LONDON – Premier Oil (PMO.L) has agreed terms for a long-term refinancing of its debt facilities, it said on Thursday, including $300 million of new equity and an extension to its credit maturities, after swinging into a first-half loss due to weak crude prices.
The British company has been struggling with debt since the oil slump of 2014. The recent plunge in crude prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the firm to secure all possible finances and delay repayments.
Premier’s shares were down 20% by 0852 GMT, the lowest since May 15.
The company said $2.9 billion of gross debt facilities would be refinanced with non-amortising facilities, extending the maturities from May 2021 to March 2025. All interest rates on its debt would be set at 8.34%.
Premier’s net debt had shrunk to $1.97 billion by the end of June from $1.99 billion at the end of December, the company said. Premier’s market capitalization stood at around $414 million on Thursday.
The company confirmed it would raise $230 million to fund the proposed purchase of some of BP’s (BP.L) North Sea fields.
It said it would also raise a further $300 million of new equity to reduce debt, of which $205 million will be underwritten by creditors who will convert debt to shares.
The new arrangement “puts us in a strong position for long-term refinancing and to reset the balance sheet,” Premier Oil Chief Executive Tony Durrant told Reuters.
“We are simultaneously increasing production and cash flow and reducing debt,” he added.
The company, which produced 67,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the first half of 2020 against 84,100 boed a year earlier, is planned to lift output to 100,000 boed by mid 2020 thanks to field start-ups and the BP acquisition, Durrant added.
Premier reported a net loss of $672 million in the first half following $632 million in non-cash write downs, against a profit of $121 million in the first half of 2019.
The company also reaffirmed its expectation that it would be free cash flow positive for full-year 2020.
[contextly_sidebar id=”64SWb5eacnn5NVd6KELpJL7HRja3fRUj”]
