7.  CRUDE OIL AND NATURAL GAS PROPERTIES AND EQUIPMENT

The Company’s crude oil and natural gas properties and equipment is comprised of the following:

Extension of Term of Etame Marin Block PSC

On September 25, 2018, VAALCO, together with the other joint venture owners in the Etame Marin block (the “Etame Consortium”), received an implementing Presidential Decree from the government of Gabon authorizing an extension for additional years (“PSC Extension”) to the Etame Consortium to operate in the Etame Marin block. The Company’s subsidiary, VAALCO Gabon S.A., currently has a 63.575% participating interest (working interest including the working interest attributable to the carried interest owner) in the Etame Marin block. The PSC Extension extended the term for each of the three exploitation areas in the Etame Marin block for a period of ten years with effect from September 17, 2018, the effective date of the PSC Extension, with two five-year options to extend the PSC.

In accordance with the Etame PSC, the Etame Consortium maintains a “Cost Account,” which accumulates capital costs and operating expenses that are deductible against revenues, net of royalties, in determining taxable profits. Under the PSC Extension, the Cost Recovery Percentage increased to 80% for the ten-year period from September 17, 2018 through September 16, 2028. After September 16, 2028, the Cost Recovery Percentage returns to 70%. The government of Gabon will acquire from the Etame Consortium an additional 2.5% gross working interest carried by the Etame Consortium effective June 20, 2026. VAALCO’s share of this interest to be transferred to the government of Gabon is 1.6%.

Proved Properties

The Company reviews the crude oil and natural gas producing properties for impairment quarterly or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such properties may not be recoverable. When a crude oil and natural gas property’s undiscounted estimated future net cash flows are not sufficient to recover its carrying amount, an impairment charge is recorded to reduce the carrying amount of the asset to its fair value. The fair value of the asset is measured using a discounted cash flow model relying primarily on Level 3 inputs into the undiscounted future net cash flows. The undiscounted estimated future net cash flows used in the impairment evaluations at each quarter end are based upon the most recently prepared independent reserve engineers’ report adjusted to use forecasted prices from the forward strip price curves near each quarter end and adjusted as necessary for drilling and production results.

There was no triggering event in the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 that would cause the Company to believe the value of crude oil and natural gas producing properties should be impaired. Factors considered included higher forward price curves for the second quarter of 2022, and expected capital expenditures in the period related to the Etame Marin block.

Undeveloped Leasehold Costs

VAALCO acquired a 31% working interest in an undeveloped portion of a block (“Block P”) offshore Equatorial Guinea in 2012.  The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons (“EG MMH”) approved our appointment as operator for Block P on November 12, 2019.  The Company acquired an additional working interest of 12% from Atlas Petroleum, thereby increasing its working interest to 43% in 2020, in exchange for a potential future payment of $3.1 million in the event that there is commercial production from Block P.  On August 27, 2020, the amendment to the production sharing contract to ratify the Company’s increased working interest and appointment as operator was approved by the EG MMH. On April 12, 2021, the majority of non-defaulting parties assigned the defaulting party’s interest to the non-defaulting parties. As a result, VAALCO’s working interest will increase to 45.9% once the EG MMH approves a new amendment to the production sharing contract. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $10.0 million recorded for the book value of the undeveloped leasehold costs associated with the Block P license. On July 15, 2022 VAALCO, on behalf of itself and Guinea Ecuatorial de Petroleós (“GEPetrol”), submitted to the EG MMH a plan of development for the Venus development in Block P.  The other Block P joint venture owner, Atlas Petroleum International Limited, opted not to participate in the plan of development.  As a result, VAALCO will hold an 80% working interest in the Venus development in Block P and GEPetrol will hold a 20% carried interest. The Block P production sharing contract provides for a development and production period of 25 years from the date of approval of a development and production plan. 

As a result of the PSC Extension discussed above, the exploitation area for the Etame Marin block was expanded to include previously undeveloped acreage. The Company allocated $6.7 million of the share of the signing bonus and $7.1 million of the $18.6 million resulting from the deferred tax impact for the difference between book basis and tax basis to unproved leasehold costs using the acreage attributable to the previous exploitation areas and the additional acreage in the expanded exploitation areas. Exploitation of this additional area is permitted throughout the term of the Etame PSC. As a result of discovering reserves in connection with drilling the South East Etame 4H development well in March 2020, $2.3 million of costs were transferred to proved leasehold costs leaving a remaining $11.5 million in unproved leasehold costs. In connection with the Sasol Acquisition discussed under Note 3, $2.2 million of reserves were attributed to undeveloped properties. The balance of undeveloped leasehold costs related to the Etame Marin block at June 30, 2022 was $13.7 million.

Capitalized Equipment Inventory

Capitalized equipment inventory is reviewed regularly for obsolescence. Adjustments for inventory obsolescence are recorded in the “Other operating income (expense), net” line item of the condensed consolidated statements of operations but were not material for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.