Savannah Acquires ExxonMobil’s, Petronas’ Assets In Chad, Cameroon

Savannah Energy PLC has announced that it has signed a Share Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with Exxon Mobil Corporation, ExxonMobil International Holdings, Inc. and Esso Exploration Holdings, Inc. (“Exxon”) and has separately signed an SPA with PETRONAS (E&P) Overseas Ventures SDN. BHD. (“PETRONAS (E&P) Overseas Ventures”).

The firm, in a statement, added that the deals were “relating to the purchase of each of their entire upstream and midstream asset portfolios in Chad and Cameroon (respectively, the “Exxon Acquisition” and the “PETRONAS Acquisition”).”

The SPAs both have an economic effective date of January 1, 2021. This follows Savannah’s initial announcement on June 2, 2021 regarding the proposed transaction with Exxon and Savannah’s earlier announcements on the Exxon Acquisition and the PETRONAS Acquisition.

Completion of both the Exxon Acquisition and the PETRONAS Acquisition would result in the Company acquiring a 75 per cent controlling interest in the Doba Oil Project and an effective 70 per cent indirect controlling interest in the Chad-Cameroon export transportation system. The remaining 25 per cent interest in the Doba Oil Project is held by the national oil company of Chad, SHT Petroleum Chad Company Limited (“SHT”).

The remaining 30 per cent interest in the Chad-Cameroon export transportation system is held indirectly by affiliates of SHT together with the Republic of Chad and the national oil company of Cameroon, Société Nationale Des Hydrocarbures. For reference, in 2020, the Doba Oil Project produced an average gross of 33.7 Kbopd and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline transported a gross 129.2 Kbopd. Due to their size and nature, both the Exxon Acquisition and the PETRONAS Acquisition individually constitute reverse takeover transactions pursuant to AIM Rule 14 and, accordingly will be subject to, inter alia, shareholder approval.

Andrew Knott, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “I am delighted that we are announcing this afternoon the signature of SPAs to acquire control of the upstream and midstream assets of Exxon and PETRONAS in Chad and Cameroon. These assets have generated billions of dollars of critical tax revenues for their host countries and free cashflow to their owners since the onset of first oil production in 2003. Further, under our stewardship, we expect these assets in aggregate to generate positive free cashflow and fiscal revenues for Chad and Cameroon for a further 25 plus years.

“For Savannah, these deals are expected to see our production levels and reserve base more than double. Further, we see strong potential to significantly increase upstream production and midstream throughput volumes from current levels through incremental investments and look forward to providing more information around our forward plans for the assets, and their potential, upon publication of our AIM Admission Document and the Company’s restoration to trading on AIM.

“I would also like to use this opportunity to welcome the incoming employees to Savannah and acknowledge with gratitude the support we have received from our stakeholders in government.

“Lastly, I would thank the ExxonMobil, PETRONAS and Savannah deal and advisory teams for the hard work that has been undertaken to get to this point.”