Pacific Rubiales Announces Credit Approvals for Additional US$50 Million Commitments Towards Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility
Jun 3, 2009
TORONTO, June 3 /CNW/ - Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (TSX: PRE) announced today that it has received credit approvals for additional commitments totaling US$50 million from Banco de Bogota and Banco de Occidente, with a participation of US$25 million each, towards a previously announced senior secured revolving credit facility of up to US$250 million. This brings total commitments offered by the various lenders in respect of the facility to US$280 million. As the facility is currently subject to a borrowing base limit of US$250 million, the company and the lenders involved in the facility are discussing the manner in which to best accommodate commitments from these additional lenders. Subject to the completion of such discussions and the required documentation, the company expects to close on these additional commitments on or about June 12, 2009. The company will only utilize that portion of the facility which it needs to meet its 2009 capital expenditure budget. The facility is a senior secured revolving credit facility maturing on June 30, 2013, and bears interest at LIBOR plus 5.50%. The company will pay commitment fees of 1.50% on the unutilized portion of any outstanding commitments under the facility. Subject to customary acceleration events set out in the credit agreement executed among the parties, or unless terminated earlier by the company without penalty, repayment of outstanding principal on the facility will be made in equal quarterly installments following the second anniversary of the closing date. The company is being advised on the financing by Endeavour Financial International Corporation. Pacific Rubiales, a Canadian-based company and producer of natural gas and heavy crude oil, owns 100 percent of Meta Petroleum Corp., a Colombian oil operator which operates the Rubiales and Piriri oil fields in the Llanos Basin in association with Ecopetrol S.A., the Colombian national oil company. The company is focused on identifying opportunities primarily within the eastern Llanos Basin of Colombia as well as in other areas in Colombia and northern Peru. Pacific Rubiales has a current net production of approximately 34,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with working interests in 34 blocks in Colombia and Peru. Boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 mcf:1 bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding estimates and/or assumptions in respect of production, revenue, cash flow and costs, reserve and resource estimates, potential resources and reserves and the company's exploration and development plans and objectives) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently available to the company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and estimated economic return; the possibility that actual circumstances will differ from the estimates and assumptions; failure to establish estimated resources or reserves; fluctuations in petroleum prices and currency exchange rates; inflation; changes in equity markets; political developments in Colombia or Peru; changes to regulations affecting the company's activities; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological data; and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the company's annual information form dated March 31, 2009 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. %SEDAR: 00007953E
For further information:
For further information: Mr. Ronald Pantin, Chief Executive Officer and Director; Mr. Jose Francisco Arata, President and Director, (416) 362-7735; Ms. Belinda Labatte, (647) 436-2152