Elk Petroleum - Aneth adds another antler

Elk Petroleum’s (ELK) acquisition of a 63.7% operated interest in the Aneth Rocky Mountain CO2 EOR project from Resolute Energy transforms the company into one of the largest producers on the ASX. Management forecasts 2018 net production of 11mboe/d. At US$160m, the deal is priced at a discount to our 1P estimate of proven developed reserve value of US$178m (excluding US$23m, which ELK retains in escrow to cover abandonment costs). The Aneth transaction was funded through new equity and debt, with rapid debt paydown expected from Grieve, Madden and Aneth cash flows. We update our valuation to reflect forecast Aneth cash flows, with our NAV rising to $A0.12/share from $A0.09/share.