Oil explorer talks $20bn and counters deal critics

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government will earn more than $20 billion in royalty revenues if the Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) discovers one billion barrels of oil in this nation’s waters, the company’s chairman revealed yesterday.

In what appeared to be a direct riposte to those who have argued that the Bahamas stands to gain too little from BPC’s activities, and that the deal should be renegotiated, Adrian Collins told the company’s shareholders that no other oil explorer had shown interest in the Bahamas for 25 years.

The current deal provides for the Government to earn royalties of between 12.5-25 per cent, linked to a sliding scale based on BPC’s oil production, and Mr Collins said the company was taking on 100 per cent of the risk and financing costs associated with exploration.

Implying that the Bahamas was not investing a single cent in the project, but stood to benefit financially if commercial oil quantities were discovered, Mr Collins wrote in BPC’s 2012 financial statements: “For over 25 years no other company has shown the interest, insight nor the commitment of your company in bringing to the attention of the Government, at no financial risk or cost to it or its people, the potential that may reside in Bahamian waters.

“The company will continue to emphasise the direct benefits of Government royalty income from the very first day, indeed the first barrel of production. This government income is modelled at the level in excess of $20 billion from a one billion barrel discovery, whilst it is the oil company that bears the entire cost and financing of development and operations, as well as the risk that production is sustained over time as projected.”

Meanwhile, Simon Potter, BPC’s chief executive, last night told Tribune Business that the company was “not looking to raise a particular amount” from its proposed Bahamian Depository Receipt (BDR) offering to local institutional and retail investors.

With $21.312 million in cash on BPC’s balance sheet at year-end 2012, the proceeds raised from the BDR offering - which will be listed on the Bahamas International Securities Exchange (BISX) - are not material to the company’s fortunes.

Mr Potter confirmed as much, telling this newspaper: “We won’t be looking to raise a particular amount.

“We’re fully funded in terms of running the business. This is simply an opportunity for Bahamians to invest in a Bahamian-asseted company.”

Mr Potter added that the BDR issue, which will be placed by RoyalFidelity Merchant Bank & Trust, was still awaiting approval from the Central Bank of the Bahamas and Securities Commission.

The Government’s recent policy ‘U-turn’ on its so-called referendum on oil drilling, which will permit exploratory drilling prior to any public ‘vote’, has paved the way for the BDR issue.

“The issue of the referendum was obviously germane to that kind of decision for the Central Bank and the Securities Commission,” Mr Potter said. “The same uncertainty that inhibited discussions with partners was also, I believe, on their minds.”

BPC’s annual financials for the year to end-December 2012, perhaps unwittingly, reveal that it took just six months for the Christie administration to mount its spectacular ‘oil referendum’ u-turn reversal.

The documents showed BPC was told by the Government on September 7, 2012, that a referendum “would be held prior to any exploration drilling being permitted in Bahamian waters”.

Come March 10,2013, the Minister of the Environment announced that exploratory drilling would be allowed to determine whether commercial quantities of oil did exist below Bahamian waters.

Many believe the latter decision was ultimately the correct one, as a referendum would have been meaningless without knowing if there was something (commercial quantities of oil) to have a vote on.

Elsewhere, Mr Collins revealed that Dr Paul Gucwa, BPC’s chief operating officer, had chosen not to renew his contract.

The Bahamas-based executive would “pursue faster paced opportunities where his skills can add the most value, given the company’s shift from early stage exploration activities to drilling”, Mr Collins wrote.

Mr Potter confirmed that BPC would “fill his very big shoes”, although not with a direct replacement. The new recruit, he added, would have skill sets demanded by BPC’s immediate term activities - engineering and drilling structures.

The BPC chief executive, in his own statement to shareholders, said exploratory drilling would start between the 2014 mid-year and year-end, with a starting point closer to the latter more likely.

“A key priority this year will be to close the farm-out discussions as soon as possible and review options over drilling rig selection,” Mr Potter said.

“Ongoing work will continue with a greater focus on drilling as we progress with designing and planning the exploration well in the context of the new environmental regulations, which we wholly support.”

He told Tribune Business last night: “We’ve articulated the way forward as seeking a funding partner, an industry partner, to help us with the well exploration. Follow-up discussions are ongoing.”

BPC is still placing the cost of its first exploratory well at between $100-$120 million, and Mr Potter said the Government’s referendum decision had “re-energised” negotiations with potential joint venture partners.

“From when people last talked to us, we’ve received fully processed 3D seismic data, and the Government clarified the referendum,” Mr Potter told Tribune Business.

“It’s given the discussions new impetus, but we’ve done a lot of work over the last six-nine months, so those will need to catch up. It’s a very involved process.”

Mr Potter told BPC shareholders that elements of the company’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) were “60 per cent complete”,

His chairman, Mr Collins, added that BPC and its activities had become “heavily politcised” in the run-up to the 2012 general election, but the Government’s referendum decision had “restored our mandate to drill, which is now contingent only on the adoption of imminent environmental regulations by the Bahamian Parliament.

“The company is currently working with the Government to quantify a revised deadline for drilling obligations under the licence terms, and we will update shareholders as and when appropriate.”

For 2012, BPC saw its operational losses decrease by 39 per cent to $6.3 million, aided by a 50 per cent reduction in employee expenses.

Some $8.6 million was invested in capital expenditure last year, chiefly seismic data processing costs, bringing BPC’s total investment to $45.7 million.

Comments

SP says...

I do not trust Mr. Collins, and based on governments' proven negotiating skills or lack thereof with aragonite and salt mining I also have zero confidence in governments' competency to sensibly and honestly negotiate on our behalf.

12.5% producing $20 billion might sound impressive, however one must realize that on the other end of the scale Mr. Collins take is 87.5% or roughly $160 billion for a $120 million investment....Quite a healthy return indeed for a well calculated risk!

The PLP and FNM failed at every instance of governance for 40 years. There is NO WAY either can convince me they suddenly woke up and found enough sense to enable them to negotiate something of this magnitude on their own.

The Bahamas needs to look at Arab and other countries to determine what is considered an equitable partnership agreement.

$20 billion for the Bahamas and $160 billion for the other side sounds like another bad deal.

Posted 16 April 2013, 9:51 p.m. Suggest removal

do_c22 says...

I agree with you 100%. I have read and heard some ignorant comments here and other places with regards to this oil exploration. I now see how we were able to sign those assanine agreements years gone by, where the country and subsequently the people receive almost no benefits from our natural resourses. We must not allow that to happen in this instance....we must keep the pressure on the Government to do what is right by the Bahamian people!

Posted 17 April 2013, 8:26 a.m. Suggest removal

laallee says...

SP, thats a good well researched post.
Do not compare the Bahamas with any oil producing country, it is stupid!
The rates are set because the Bahamas is a "wildcat", no one has had any success, only BPC are interested! Have you seen the list of companies fighting over exploration licences?
Have you seen the queue? No, neither have I.
Last point, please deduct all expenses from your balance sheet, does it sound like a bad deal?
If you want the lions share you should take the lions share of the risk, why not buy some shares?

Posted 17 April 2013, 2:33 a.m. Suggest removal

monoco65 says...

I can only say well done to BPC, they are doing all the work and investing all the money and maybe for no gain. But when oil is found then Bahamians will gain big time. So i do not think negative responses are warranted.

Posted 17 April 2013, 3:11 a.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

now lets see BPC is going to take a chance spending money drilling test wells on the chance the Bahamian public may vote no on a referrendum ,and people are expected to buy shares on the BIXS when a referendum may say no ...my perdiction, as long as they can keep selling shares on the London market and now the BIXS there will be no referendum ..ALSO 21 million is grossley under funded ..BPC is the front company betw/ our treasury and the oil if there is any ,The same way Ping made the hotel corp to put his cronies btw / our revenues from the hotels/casinos and the tresury ..

Posted 17 April 2013, 8:01 a.m. Suggest removal

SP says...

@ laallee....Just because you have you not personally seen a list of companies fighting over exploration licenses does not mean others are not interested.

Were we able to see Messrs. Christie, Ingraham and Davis involvement with BPC prior to the whole thing being exposed by a DNA candidate last year about this time? What you don’t see can destroy you or cause your death!

I am not ignorant enough to believe the Bahamas should receive the "lion share" of the deal. Everyone with minimal sense understands that the actual "added value" of exploration, extraction and management of the oil is where the "true value" really is….I am also not naïve enough to jump into a multi-billion dollar new partnership arrangement without understanding all the pros and cons.

A mind boggling laundry list of oil exploration companies also exist, but BPC is not listed among them and coincidentally neither is Halliburton!

See list of companies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oi…

BPC does not own any oil exploration equipment so will be sub-contracting out to whom and at what cost? How does one decide which way to go when there are so many unknowns and noseeums in a $multi-trillion industry? Why haven’t we put out to bid oil exploration in the Bahamas?

In any event, anyone that thinks Mr. Collins is negotiating to get the best deal for the Bahamas have lost their minds. We need to review terms and conditions of oil exploration partnership agreements with other countries in order to enable us to make an informed, intelligent decision on what would be best in the National interest.

Posted 17 April 2013, 10:48 a.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

FIRST WE NEED A REFERENDUM ,WHO IS GOING TO KEEP INVESTING ON THE CHANCE THE PUBLIC MAY SAY NO ,,AND YES I KNOW WHERE THE CAPS LOCK IS

Posted 17 April 2013, 11:52 a.m. Suggest removal

Daniela says...

I believe this is a sensitive subject but indeed is very important or crucial that Government has to do what is right by the Bahamian people, because their opinions matter very much. They want as any people in the world safety, economic stability and good improvements in their life. <a href="http://cosuricadoupaste.tumblr.com/">Thank you</a> very much!

Posted 7 November 2014, 4:56 a.m. Suggest removal

Katerina says...

Wow...there is about a lot of money. Hope that Bahamas Petroleum Company has already discovered one billion barrels of oil in this nation’s water in order that Government earn more than $20 billion in royalty revenues. <a href="http://despreplatfus.tumblr.com/">Thank you</a> and I hope to read more good news.

Posted 10 November 2014, 5:26 a.m. Suggest removal

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