders of the company, compared to AR$902 million in the same period of 2015. This was mainly due to higher losses from financial exchange rate difference and interest. As a result of Peso depreciation against U.S. dollars partially offset by higher profits from results and exchange rate difference from the holding of financial instruments. So this concludes our review of Pampa and Edenor. Now we open the floor for questions. Thank you.