Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Lease Purchase And Sale

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Lease Purchase And Sale
6 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Leases [Abstract]  
Lease Purchase and Sale Participation Agreement [Text Block]

Note 7 Lease Purchase and Sale and Participation Agreement with VAALCO ENERGY (USA), INC.

On September 6, 2011 (the “Closing Date”), the Company and NP entered into a Lease Purchase and Sale and Participation Agreement (the “VAALCO PSA”) with VAALCO ENERGY (USA), INC (“VAALCO”).

Pursuant to the VAALCO PSA, the Company received $5.0 million in cash (the “Purchase Price”) on September 7, 2011. VAALCO also agreed to drill three new wells (the “Obligation Wells”), at its sole expense as operator, to the Bakken formation and to formations below the Bakken (the “Deep Intervals”) in Poplar. Upon completion of the Obligation Wells in the Deep Intervals of Poplar, VAALCO will have earned an undivided 65% of the Company's working interest in the Deep Intervals within Poplar. One well is required to be spud on or before June 1, 2012, and the second and third are required to be spud on or before December 31, 2012. On January 4, 2012, VAALCO spudded the first well in Poplar. One well will be drilled horizontally to test the Bakken Formation, one well will be drilled vertically to test the Red River Formation, and a third will be targeted within the Deep Intervals at VAALCO's discretion. All production from an Obligation Well that is completed and the revenue from the sale of such production attributable to applicable leases shall be owned by NP and VAALCO consistent with their working interests of 35% and 65%, respectively, subject to all applicable burdens and taxes. Under the VAALCO PSA, if VAALCO fails to drill and, if applicable, complete, any of the Obligation Wells in accordance with the VAALCO PSA: (i) VAALCO will not be entitled to the assignment of the Deep Intervals; (ii) VAALCO shall have no further right to earn any interest in the Deep Intervals; (iii) the Company shall be entitled to retain the Purchase Price; (iv) VAALCO shall relinquish, effective as of the date of the failure, all of VAALCO's rights, title, and interest in any Obligation Well that has been drilled and, if applicable, completed; and (v) the Company and NP shall have the right to terminate the VAALCO PSA. However, VAALCO shall be entitled to retain any production and the sale proceeds therefrom attributable to a relinquished Obligation Well that has accrued to VAALCO's credit prior to the effective date of the relinquishment.

The VAALCO PSA also provides a process for the resolution of title defects reported through December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, VAALCO did not claim any refund against the Purchase Price in relation to title defects.

MPC has agreed to indemnify VAALCO from all liabilities relating to the property to the extent such liabilities are attributable to the period prior to September 6, 2011, and arose from the inaccuracy of any representations by MPC in the agreement. Such indemnity shall be subject to a $50,000 deductible amount and is capped at $3.0 million in the aggregate.

MPC and VAALCO have agreed that should either party during the two years subsequent to September 6, 2011 agree to acquire an interest in oil and gas leases within a specified area of mutual interest, then such acquiring party shall offer to the non-acquiring party the right to purchase its proportionate share of such newly acquired interest (65% for VAALCO, 35% for MPC) by paying its proportionate share of the acquisition price.

The accounting for this transaction is set forth in the table below:

 

                December 31, 2011      
Cash consideration received               $ 5,000,000      
Net book value allocated to Deep Intervals                 (829,140)      
Transaction costs                 (161,690)      
Gain on sale recognized               $ 4,009,170