Saturday, November 17, 2012

PNG government seeks 50% of Interoil LNG project


Nov 16 (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea's government is seeking a 50% stake in Interoil's $6 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said on Friday. Interoil's current agreement with the Papua New Guinea government allows the government to take up to a 20.5% ownership in the company's Gulf LNG project.
The Gulf LNG development has so far struggled to find an experienced LNG operator.
In its third quarter earnings results on Thursday, Interoil said it was making good progress in negotiations with the Papua New Guinea government around its proposal to develop Gulf LNG, but did not mention any plans to increase the government's stake in the project.
The company also said it was also making good progress on plans for the first stage of the Gulf LNG project, a 3.8 million tonne per year plant which it expects to come online in 2015.
U.S.-based Interoil did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Friday, November 16, 2012

PNG government seeks 50% stake in LNG project

By Liam Fox

ABC Port Moresby


The Papua New Guinea government has announced it wants a 50 percent stake in a multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas project.
For much of this year the PNG government has clashed with a consortium led by InterOil Corporation over the development of two gas fields in Gulf Province.
In May the government threatened to terminate the project agreement because it didn't like InterOil's design.
Now the Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says cabinet has approved a "50/50 Gulf LNG Project" with the state to take up a 50 percent equity interest, much more than the 22.5 percent allowed for under PNG law.
In a statement, Mr O'Neill said the fiscal incentives in the current project agreement will have to be reviewed and an experienced operator found to operate the upstream facilities.

Goldthorpe to taste PNG's league fervour

By Steve Zemek in Sunshine Coast Daily

Former NRL player and Noosa captain coach Noel Goldthorpe.
Former NRL player and Noosa captain coach Noel Goldthorpe. Nicholas Falconer
NOT many things fazed former St George Dragon Noel Goldthorpe during his playing career.
But even he expects stepping on to the field in front of 10,000 rabid rugby league fans in Papua New Guinea this weekend will be an eye-opener.
Noosa-based Goldthorpe will pull on a pair of boots once again when he turns out for the Australian Legends team to take on the PNG Legends at Port Moresby's Lloyd Robson Oval.
The 13-man code is the national sport in the Pacific nation and its people treat the game with a religious fervour.
There are stories of Australian sides being mobbed upon touching down in the country. During this year's match between the PNG national team and the Australian Prime Minister's XIII, fans queued for hours outside Lloyd Robson Oval before an estimated 15,000 people packed into the 2000-seat stadium.
Outside, gunfire was heard as police attempted to turn away the thousands of disappointed locals.
It will be Goldthorpe's first visit to the country and the former Noosa Pirates captain-coach says he does not know what to expect
"They love rugby league. I was speaking to Brad Tassell, who is organising it, and he was telling me that the last time they had the game, Les Davidson was speaking to one of the locals and he knew more about Les than Les knew about himself," said Goldthorpe, who played 182 NRL games and made three appearances for NSW.
"We're unsure what to expect. I'm sure it's going to be an eye-opener."
Goldthorpe, will be joined by Caloundra-based former Storm five-eighth Scott Hill in the Legends team.
They will play alongside some of the modern greats of the game including Petero Civoniceva, Paul Sironen and Cliff Lyons.
Australian Legends Team
Robbie O'Davis, Darren Albert, Scott Hill, Matt Geyer, John Hopoate, Julian O'Neill, Noel Goldthorpe, Martin Lang, Jamie Goddard, Petero Civoniceva, Paul Sironen, Bryan Niebling, Scott Sattler, Justin Loomans, Cliff Lyons, Sid Domic, Stuart Kelly, Leo Dynover, Sean Hoppe, Jamie Feeney. Coach: Max Krilich.

InterOil Announces 2012 Q3 financial and operating results


PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea and HOUSTON, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InterOil Corporation (NYSE:IOC) (POMSoX:IOC) today announced financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 and also certain recent developments.

Third Quarter 2012 Highlights and Recent Developments
  • Net profit for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 was $5.3 million.  Operating segments of Corporate, Midstream Refining and Downstream collectively derived a net profit for the quarter of $16.8 million, while the investments in the development segments of Upstream and Midstream Liquefaction resulted in a net loss of $11.5 million.
  • After successfully running and cementing 13 3/8 inch casing at 3,632 feet (1,107 meters) at Antelope-3, InterOil's rig 2 has drilled the well to a depth of 5,013 feet (1,528 meters). Forward plan is to drill to the top of the Antelope reservoir estimated at 5,545 feet (1,690 meters) and then continue on to total depth of 8,366 feet (2,550 meters), followed by wireline logging, rotary sidewall coring and drill stem testing.
  • Rig 3 is being mobilized to the Elk-3 drilling location. With access roads from both the north and the south and a central upstream development camp in place, InterOil is set to begin drilling the second of two obligation wells in Petroleum Retention License (PRL) 15. The Company's Tuna and Wahoo/Mako prospects, targeting seismically defined reefal indications, in PPLs 236 and 238 have matured to the drill ready stage and preparations to access to the proposed drilling locations are underway.
  • Subsequent to quarter end, on October 16, 2012, the Company entered into a five year amortizing $100 million secured term loan facility with BNP Paribas Singapore, Bank South Pacific Limited, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (PNG) Limited which was used to repay indebtedness under the OPIC loan, with the remaining amount to be used for general corporate purposes.  The loan is secured by the assets of the refinery and bears interest at LIBOR plus 6.5%.
InterOil's Chief Executive Officer Phil Mulacek commented, "We are pleased with the progress in our negotiations with the Government of PNG related to our proposal to develop a 3.8 million tonne per annum LNG project in the Gulf Province."
As to the Antelope-3 well, Mr. Mulacek noted that, "We are very encouraged by the progress in drilling the Antelope-3 well to near the top of the reservoir. This well is expected to further appraise our resourses.
"Our prospect inventory is maturing and we anticipate that it will support our goal of a multi-year, multi-well exploration program.  We believe that these achievements, combined with our strong balance sheet, support our continued growth and operational success."

Corporate Financial Results
Net profit for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 was $5.3 million compared with a net loss of $19.8 million for the same period in 2011, an increase of $25.1 million.  Operating segments of Corporate, Midstream Refining and Downstream collectively derived a net profit for the quarter of $16.8 million, while the investments in the development segments of Upstream and Midstream Liquefaction resulted in a net loss of $11.5 million during the quarter.
The improvement in net profit for the quarter was mainly due to a $29.4 million increase in gross margin attributable to the positive crude oil and refined product price movements during the quarter and higher margins from export cargos, among other items.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 was a gain of $19.0 million versus a loss of $11.5 million for the same period in 2011.
Total revenues increased by $45.0 million from $281.9 million in the quarter ended September 30, 2011 to $326.9 million in the third quarter of 2012, primarily due to higher sales volumes during the period. The total volume of all products sold by us was 2.2 million barrels for quarter ended September 30, 2012, compared with 1.8 million barrels in the same quarter of 2011.

Business Segment Results as of September 30, 2012
Upstream - On July 27, 2012, InterOil executed a farm in agreement with Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. ("PRE") for PRE to be able to earn a 10.0% net (12.9% gross) participating interest in the PPL 237 onshore Papua New Guinea, including the Triceratops structure located within that license.  Rig release from the Triceratops-2 well was received from PNG Department of Petroleum & Energy on August 13, 2012.  The Triceratops-2 well has been suspended as a new discovery for recompletion at a later date as a future production well.  Demobilization of Rig 2 began immediately for relocation to the Antelope-3 location.  As of September 30, 2012, PRE has paid $40.0 million of the $116 million of staged up-front cash payments. Planning of new seismic and drilling location is in progress, and will be finalized once the remapping is complete.
The Antelope-3 well was spud on September 30, 2012. Subsequent to the quarter end, the well was drilled to a depth of 3,642 feet, (1,110 meters), at which depth the 13 ¾ inch casing was set and cemented. Following which, drilling resumed with a 12 ¼ inch bit to the current depth of 5,013 feet (1,528 meters). Forward plan is to drill to the top of the Antelope reservoir estimated at 5,545 feet (1,690 meters), set the second casing string and then continue on to total depth of 8,366 feet (2,550 meters), followed by wireline logging, rotary sidewall coring and drill stem testing.
Pre-spud preparation at the Elk-3 delineation well site is nearing completion. We have begun mobilization of our Rig 3 to the field. All components of Rig 3 have shipped out of Port Moresby by barge to Hou Creek. The objective of the Elk-3 delineation well is to test the Early Miocene to Late Oligocene limestone section above the gas water contact in the Elk fault block.  The Early Miocene to Late Oligocene interval in the Elk-2 well was comprised of shallow marine and reefoid facies below the gas water contact.  This lower interval exhibited better porosity and permeability than the shallower facies penetrated in the upper reservoir.
Our Hou Creek northern wharf and field access roadway are progressing to completion, and a permanent camp location is under construction. The wharf and crane are functioning and ready to accept materials and equipment. InterOil has also completed the upstream field development camp near the Antelope-3 wellsite and drilling crews are utilizing those accommodations.
InterOil's Upstream business realized a net loss of $10.9 million in the third quarter of 2012 compared to a net loss of $15.1 million in the comparable period a year ago. The decrease in the loss in 2012 was mainly due to reduced exploration costs incurred for seismic activity coupled with an increase in gain on the sale of oil and gas properties due to the gain recognized on sale of interest in PPL 237 to PRE. The positive variance was partially offset by higher interest expense due to an increase in inter-company loan balances.

Midstream Refining – Total refinery throughput for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 was 23,980 barrels per operating day, compared with 23,797 barrels per operating day during quarter ended September 30, 2011.
Capacity utilization of the refinery for the quarter ended September 30, 2012, based on 36,500 barrels per day operating capacity, was 61% compared with 56% for the same quarter in 2011.  During the quarters ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, our refinery was shut down for 9 days and 15 days, respectively, for general maintenance activities.
Subsequent to quarter end, on October 16, 2012, the Company entered into a five year amortizing $100 million secured term loan facility with BNP Paribas Singapore, Bank South Pacific Limited, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (PNG) Limited.  On November 9, 2012, borrowings under the facility were used to repay all outstanding amounts under the term loan granted by OPIC and the remaining funds will be used for general corporate purposes.  The loan is secured by the assets of the refinery and bears interest at LIBOR plus 6.5%.
The Company's Midstream Refining operations generated a net profit of $5.4 million in the third quarter of 2012 versus a loss of $1.2 million in the prior year period. The positive variance is largely due to an improvement in gross margin resulting from improved crude oil and refined product prices, which were partially offset by higher derivative losses incurred for commodity contracts settled during the periods, a decrease in foreign exchange gains and increased income tax expense.

Midstream Liquefaction – Following receipt of the required PNG Government approvals, InterOil believes it will be able to conclude the LNG partnering process. We have made significant progress with FEED engineering studies, construction of roads and camps, social mapping and genealogical studies, which will assist in the partnering and execution of the project.
The Company's Midstream Liquefaction business generated a net loss of $0.6 million in the third quarter of 2012 compared with a loss of $4.0 million in the same period a year ago. The positive variance is largely due to a decrease in office, administration and other expenses related to the midstream facilities of the LNG Project development which are not capitalized.

Downstream - Total Downstream sales volumes for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 were 185.0 million litres, an increase of 22.5 million litres, or 13.8%, over the same quarter in 2011.
We believe that the PNG economy remains strong with continued robust activity in the resource sector although this is tempered by certain construction projects for the ExxonMobil LNG project now nearing an end.  For this reason and with the completion of many construction projects in the commercial office and residential sectors, it is believed that demands will flatten in the short term for diesel and jet A1.
Our retail business sector continues to grow with the roll out of new electronic systems for our retail pumps and truck stops, and it is our intention to start operating our first retail site during the fourth quarter 2012.
InterOil's Downstream operations generated a net profit of $5.6 million in the third quarter of 2012, an improvement of $4.5 million versus a profit of $1.1 million in the previous year.  The positive variance is largely due to an increase in gross margins mainly due to an increase in domestic sales volumes, which was partially offset by reduced foreign exchange gains and increased income tax expense.

Corporate – The Corporate segment generated a net profit of $7.8 million in the third quarter of 2012, compared to a net loss of $0.5 million in the same period of 2011. The positive variance is largely the result of a decreased loss on FLEX LNG investment, a decrease in office and administration expense, and higher interest income, which was partially offset by a decrease in inter-segment recharges.

Summary of Consolidated Quarterly Financial Results for Past Eight Quarters
Quarters ended ($ thousands except per share data) 2012 2011 2010
Sep-30 Jun-30 Mar-31 Dec-31 Sep-30 Jun-30 Mar-31 Dec-31
Upstream 2,216 1,727 2,284 1,891 2,645 4,638 668 245
Midstream – Refining 274,671 236,006 302,310 237,640 231,455 262,111 217,743 158,092
Midstream – Liquefaction - - - - - - - -
Downstream 201,749 223,620 218,974 209,678 186,304 191,431 157,709 143,364
Corporate 26,880 24,742 24,757 21,831 25,078 26,548 18,659 15,213
Consolidation entries (178,652) (186,990) (210,174) (181,428) (163,584) (180,945) (151,125) (122,545)
Total revenues 326,864 299,105 338,151 289,612 281,898 303,783 243,654 194,369
Upstream 956 (5,730) (6,374) 665 (6,169) 593 (10,957) (41,681)
Midstream – Refining 13,417 (42,647) 18,933 2,604 3,461 27,967 26,632 13,780
Midstream – Liquefaction 11 676 (1,406) (4,123) (3,602) (4,035) (2,375) (1,959)
Downstream 9,275 11,102 21,414 6,808 3,570 5,777 8,744 4,709
Corporate 9,841 9,975 9,188 10,134 1,548 13,940 5,223 4,566
Consolidation entries (14,503) (9,871) (14,216) (11,280) (10,263) (5,269) (9,200) (7,004)
EBITDA (1) 18,997 (36,495) 27,539 4,808 (11,455) 38,973 18,067 (27,589)
Upstream (10,936) (15,532) (17,244) (9,402) (15,080) (6,703) (17,949) (47,845)
Midstream – Refining 5,358 (32,969) 11,320 15,684 (1,201) 17,314 14,894 9,504
Midstream – Liquefaction (573) 93 (1,969) (4,574) (3,980) (4,309) (2,604) (2,114)
Downstream 5,626 6,045 13,195 3,621 1,146 2,306 4,491 2,643
Corporate 7,849 8,445 6,270 7,616 (473) 11,275 3,463 3,381
Consolidation entries (1,988) 2,205 (2,136) 252 (190) 3,657 (1,596) (401)
Net profit/(loss) 5,336 (31,713) 9,436 13,197 (19,778) 23,540 699 (34,832)
Net profit/(loss) per share (dollars)
Per Share – Basic 0.11 (0.66) 0.20 0.27 (0.41) 0.49 0.01 (0.76)
Per Share – Diluted 0.11 (0.66) 0.19 0.27 (0.41) 0.48 0.01 (0.76)
(1) EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure, please refer to "Non-GAAP EBITDA Reconciliation" in this press release.
Balance Sheet and Liquidity InterOil closed the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 with cash, cash equivalents and cash restricted totaling $96.9 million (September 30, 2011 - $144.4 million), of which $39.6 million is restricted (September 30, 2011 - $30.1 million).
We also had aggregate working capital facilities of $307.3 million, with $21.1 million available for use in our Midstream Refining operations, and $49.4 million available for use in our Downstream operations.
The Company is managing its gearing levels by maintaining the debt-to-capital ratio (debt/(shareholders' equity + debt)) at 50% or less.  Our debt-to-capital ratio was 13.0% as of September 30, 2012 which compares to 12.7% as of September 30, 2011.
Subsequent to the close of the third quarter, on October 16, 2012, we entered into a five year amortizing $100 million secured term loan facility with BNP Paribas Singapore, Bank South Pacific Limited, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (PNG) Limited.  On November 9, 2012, borrowings under the facility were used to repay all outstanding amounts under the term loan granted by OPIC, and the remaining funds will be used for general corporate purposes. The loan is secured by the assets of the refinery and bears interest at LIBOR plus 6.5%.
Summary of Debt Facilities Summarized below are the debt facilities available to us and the balances outstanding as at September 30, 2012.
Organization Facility Balance outstanding Sept 31, 2012 Effective interest rate Maturity date
OPIC secured loan (1) $31,000,000 $31,000,000 7.06% December 2015
BNP Paribas working capital facility $240,000,000 $69,174,302 (2) 2.70% January 2013
Westpac PGK working capital facilityfacility $43,245,000 $10,898,580 10.0% November 2014
BSP PGK working capital facility $24,025,000 $7,003,404 9.95% August 2013
Westpac secured loan $12,857,000 $12,857,000 4.77% September 2015
2.75% convertible notes $70,000,000 $70,000,000 7.91%(3) November 2015
Mitsui unsecured loan (4) $11,912,297 $11,912,297 6.25% See detail below
(1) Subsequent to the end of the quarter we entered into a new $100 million loan facility and on November 9,2012, used a portion of the proceeds from this facility to repay all amounts under the OPIC facility
(2) Excludes letters of credit totaling 149.7 million, which reduce the available balance of the facility to $21.1 million at September 30, 2012.
(3) Effective rate after bifurcating the equity and debt components of the $70 million principal amount of 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2015.
(4) Facility is to fund our share of the Condensate Stripping Project costs as they are incurred pursuant to the JVOA with Mitsui ("CSP JVOA").
InterOil Corporation
Consolidated Income Statements
(Unaudited, Expressed in United States dollars)
 Quarter ended   Nine months ended 
September 30, September 30, September 30, September 30,
2012 2011 2012 2011
$ $ $ $
Revenue
  Sales and operating revenues  324,109,090 278,499,694 956,335,547 819,484,250
  Interest 23,381 368,768 226,360 952,421
  Other 2,732,247 3,029,088 7,557,014 8,898,772
326,864,718 281,897,550 964,118,921 829,335,443
  Changes in inventories of finished goods and work in progress (35,607,503) (31,631,324) (6,263,770) 43,859,762
  Raw materials and consumables used (250,722,505) (238,480,416) (896,694,438) (787,256,505)
  Administrative and general expenses  (11,213,365) (11,809,956) (31,174,931) (33,119,377)
  Derivative (losses)/gains (4,929,234) 1,914,207 (4,715,186) 1,498,275
  Legal and professional fees (1,656,287) (1,538,559) (3,877,763) (4,498,526)
  Exploration costs, excluding exploration impairment (note 6) (2,056,367) (6,568,147) (14,660,051) (16,636,215)
  Finance costs (4,209,765) (4,448,608) (13,646,887) (13,185,060)
  Depreciation and amortization (5,435,498) (5,168,473) (15,449,807) (13,980,789)
  Gain on sale of oil and gas properties (note 11) 2,895,000 - 2,895,000 -
  Loss on available-for-sale investment - (6,048,537) - (1,834,279)
  Foreign exchange (losses)/gains (3,495,353) 1,918,158 3,990,338 17,696,737
(316,430,877) (301,861,655) (979,597,495) (807,455,977)
Profit/(loss) before income taxes 10,433,841 (19,964,105) (15,478,574) 21,879,466
Income taxes
  Current tax expense (2,561,068) (116,517) (11,623,696) (4,488,623)
  Deferred tax (expense)/benefit (2,537,251) 302,687 10,160,813 (12,930,404)
(5,098,319) 186,170 (1,462,883) (17,419,027)
Profit/(loss) for the period 5,335,522 (19,777,935) (16,941,457) 4,460,439
Profit/(loss) is attributable to:
Owners of InterOil Corporation 5,335,522 (19,777,694) (16,941,457) 4,454,238
Non-controlling interest  - (241) - 6,201
5,335,522 (19,777,935) (16,941,457) 4,460,439
Basic profit/(loss) per share  0.11 (0.41) (0.35) 0.09
Diluted profit/(loss) per share 0.11 (0.41) (0.35) 0.09
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding
 Basic (Expressed in number of common shares) 48,445,397 47,993,229 48,271,469 47,936,721
 Diluted (Expressed in number of common shares) 48,785,877 47,993,229 48,271,469 48,857,182
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements
InterOil Corporation
Consolidated Balance Sheets 
(Unaudited, Expressed in United States dollars)
As at
September 30, December 31, September 30,
2012 2011 2011
$ $ $
Assets
Current assets:
    Cash and cash equivalents 57,291,559 68,846,441 114,330,510
    Cash restricted 33,610,455 32,982,001 23,543,921
    Short term treasury bills - held-to-maturity  - 11,832,110 11,324,929
    Trade and other receivables  149,852,154 135,273,600 105,377,991
    Derivative financial instruments  - 595,440 413,093
    Other current assets 906,644 867,967 755,309
    Inventories (note 5) 164,808,029 171,071,799 170,997,122
    Prepaid expenses 5,891,713 5,477,596 2,361,925
Total current assets 412,360,554 426,946,954 429,104,800
Non-current assets:
    Cash restricted 5,980,832 6,268,762 6,530,817
    Goodwill  6,626,317 6,626,317 6,626,317
    Plant and equipment 251,556,473 246,043,948 237,330,322
    Oil and gas properties (note 6) 472,077,713 362,852,766 330,346,730
    Deferred tax assets 47,585,649 35,965,273 742,379
    Available-for-sale investments  5,462,570 3,650,786 5,644,478
Total non-current assets 789,289,554 661,407,852 587,221,043
Total assets 1,201,650,108 1,088,354,806 1,016,325,843
Liabilities and shareholders' equity
Current liabilities:
    Trade and other payables 172,929,668 159,882,177 91,957,476
    Income tax payable 9,592,164 4,085,137 2,883,220
    Derivative financial instruments 371,143 11,457 318,736
    Working capital facilities (note 7) 87,076,286 16,480,503 48,085,248
    Unsecured loan and current portion of secured loans (note 9) 25,198,297 19,393,023 19,393,023
    Current portion of Indirect participation interest (note 10) 13,770,156 540,002 540,002
Total current liabilities 308,937,714 200,392,299 163,177,705
Non-current liabilities:
    Secured loans (note 9) 30,238,125 26,037,166 30,481,180
    2.75% convertible notes liability  58,175,245 55,637,630 54,816,599
    Deferred gain on contributions to LNG project  746,834 5,810,775 7,263,210
    Indirect participation interest (note 10) 20,904,686 34,134,840 34,134,387
    Other non-current liabilities (note 11) 20,000,000 - -
    Asset retirement obligations 4,947,101 4,562,269 4,289,444
    Deferred tax liabilities  - 1,889,391 -
Total non-current liabilities 135,011,991 128,072,071 130,984,820
Total liabilities 443,949,705 328,464,370 294,162,525
Equity:
Equity attributable to owners of InterOil Corporation:
    Share capital (note 12) 927,913,817 905,981,614 902,114,261
        Authorized - unlimited
        Issued and outstanding - 48,587,461
        (Dec 31, 2011 - 48,121,071)
        (Sep 30, 2011 - 48,000,131)
    2.75% convertible notes  14,298,036 14,298,036 14,298,036
    Contributed surplus 20,107,937 25,644,245 24,552,456
    Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income 27,736,411 29,380,882 24,164,391
    Conversion options  12,150,880 12,150,880 12,150,880
    Accumulated deficit  (244,506,678) (227,565,221) (255,143,006)
Total equity attributable to owners of InterOil Corporation 757,700,403 759,890,436 722,137,018
Non-controlling interest  - - 26,300
Total equity 757,700,403 759,890,436 722,163,318
Total liabilities and equity 1,201,650,108 1,088,354,806 1,016,325,843
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements
InterOil Corporation
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 
(Unaudited, Expressed in United States dollars)
 Quarter ended  Nine months ended
September 30, September 30, September 30, September 30,
2012 2011 2012 2011
$ $ $ $
Cash flows generated from (used in):
Operating activities
    Net profit/(loss) for the period 5,335,522 (19,777,935) (16,941,457) 4,460,439
    Adjustments for non-cash and non-operating transactions
      Depreciation and amortization 5,435,498 5,168,473 15,449,807 13,980,789
      Deferred tax  2,872,882 (66,555) (13,509,767) 13,355,749
      Gain on sale of exploration assets (2,895,000) - (2,895,000) -
      Accretion of convertible notes liability 858,478 808,915 2,537,615 2,391,110
      Amortization of deferred financing costs 36,986 55,986 129,959 167,958
      Timing difference between derivatives recognized 
         and settled 1,122,929 (89,857) 955,126 (272,935)
      Stock compensation expense, including restricted stock 2,112,932 4,029,821 5,777,472 11,728,248
      Movement in inventory write down (24,636,489) (3,255,318) - 3,417,882
      Accretion of asset retirement obligation liability 82,774 79,678 248,322 79,678
      Oil and gas properties expensed 2,056,367 6,568,147 14,660,051 16,636,215
      Loss on Flex LNG investment - 6,048,537 - 1,834,279
      Unrealized foreign exchange loss/(gain) 22,277 (3,763,825) (876,631) (1,847,242)
    Change in operating working capital
      (Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables (31,466,298) 4,515,067 (23,460,485) (35,290,574)
      Decrease/(increase) in other current assets and prepaid expenses 2,360,590 637,017 (452,794) 981,399
      Decrease/(increase) in inventories 59,593,399 35,072,018 4,014,645 (37,484,446)
      Increase in trade and other payables 6,708,330 13,422,313 6,017,991 23,754,298
    Net cash generated from/(used in) operating activities 29,601,177 49,452,482 (8,345,146) 17,892,847
Investing activities
    Expenditure on oil and gas properties (46,034,941) (35,025,246) (149,275,108) (98,420,370)
    Proceeds from IPI cash calls - 91,138 3,497,542 91,138
    Expenditure on plant and equipment (12,526,263) (10,442,871) (26,026,273) (23,691,596)
    Proceeds from Pacific Rubiales Energy (conveyance accounted portion) - - 20,000,000 -
    Maturity of short term treasury bills - (11,324,929) 11,832,110 (11,324,929)
    Acquisition of Flex LNG Ltd shares, including transaction costs - - - (7,478,756)
    Decrease/(increase) in restricted cash held as security on
       borrowings 906,997 6,453,266 (340,524) 17,203,331
    Change in non-operating working capital
      Increase in trade and other receivables - (10,000,000) - (10,000,000)
      Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables 14,342,166 (916,001) 22,892,495 (10,763,171)
    Net cash used in investing activities (43,312,041) (61,164,643) (117,419,758) (144,384,353)
Financing activities
    Repayments of OPIC secured loan - - (4,500,000) (4,500,000)
    Proceeds from Mitsui for Condensate Stripping Plant 3,578,489 551,562 3,578,489 9,872,532
    Proceeds from Westpac secured loan - - 15,000,000 -
    Repayments of Westpac secured loan (2,143,000) - (2,143,000) -
    Proceeds from Pacific Rubiales Energy for interest in PPL237 20,000,000 - 20,000,000 -
    Proceeds from working capital facility 24,188,225 (45,633,592) 70,595,783 (3,169,078)
    Proceeds from issue of common shares, net of transaction costs 4,757,023 192,550 10,618,423 2,549,000
  Net cash generated from financing activities 50,380,737 (44,889,480) 113,149,695 4,752,454
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 36,669,873 (56,601,641) (12,615,209) (121,739,052)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 20,623,574 168,439,410 68,846,441 233,576,821
Exchange gains on cash and cash equivalents (1,888) 2,492,741 1,060,327 2,492,741
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period  57,291,559 114,330,510 57,291,559 114,330,510
Comprising of:
Cash on Deposit 56,656,729 23,684,485 56,656,729 23,684,485
Term Deposits 634,830 90,646,025 634,830 90,646,025
Total cash and cash equivalents, end of period 57,291,559 114,330,510 57,291,559 114,330,510
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements
NON-GAAP EBITDA Reconciliation EBITDA represents our net income/(loss) plus total interest expense (excluding amortization of debt issuance costs), income tax expense, depreciation and amortization expense.  EBITDA is used by us to analyze operating performance.  EBITDA does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP (i.e., IFRS) and, therefore, may not be comparable with the calculation of similar measures for other companies.  The items excluded from EBITDA are significant in assessing our operating results.  Therefore, EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net earnings, operating profit, net cash provided from operating activities and other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.  Further, EBITDA is not a measure of cash flow under IFRS and should not be considered as such.  For reconciliation of EBITDA to the net income (loss) under IFRS, refer to the following table.
The following table reconciles net income (loss), a GAAP measure, to EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure for each of the last eight quarters.
Quarters ended ($ thousands) 2012 2011 2010
Sep-30 Jun-30 Mar-31 Dec-31 Sep-30 Jun-30 Mar-31 Dec-31
Upstream 956 (5,730) (6,374) 665 (6,169) 593 (10,957) (41,681)
Midstream – Refining 13,417 (42,647) 18,933 2,604 3,461 27,967 26,632 13,780
Midstream – Liquefaction 11 676 (1,406) (4,123) (3,602) (4,035) (2,375) (1,959)
Downstream 9,275 11,102 21,414 6,808 3,570 5,777 8,744 4,709
Corporate 9,841 9,975 9,188 10,134 1,548 13,940 5,223 4,566
Consolidation Entries (14,503) (9,871) (14,214) (11,280) (10,263) (5,270) (9,200) (7,004)
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization 18,997 (36,495) 27,541 4,808 (11,455) 38,972 18,067 (27,589)
Subtract:
Upstream (11,438) (10,517) (9,408) (8,712) (7,806) (7,142) (6,352) (5,481)
Midstream – Refining (1,654) (2,011) (2,771) (3,285) (2,494) (2,211) (1,675) (1,509)
Midstream – Liquefaction (584) (579) (559) (445) (372) (268) (223) (184)
Downstream (394) (909) (1,233) (1,170) (1,233) (1,116) (826) (835)
Corporate (1,540) (1,535) (1,510) (1,498) (1,477) (1,641) (1,395) (1,158)
Consolidation Entries 12,482 12,044 12,045 11,500 10,041 8,894 7,572 6,571
Interest expense (3,128) (3,507) (3,436) (3,610) (3,341) (3,484) (2,899) (2,596)
Upstream - - - - - - - -
Midstream – Refining (3,484) 14,580 (1,948) 19,243 678 (5,677) (7,298) (65)
Midstream – Liquefaction - - - - - - - 36
Downstream (1,791) (2,907) (5,746) (595) (297) (1,449) (2,623) (495)
Corporate 177 535 (880) (493) (195) (629) 71 (11)
Consolidation Entries - - - - - - - (2)
Income taxes (5,098) 12,208 (8,574) 18,155 186 (7,755) (9,850) (537)
Upstream (454) 715 (1,462) (1,355) (1,105) (154) (641) (683)
Midstream – Refining (2,921) (2,891) (2,894) (2,878) (2,846) (2,764) (2,765) (2,700)
Midstream – Liquefaction 0 (4) (4) (6) (6) (6) (6) (7)
Downstream (1,464) (1,241) (1,240) (1,422) (894) (906) (804) (737)
Corporate (629) (530) (528) (527) (349) (395) (435) (16)
Consolidation Entries 33 32 33 32 32 32 32 33
Depreciation and amortisation (5,435) (3,919) (6,095) (6,156) (5,168) (4,193) (4,619) (4,110)
Upstream (10,936) (15,532) (17,244) (9,402) (15,080) (6,703) (17,949) (47,845)
Midstream – Refining 5,358 (32,969) 11,320 15,684 (1,201) 17,314 14,894 9,504
Midstream – Liquefaction (573) 93 (1,969) (4,574) (3,980) (4,309) (2,604) (2,114)
Downstream 5,626 6,045 13,195 3,621 1,146 2,306 4,491 2,643
Corporate 7,849 8,445 6,270 7,616 (473) 11,275 3,463 3,381
Consolidation Entries (1,988) 2,205 (2,136) 252 (190) 3,657 (1,596) (401)
Net profit/(loss) per segment 5,336 (31,713) 9,436 13,197 (19,778) 23,540 699 (34,832)
About InterOil InterOil Corporation is developing a vertically integrated energy business whose primary focus is Papua New Guinea and the surrounding region.  InterOil's assets consist of petroleum licenses covering about 3.9 million acres, an oil refinery, and retail and commercial distribution facilities, all located in Papua New Guinea.  In addition, InterOil is a shareholder in a joint venture established to construct an LNG plant in Papua New Guinea.
InterOil's common shares trade on the NYSE in US dollars. 
Investor Contacts for InterOil
Wayne Andrews Meg LaSalle
Vice President Capital Markets Investor Relations Coordinator
Wayne.Andrews@InterOil.com Meg.LaSalle@InterOil.com
The Woodlands, TX USA The Woodlands, TX USA
Phone: +1-281-292-1800 Phone: +1-281-292-1800
Forward Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" as defined in United States federal and Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the InterOil expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including in particular drilling plans, objectives of drilling plans, timing of drilling plans, further testing of wells, development activities including plans to deploy InterOil's rigs, the development of the proposed LNG processing facility, the ability to attract a strategic LNG partner, timing and success of the LNG partnering process, approval by the PNG Government of InterOil's LNG project, satisfaction of the State of InterOil's development plans and satisfaction of the terms of the 2009 LNG Project Agreement with the State, benefits to stakeholders, the relationship with PRE, characteristics of our resources, completion of the farm-in transaction with PRE, satisfaction and timing of conditions to completion of the farm-in transaction with PRE, timing of FEED on the liquefaction facilities, the economic conditions of PNG and demand for InterOil's products, growth of InterOil's retail business sector and timing of such growth, initiatives and timing of such initiatives, anticipated financial conditions and performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, the ability to identify drilling locations and the ability to develop reserves and production through development and exploration activities. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Company based on its experience and perception of current conditions, expected future developments, agreements with third parties, bids received in respect of the LNG partnering process and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. No assurances can be given however, that these events will occur. Actual results will differ, and the difference may be material and adverse to the Company and its shareholders. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from those implied or expressed by the forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include the risk factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and on SEDAR, including but not limited to those in the Company's Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2011 on Form 40-F and its Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2011. In particular, there is no established market for natural gas or gas condensate in Papua New Guinea and no guarantee that gas or gas condensate from the Elk, Antelope and Triceratops fields will ultimately be able to be extracted and sold commercially.
Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the Company's Form 40-F, available from us at www.interoil.com or from the SEC at www.sec.gov and its Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE InterOil Corporation

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/11/15/4417246/interoil-announces-2012-third.html#storylink=cpy

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Underworld wonder! The stunning network of chambers and caves beneath PNG's lush mountains

By Anna Edwards in Mail Online

It's an adventure that demands explorers spend their time in the cold, wet and dark.
But for those who persevere, the results are certainly worth it.
A French-Swiss team have made it their mission to explore a huge network of chambers and sinkholes beneath the Nakanai Mountains of New Britain, in Papua New Guinea.
And for those who thought it was just the lush mountains and forest of the country that were beautiful, think again.
caver
A caver stands in a chamber of stalagmites in New Britain, Papua New Guinea


cave
Deeper underground: A man stands in a white chamber observing the stalagmites in the yawning cave


cave
A team of cavers step through the water in a cave as they explore the networks beneath the forest

cave
Is anybody there? The team are on a mission to explore the miles of chambers and sinkholes

cave
Don't look down: A caver abseils above a pool of water in a cave, watched by French photographer Philip Bence, who described it as an 'incredible and unforgettable adventure'

The group's latest expedition into the stunning terrain were captured by French photographer Philippe Bence, 43, who described it as an 'incredible and unforgettable adventure'.
'The desire to explore remains the reason why cavers cave,' said Mr Bence.
'It is a privilege to have the opportunity to discover virgin terrain, to be the first to explore an area, to draw the map, to name a cave and its features.'
They abseiled sheer faces and dived through underwater chambers to reach new sections almost 600m from the upper entrance.
cave
One caver prepares for the next part of the expedition - plunging into col water, as the team delve deeper into the underworld
wild
wild
Into the wild: A caver stands in a dark cave s they descend into the unexplored darkness


cave
Head for heights: The team begin their long descent into the caves which stretch for miles in the beautiful country



They found huge chambers filled with limestone stalagmites and stalactites -which are formed slowly as calcium drips from the roof of the cave.
The main danger for 13-strong team was flooding - due to the unpredictable and heavy rainfall in the tropical island - and they had several close calls.
Cavers first entered the site in 1980 after hearing about huge openings in the middle of the tropical forests.
Mr Bence, who took part in five expeditions into the caves, added: 'Each generation of cavers has continued to reveal this hidden world.
'The subterranean environment is a fantastic place for discovery, for adventure and we are certainly lucky to be able to enjoy exploring it.'
cave
Using ropes, a man abseils down a white chamber in the cave network, as the team discovers the extent of the underground network


Peekaboo: This tiny mammal with its huge curious eyes is capture on camera in the pitch black cave
Peekaboo: This tiny mammal with its huge curious eyes is capture on camera in the pitch black cave

cave
Waving goodbye to daylight: A caver prepares to drop into the cave network which remains largely unexplored

MSF presses PNG on rampant sexual violence

AFP

SYDNEY — The president of Medecins Sans Frontieres pressed Papua New Guinea's new government to address its epidemic levels of sexual and domestic violence Thursday, calling it a "humanitarian crisis".
Unni Karunakara was in the impoverished Pacific nation to visit MSF projects targeting family and sexual violence and met with officials from Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's new government to urge action on the pervasive issue.
France's MSF (Doctors Without Borders) estimates that 70 percent of women in PNG will be raped or physically assaulted in their lifetime and Karunakara said the levels of violence were unique outside a war-zone or state of civil unrest.
"There is no open warfare in the country and the violence is (inherent) in how the society negotiates disputes, how they negotiate conflict between tribes, how they negotiate relationships within the family," Karunakara told AFP by phone from the rugged Pacific nation.
"We consider it to be an ongoing humanitarian crisis."
Between its two projects in the coastal city of Lae in Morobe province and the Southern Highlands city of Tari, Karunakara said MSF would see 60 rape cases a month and some women would return time and again.
"The status of women in society is very low, women are often blamed -- if a woman is raped she is blamed for letting that happen to her," he said.
The gravity of sexual violence is made worse by the country's HIV/AIDS problem -- almost one percent of its population of nearly seven million are estimated to be living with the disease.
More than 60 percent of the infected are women and girls.
Efforts to tackle the problem to date had largely focused on the law and order response -- training police and judges -- and Karunakara said there needed to be a greater emphasis on medical and psychological support.
He met with representatives of the new O'Neill government, elected in August, to urge them to roll out more family support clinics where women can be treated and counselled, immunised against sexually transmitted diseases and offered contraception.
"The most important challenge is getting the community to accept and see the benefit of such services," Karunakara said.
The MSF chief added that his meetings had been "extremely positive" and officials had "at least expressed their support in trying to address this".
"I think now it's time to go beyond words and follow it up with some concrete action," he said.
Though it is poised for a natural resources boom driven by a massive liquefied natural gas project set to double GDP, PNG remains mired in poverty and corruption, with high rates of crime and violence.
Only 40 percent of citizens enrol in school, 5.5 percent of children die before the age of two and the average life expectancy is just 57.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Oil Search shares fall as PNG LNG costs rise

Reuters

Shares in Australia's Oil Search Ltd, a partner in Exxon Mobil's Papua New Guinea LNG (PNG LNG) project, fell 5%  today (Monday) after the costs of the massive gas export development were revised sharply higher.
In a letter published on Monday, Exxon told its partners costs would rise 21% to $19 billion due to foreign exchange impacts and delays from work stoppages and land access issues.
Shares in Oil Search fell as low as A$6.96 and last traded down 5.2% to A$6.98, while shares in Santos Ltd, another partner in the project, fell 2.4% in a broader market down 0.3%.