Colombia/Ecuador: Gran Tierra Energy announces 2024 guidance and operations update

• 2024 Capital Expenditure Budget of $210-240 Million and Expected 2024 Cash Flow(1) of $280-320 Million in Base Case
• Plan to Drill 13-17 Development Wells and 6-9 High Impact Near-Field Exploration Wells
• Forecast 2024 Production of 32,000-35,000 BOPD, Increases of 4% from 2023, 11% from 2022 and 28% from 2021
• Forecast 2024 Free Cash Flow(2) of $175 Million Before Exploration, $75 Million After Exploration in Base Case
• Plan to Allocate Up to 50% of Free Cash Flow to Share Buybacks
• Met 2023 Production Guidance by Achieving 2023 Total Company Average Production of Approximately 32,650 BOPD, an Increase of 6% from 2022
• Strong Results from the Costayaco-56 Well Producing Over 2,000 BOPD
• Achieved Company’s Best Safety Performance on Record in 2023
• Development Drilling Campaigns Underway in Acordionero and Costayaco Fields with Encouraging Results

Gran Tierra Energy has announced its 2024 capital budget and production guidance. All dollar amounts are in United States dollars and all production volumes are on a working interest before royalties basis and are expressed in barrels of oil per day, unless otherwise stated.

Key Highlights:

• 2024 Guidance:
  • Gran Tierra is forecasting the following ranges for the Company’s 2024 budget:

• 2024 Base Capital Program – Profitable Production Growth and High Impact Near-Field Exploration:
  • Building on a successful development campaign in 2023, Gran Tierra plans to continue to grow production, while also seeking to add new reserves and future growth through exploration. A key area of focus for the Company, that is underpinned by the 2023 announcement of the Suroriente Continuation Agreement, is the South Putumayo and Ecuador development and exploration corridor which includes the Suroriente, Alea-1848A, Put-7, Charapa and Chanangue Blocks. This corridor offers material growth potential through development and exploration. This core growth area for the Company is expected to provide years of drilling opportunities and profitable production growth.
  • Development: Gran Tierra expects to allocate approximately 55-60% of its 2024 capital program towards development activities in its core assets in Colombia, including:
    • Acordionero: the Company plans to drill 6 to 8 development wells in the Acordionero oil field in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin. Acordionero’s 2024 plans also include drilling pad extensions and ongoing waterflood optimization.
    • Costayaco: in this oil field, located in the northern Putumayo Basin, Gran Tierra plans to drill 3 to 5 development wells.
    • Suroriente: in the southern Putumayo Basin, Gran Tierra plans to commence development drilling later in second half 2024 in the Cohembi oil field located in the Suroriente Block, which would be the first wells drilled by the Company in this block since 2018. In addition to development drilling, the Company is also planning facility expansion, an increase in gas to power generation, new development well pads and social investment in the area. With the planned investments in 2024, production is expected to materially increase in 2025 and 2026.
  • Exploration: Approximately 40-45% of the Company’s 2024 capital program is expected to be allocated to high impact near-field exploration activities and the drilling of 6 to 9 exploration wells in Colombia and Ecuador in the Base Case and High Case. Gran Tierra’s 2024 exploration drilling is planned to follow up on the encouraging results from the Company’s 2022 exploration program. The Company focuses its exploration program on short-cycle time, near-field prospects in proven basins with access to transportation infrastructure. In addition to drilling exploration wells, the Company plans to commence a 238 km2 3D seismic program over the Charapa Block in Ecuador and pre-invest in advancing drilling licenses and building pads for the 2025 exploration program in Colombia and Ecuador.
• Fully Funded Capital Program Generating Free Cash Flow(2): Gran Tierra’s mid-point Base Case 2024 capital budget of $225 million is expected to be fully funded from the Base Case 2024 mid-point Cash Flow1 forecast of $300 million, based on an assumed average $80.00/bbl Brent oil price. Gran Tierra remains focused on generating strong Free Cash Flow(2), ongoing net debt(5) reduction and shareholder returns via share buybacks.
• Share Buybacks: During 2024, Gran Tierra plans to allocate up to approximately 50% of its Free Cash Flow to share buybacks in the Base Case. During 2023, the Company repurchased approximately 7.1% of its outstanding shares.
• Control of Capital Program: Gran Tierra holds a 100% working interest in and operatorship of the Company’s major assets in Colombia and Ecuador. This full control provides the Company with the flexibility to swiftly optimize its development and exploration programs in response to fluctuations, whether positive or negative, in oil prices.

Gran Tierra’s Commitment to Go “Beyond Compliance” in Environmental, Social and Governance

• 2023 was the Company’s safest year on record, with a total of 16.3 million person-hours without a Lost Time Injury (LTI), and a Total Recordable Case Frequency (TRCF) of 0.02, which places Gran Tierra within the region`s top quartile in safety performance.
• Gran Tierra is pleased to announce that the Company has been accepted by the Voluntary Principles Initiative (VPI) as an official member of the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights world-wide initiative. This appointment strengthens the Company’s commitment to the responsible implementation of Human Rights policies and practices in all our operations.
• In 2023, Gran Tierra signed a four-year extension with the prominent environmental NGO Conservation International to continue and expand upon the Company’s highly successful NaturAmazonas program, the largest reforestation program of its nature in Colombia. This extension continues to harmonize economic development and conservation in the Piedmont region of the Putumayo department in southern Colombia.

Message to Shareholders

Gary Guidry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gran Tierra, commented: 'Gran Tierra Energy is looking forward to a successful and profitable 2024 and we are committed to delivering value to all our stakeholders by focusing on safety, sustainable growth, and robust return of capital to shareholders. Our 2024 budget, expected to be fully funded by Cash Flow(1), takes a balanced, returns-focused approach to capital allocation. We plan to focus on four key areas: profitably growing reserves and production in our existing assets, prudently pursuing high impact exploration in our portfolio, fortifying our balance sheet through net debt(5) reduction, and executing share buybacks. During 2024, we are targeting a net debt(5) to EBITDA(3) ratio of 0.8 to 1.2 times.

We are excited to restart drilling in our high-impact exploration portfolio in 2024 which may present us with opportunities for substantial growth in both Ecuador and Colombia. Having meticulously high-graded our exploration portfolio, we are dedicated to pursuing transformative opportunities that could enhance our growth trajectory and bring significant value to our stakeholders.

We believe Gran Tierra is well-positioned to navigate the current volatile environment with our low base decline, conventional oil asset base and our full operational control of capital allocation and timing. As we profitably pursue our operational and financial objectives, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the well-being of our employees and the communities in which we operate, recognizing their vital importance to our success.'

Operations Update:

• Production:
  • Gran Tierra achieved total company average production in 2023 of approximately 32,650 BOPD, an increase of 6% from 2022 and 23% from 2021, and was within the Company’s prescribed 2023 guidance.
• Colombia Development:
  • Following Gran Tierra’s successful 2023 development drilling campaigns at the Acordionero and Costayaco fields, the Company has accelerated its 2024 development program and, in mid-December 2023, commenced ongoing multi-well drilling campaign in both fields.
  • Costayaco Development Campaign (Putumayo Basin):
    • Since December 2023, Gran Tierra has so far drilled 2 oil wells.
    • The first well in the current drilling campaign, the CYC-56, was spud on December 16, 2023. The well has been completed and is now on production and yielding encouraging results. The Company is completing the second well, the CYC-57, with production testing planned during January 2024.
    • During January 8-15, 2024, the CYC-56 produced on jet pump at a stable average rate of 2,118 BOPD (30-degree API gravity) with a watercut of 1.4% and a gas-oil ratio of 141 standard cubic feet per stock tank bbl.
    • The CYC-56 provides further evidence that multiple additional drilling opportunities may exist in the northern region of Costayaco where the Company plans to target un-swept portions of oil with future wells.
    • During all of 2024, the Company plans to drill a total of 3 to 5 development wells in Costayaco.
  • Acordionero Development Campaign (Middle Magdalena Valley Basin):
    • Since December 2023, Gran Tierra has drilled 4 wells so far (3 oil producers and 1 water injector) in Acordionero, with results meeting expectations.
    • During all of 2024, the Company plans to drill a total of 6 to 8 development wells in Acordionero.

Corporate Presentation:

• Gran Tierra’s Corporate Presentation has been updated and is available at www.grantierra.com.

(1) “Cash Flow” refers to line item “net cash provided by operating activities” under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
(2) “Free Cash Flow” is a non-GAAP measure and does not have a standardized meaning under GAAP. Free cash flow is defined as “net cash provided by operating activities” less capital
expenditures. Refer to “Non-GAAP Measures” in this press release. Forecast 2024 free cash flow of $175 million “before exploration” is equal to the Base Case midpoint cash flow of $300 million less the Base Case midpoint total capital of $225 million, with Base Case midpoint exploration -only capital of approximately $100 million added back. Forecast 2024 Free Cash Flow of $75 million “after exploration” is equal to the Base Case midpoint cash flow of $300 million less the Base Case midpoint total capital of $225 million. Free Cash Flows in the table above are the midpoints of the ranges of cash flows less the midpoints of the ranges of total capital expenditures for each oil price scenario.
(3) Earnings before interest, taxes and depletion, depreciation and accretion (“EBITDA”) is a non-GAAP measure and does not have a standardized meaning under GAAP. Refer to “Non-GAAP Measures” in this press release.
(4) “Operating netback” is a non-GAAP measures and does not have standardized meaning under GAAP. Refer to “Non-GAAP Measures” in this press release.
(5) Net debt is defined as GAAP total debt before deferred financing fees less cash.

Original announcement link

Source: Gran Tierra Energy