Wednesday 13 May 2020

Premier today provides the following Trading and Operations update for the period 1 January to 30 April 2020. As previously announced, the Group’s AGM has been deferred to 25 June 2020 in light of the Government’s public health instructions and stay at home measures regarding COVID-19.

Financial highlights

Forecast broadly free cash flow neutral for full year 2020 at current forward curve

30% of 2020 volumes hedged at $60/boe including c.50% of Q2 oil production at $64/bbl

Estimated $240 million of capex and opex savings and deferrals secured

Liquidity retained with c.$160 million of unrestricted cash and $330m of undrawn facilities; addressing covenants and drawing profiles with creditors

Court approved creditor schemes of arrangement; re-engaging with stakeholders around proposed transactions and 2021 credit maturities

Net debt reduced to $1.91 billion as at end of April (31 December 2019: $1.99 billion)

Operational highlights

Production averaged 70.1 kboepd to end of April, impacted by a recent unplanned Catcher outage (now restored) and cessation of Huntington production; 2020 guidance revised to 65-70 kboepd

Tolmount schedule impacted by COVID-19 with first gas now expected in Q2 2021; Tolmount East (Premier-operated) on track for sanction decision by year-end 2020

Zama unitisation and sales process ongoing; Mexican regulator expected to instruct unitisation in the coming weeks

Operated growth projects on hold, optionality preserved:

Sea Lion project suspended with farm-in documentation agreed

Tuna appraisal to be fully funded, subject to final approvals

Highly prospective exploration acreage retained with deferred drilling commitments

Tony Durrant, Chief Executive, commented:

“We are proactively managing the business in these challenging times and remain focused on the welfare, health and safety of our people. We continued to generate free cash flow during the period and, based on the current forward curve, expect to be broadly free cash flow neutral for the full year, benefitting from our hedging programme and action taken to reduce our expenditure.”