PetroTal Corp. - Intention for Secondary Quote of Common Shares with Admission to Trading on AIM

This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities for sale or subscription in any jurisdiction

CALGARY and HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2018 /CNW/ - PetroTal Corp. ("PetroTal" or the "Company") (TSX-V: TAL), an exploration and production company focused on oil assets in Peru, is pleased to announce its intention to seek a secondary quotation of its common shares with their admission to trading on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market ("AIM"), subject to preparation of the requisite documentation. The Company expects that the shares will begin trading by the end of this year.

The Company is seeking admission to AIM, alongside its current listing on the TSX Venture Exchange, in order to take advantage of AIM's liquidity, as well as to access a broader range of institutional investors. The Board believes that this will help expedite the unlocking the value of PetroTal's Peruvian assets. PetroTal would be the only exclusively Peru focused independent oil and gas company quoted in London.

Strand Hanson Limited is acting as the Company's Nominated Adviser on the proposed admission.

The Company will hold a special meeting of shareholders on Thursday, October 25, 2018 to amend the Articles of the Company in preparation for the secondary quotation. A management information circular and related meeting materials have been mailed to the Company's registered shareholders and filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Key Highlights:

PetroTal is increasing production from the Bretaña oil field on Block 95, as well as evaluating the Osheki prospect in Block 107. 

• Bretaña oil field (Block 95):
• One of the largest undeveloped discoveries in Peru
• First oil achieved in June 2018, ahead of schedule
• Installation of initial Long-Term Testing Facilities to handle production of 5,000 barrels of oil per day ("bopd") and 5,000 barrels of water per day is expected to be completed on schedule and under budget by late October, 2018
• Average September 2018 production is ~900 barrels of oil per day ("bopd") naturally flowing, expected to increase to over 2,000 bopd by November 2018
• First development well to be spud in early 2019, allowing for production growth to 5,000 bopd by mid-2019 and to 10,000 bodp in early 2020.
• Significant proved + probable (2P) reserves of 39.8 million barrels of oil, independently verified by Netherland Sewell & Associates, Inc. ("NSAI") effective as of December 31, 2017
• Attractive fiscal terms with an initial cash royalty of five percent, not surpassing eight percent at peak production
• Established routes to market with current production being sold at the Iquitos Refinery

• Osheki light oil prospect (Block 107):
• Recent confirmation that Osheki prospect is estimated to hold 534 million barrels of mean prospective recoverable resources, estimated by NSAI effective as of June 30, 2018.
• Estimate is based on a recovery factor of 30 percent of the estimated 1.78 billion barrels of mean prospective original oil in place ("OOIP")
• Currently in discussions with potential joint venture partners to drill Osheki
• Further potential material upside from additional leads in Block 107

Manolo Zuniga, President and Chief Executive Officer, said:

"We are focused on realizing the value of our material oil assets in Peru. A secondary quotation on London's AIM would hopefully increase liquidity and allow us to broaden the shareholder register, at a time when we both are rapidly moving ahead with the development of Block 95 and continuing to assess potential partners for Block 107.

"We have achieved operational milestones, ahead of schedule and under budget, including the commencement of production at Bretaña.  We have a team with track records of delivering results and creating value for shareholders.  PetroTal is in a strong financial position with no debt, and our investment case is further de-risked by a relatively simple geological story.  We are proud to be aligned with the Peruvian government as we play our part in helping the country increase production and reduce oil imports.  I am very upbeat about the future as we continue our journey to become a Peruvian focused E&P of scale, creating value from our existing assets, and over time expanding the portfolio in Peru.  We look forward to providing further updates on our progress in due course."

ABOUT PETROTAL

PetroTal is a publicly-traded independent oil and gas development and production company domiciled in Calgary, Alberta, focused on the development of oil assets in Peru.  The Company's management team has significant experience in developing oil fields in Northern Peru and is focused on safely and cost effectively developing and exploiting the Bretaña oil field in Block 95 and to continue to evaluate the promising Osheki prospect in Block 107.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of, or any solicitation to purchase or subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of, any securities in the capital of the Company.

PRESENTATION OF OIL AND GAS INFORMATION

Prospective resources are the quantities of petroleum estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations by application of future development projects. Estimates of prospective resources included in this press release relating to the Osheki prospect are based upon an independent assessment completed by NSAI, a qualified independent reserves evaluator as defined in Canadian National Instrument 51-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101"), with an effective date of June 30, 2018, and prepared in accordance with the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook and the standards established by NI 51-101. For additional information about the Company's prospective reserves, see the Company's press release dated September 12, 2018.

This press release contains metrics commonly used in the oil and natural gas industry, such as operating netbacks (calculated on a per unit basis as oil revenues less royalties and barging, pipeline and lifting costs). These terms have been calculated by management and do not have a standardized meaning and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies, and therefore should not be used to make such comparisons. Management uses these oil and gas metrics for its own performance measurements and to provide shareholders with measures to compare PetroTal's operations over time. All oil and gas disclosure contained in this press release complies with the requirements of NI 51-101.

The term original oil in place (OOIP) is equivalent to total petroleum initially in place ("TPIIP"). TPIIP, as defined in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook, is that quantity of petroleum that is estimated to exist in naturally occurring accumulations. It includes that quantity of petroleum that is estimated, as of a given date, to be contained in known accumulations, prior to production, plus those estimated quantities in accumulations yet to be discovered. A portion of the TPIIP is considered undiscovered and there is no certainty that any portion of such undiscovered resources will be discovered. If discovered, there is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of such undiscovered resources. With respect to the portion of the TPIIP that is considered discovered resources, there is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of such discovered resources. A significant portion of the estimated volumes of TPIIP will never be recovered.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release may contain certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Such statements relate to possible future events, including, but not limited to PetroTal's business strategy, objectives, strength and focus, the intention to pursue a secondary listing on the AIM market and hold a special meeting of shareholders in relation thereto, intention of engaging joint venture partners to drill the Osheki prospect, expectations regarding existing and future wells, drilling and production in the Bretaña oil field and the timing thereof.  All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "estimate", "potential", "will", "should", "continue", "may", "objective" and similar expressions.  In addition, statements relating to expected production, reserves, resources, recovery, costs and valuation are deemed to be forward-looking statements as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions that the reserves and resources described can be profitably produced in the future. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including, but not limited to, expectations and assumptions concerning the ability of existing infrastructure to deliver production and the anticipated capital expenditures associated therewith, reservoir characteristics, recovery factor, exploration upside,  prevailing commodity prices and the actual prices received for PetroTal's products, the availability and performance of drilling rigs, facilities, pipelines, other oilfield services and skilled labour, royalty regimes and exchange rates, the application of regulatory and licensing requirements, the accuracy of PetroTal's geological interpretation of its drilling and land opportunities, current legislation, receipt of required regulatory approval, the success of future drilling and development activities, the performance of new wells, the Company's growth strategy, general economic conditions, availability of required equipment and services and prevailing commodity prices. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general (e.g., operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses; and health, safety and environmental risks), commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, legal, political and economic instability in Peru, access to transportation routes and markets for the Company's production, changes in legislation affecting the oil and gas industry and uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures. Please refer to the risk factors identified in the Company's annual information form and management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017 and the MD&A which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

References in this press release to production test rates, initial test production rates, and other short-term production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons, however such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will commence production and decline thereafter and are not indicative of long term performance or of ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for PetroTal. A pressure transient analysis or well-test interpretation has not been carried out in respect of all wells. Accordingly, the Company cautions that the test results should be considered to be preliminary.

FOFI DISCLOSURE: This press release contains future-oriented financial information and financial outlook information (collectively, "FOFI") about PetroTal's prospective results of operations and operating netbacks, which are subject to the same assumptions, risk factors, limitations and qualifications as set forth in the above paragraphs. FOFI contained in this press release was made as of the date of this press release and was provided for the purpose of providing further information about PetroTal's anticipated future business operations. PetroTal disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any FOFI contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required pursuant to applicable law. Readers are cautioned that the FOFI contained in this press release should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed herein. All FOFI contained in this press release complies with the requirements of Canadian securities legislation, including NI 51-101.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PetroTal Corporation