TransGlobe Energy

TransGlobe Energy Corporation

FAQS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How do your Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) work?

Q: How much of TransGlobe’s production is crude oil?

Q: What price does TransGlobe receive for its oil?

Q: What percentage of its properties does TransGlobe operate?

Q: What are TransGlobe’s reserves and how are they determined?

Q. How do TransGlobe’s hedging policies work and what are your hedges currently in place?


Q: How do your Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) work?

A: In many countries, including Egypt and Yemen, oil companies are governed by PSAs. PSAs are a different approach from North American practices, where oil and natural gas producers obtain working interest leases over mineral rights and then pay royalties and/or taxes to applicable governments and/or the freehold mineral rights holder.

All of the Company’s international projects are governed by production sharing contracts between the host government and the contractor (joint venture partners). In Egypt and Yemen, TransGlobe enters into a separate PSA for each block in which it has interests. Not only is each PSA a separate contract with the government, it must also be passed into law to become effective. This process generally takes six to twelve months after signing.

The government and the contractors each take their share of production based on the terms and conditions of the respective contracts. While PSAs vary in detail, they all determine the proportion of oil or natural gas produced by a company that is payable to the government. This proportion represents the government’s fiscal take and is roughly comparable with taxes and royalties as are customary in North America. The Company’s share of all taxes and royalties is paid out of the government’s share of production. The apportionment into a company’s share and the government’s share is based on a formula that is different in each PSA, but in general follows the principle of the graph depicted below:

SUMMARY OF INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION SHARING AGREEMENTS ("PSA")

Country

Egypt

Yemen

Block East Ghazalat West Gharib Nuqra #1 32 72 S-1 75
Basin Western Desert Gulf of Suez Nuqra Masila Masila Marib Marib
Year acquired 2010 2007 2004 1997 2004/2005 1998 2007
Status Exploration Development Exploration Development Exploration Development Exploration
Operator Vegas TransGlobe TransGlobe DNO DNO OXY OXY
TransGlobe WI (%) 50% 100% 71.43%* 13.81087% 33% 25% 25%

Block Area

(sq km)

858 214 14,250 591 1,822 1,152 1,050
Block Area (acres) 212,000 52,900 3,650,000 146,070 450,234 284,700 262,500
Expiry date June 2010 2019-2026 July 2012 Nov. 2020 Jan. 2011 Oct. 2023 March 2011
Extensions:    Exploration

1st Extension 24 months

2nd Extension 24 months

N/A 2nd Extension
36 months
N/A N/A N/A 2nd Phase
36 months
   Development

20 yr

+ 5 yr

+ 5 yr

20 yr

+ 5 yr

5 yr

20 yr

+ 5 yr

5 yr 20 yr + 5 yr

* TransGlobe pays 88.57% of costs to first oil production. TransGlobe recovers carried costs from partner’s share of production.

SUMMARY OF INTERNATIONAL PSA TERMS

All of the Company’s international blocks are production sharing contracts between the host government and the Contractor (joint venture partners). The government and the Contractor take their share of production based on the terms and conditions of the respective contracts. The Contractors’ share of all taxes and royalties are paid out of the Governments’ share of production.

The PSAs provide for the Government to receive a percentage gross royalty on the gross production. The remaining oil production, after deducting the gross royalty, is split between cost sharing oil and production sharing oil. Cost sharing oil is up to a maximum percentage as defined in the specific PSA. Cost oil is assigned to recover approved operating and capital costs spent on the specific project. Each PSA is ring fenced for cost recovery and production sharing purposes. The remaining production sharing oil (total production, less gross royalty, less cost oil) is shared between the government and the Contractor as defined in the specific PSAs.

The following tables summarizes the Company’s international PSA terms for the first production tranche for each block. All the PSAs have different terms for production levels above the first tranche, which are unique to each PSA. The Government’s share of production increases and the Contractor’s share of production decreases as the production volumes go to the next production tranche.

 

Country

Egypt

Yemen

Block East Ghazalat West Gharib Nuqra #1 32* (original) 72 S-1 75
First Production Tranche (MBopd) 0 - 5

0 - 5 /

5 - 10

0 - 25 0 - 25 0 - 25 0 - 12.5 0 - 25
Gross Royalty % 0% 0% 0% 3% /
(10%)
3% 3% 3%
Max Cost Oil % 25% 30% 40% 60% /
(25%)
50% 50% 50%
Excess Cost Oil % 0% 30% Prod. Sharing Prod. Sharing Prod. Sharing Prod. Sharing Prod. Sharing
Depreciation per Quarter
Operating 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Capital 5% 6.25% 6.25% 12.5% 12.5% 12.5% 12.5%
Production Sharing Oil:
Contractor 20%

30% /

27.5%

30% 33.25% /
(23%)
32.4% 28.88% 34.2%
Government 80%

70% /

72.5%

70% 66.75% /
(77%)
67.6% 71.13% 65.8%

* Block 32 terms will revert to original PSA terms if production exceeds 25,000 Bopd or Proved reserves exceed 30 million barrels. Reserves are audited every two years by an independent evaluator. At November 2008, Proved reserves were less than 30 million barrels. The next reserve audit is November 2010.

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Q: How much of TransGlobe’s production is crude oil?

A: All of TransGlobe’s production as of early 2009 is crude oil. The oil TransGlobe produces in Egypt ranges from 16º to 28º API, while the Company’s oil produced in Yemen ranges from 28º to 41º API.

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Q: What price does TransGlobe receive for its oil?

A: TransGlobe’s oil production is benchmarked against Dated Brent prices. Brent is the widely used North Sea benchmark light (38º API), sweet crude oil and Dated Brent is a type of spot sales contract that has been priced with a known loading date. In general, the Company’s oil produced in Egypt is sold at a discount of approximately 17 percent to Dated Brent, while its Yemen oil achieves prices very close to the benchmark.

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Q: What percentage of its properties does TransGlobe operate?

A: In Egypt, TransGlobe holds a 100 percent working interest and is the operator at West Gharib.  TransGlobe has a 71.43 percent working interest in a large exploration licence at Nuqra (TransGlobe operated).  The Company holds a 50 percent working interest in East Ghazalat.

TransGlobe does not operate its Yemen properties, where experienced partners operate the fields.

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Q: What are TransGlobe’s reserves and how are they determined?

The Company’s reserves are reviewed annually – as is customary in the oil and natural gas industry – following the conclusion of the fiscal year, which is also the calendar year. All of TransGlobe’s reserves were independently evaluated by a third-party engineering firm, DeGolyer and MacNaughton, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The independent year-end reserve report is commissioned, reviewed and approved by the Company's Reserves Committee.

As at December 31, 2009, TransGlobe had a total of 24.2 million barrels of Proved plus Probable reserves and 30.5 million barrels of Proved plus Probable plus Possible reserves.

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Q. How do TransGlobe’s hedging policies work and what are your hedges currently in place?

TransGlobe uses hedging arrangements as part of its risk management strategy to manage commodity price fluctuations and stabilize cash flows for future exploration and development programs.  The hedging program was expanded significantly in September 2007 to protect the cash flows from the added risk of commodity price exposure following a marked increase in TransGlobe’s debt levels resulting from its acquisitions in Egypt (late 2007/early 2008).

The following table outlines TransGlobe’s hedges in place at March 31, 2010:

 

Period

 

Volume

 

Type

Dated Brent Pricing Put-Call
Crude Oil
April 1, 2010-August 31, 2010 12,000 Bbls/month Financial Collar $60.00-$84.25
April 1, 2010-August 31, 2010   9,000 Bbls/month Financial Collar $40.00-$80.00
April 1, 2010-December 31, 2010 10,000 Bbls/month Financial Floor $60.00
April 1, 2010-December 31, 2010 20,000 Bbls/month Financial Floor $65.00

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Newsroom

July 29, 2010
TransGlobe Energy Corporation Announces New Credit Facility and Release Date of Second Quarter Results, Web Cast and Conference Call (more)

June 29, 2010
TransGlobe Energy Corporation Provides an Operations Update (more)

June 03, 2010
TransGlobe Energy Corporation Provides Mid-Quarter Update for Q2 2010 and Notice of CAPP Oil & Gas Investment Symposium Participation (more)