Press release

Riverstone Energy Limited

Final results for the year ended 31 December 2018

London, 27 February 2019: Riverstone Energy Limited ("REL" or the "Company") announces its Year End Results from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018.

Summary Performance

31 December 2018

Highlights

§ REL ended 31 December 2018 with an NAV of $17.91 (£14.06)¹ per share, a year-on-year decrease in USD of 13 per cent. (in GBP of 8 per cent.) compared to the 31 December 2017 NAV.

§ Hammerhead and Centennial were the largest drivers of REL's NAV decline over the year, with almost all of the decrease in value having occurred during the fourth quarter; however, these declines were partially offset by increased valuations in Fieldwood, ILX III and Meritage III.

§ During 2018, REL, through the Partnership, received over $304 million in gross proceeds from realisations, taking advantage of the ability to monetise positions in two of its investments in the Permian, Three Rivers III and Centennial, at attractive valuations.

§ REL's realisation of Three Rivers III, through the Partnership, generated nearly $203 million in gross proceeds, of which $200 million has been received to-date, representing a Gross MOIC[2] of 2.2x (Net MOIC² of 1.9x) and a Gross IRR² of 48 per cent. (Net IRR² of 40 per cent.).

§ REL's partial realisation of its investment in Centennial, through the Partnership, from the sale of 4.4 million shares, at a share price of $19.50, resulted in gross proceeds of $85 million.

§ REL's largest exposure, through the Partnership, is to Western Canada where it has invested $425 million or 30 per cent. of its capital, followed by the Permian and Eagle Ford, where it has invested $377 million or 27 per cent. of its capital.

§ The Company, through the Partnership, invested a total of $84 million during the year, bringing net capital invested as of 31 December 2018 to $1,174 million, or 90 per cent. of net capital available[3].

§ REL, through the Partnership, withdrew commitments totaling $112 million to Three Rivers III, RCO and Castex 2005, bringing net committed capital as of 31 December 2018 to $1,330 million, or 101 per cent. of net capital available³.

§ In January 2019, REL, through the Partnership, announced the sale of Meritage III for gross cash proceeds consistent with its valuation at 31 December 2018 of $80 million, representing a Gross MOIC² of 2.0x (Net MOIC² of 1.8x) on the $40 million investment and a Gross IRR² of approximately 28 per cent. (Net IRR² of 23 per cent.). This represents a gross profit of $40 million, which will be subject to a performance fee upon closing of the sale, which completed in Q1 2019.

§ In February 2019, REL, through the Partnership, approved up to a $22 million commitment to fund the acquisition of three refined product tankers in partnership with the Ridgebury Tankers LLC management team. This transaction represents REL's first investment in the energy services sector and provides diversification for the portfolio.

Portfolio Update

Below is a summary of material activity in the portfolio during the period. 

ILX Holdings III, LLC ("ILX III")

During the year, REL, through the Partnership, invested $35 million in ILX III.

Fieldwood Energy, Inc. ("Fieldwood")

During the year, REL, through the Partnership, invested $22 million in Fieldwood ERO.

Sierra Oil and Gas Holdings, L.P. ("Sierra")

During the year, REL, through the Partnership, invested $10 million in Sierra.

Canadian Non-Operated Resources LP ("CNOR")

During the year, REL, through the Partnership, invested $7 million in CNOR.

Meritage Midstream Services III, L.P. ("Meritage III")

During the year, REL, through the Partnership, invested $6 million in Meritage III.

Castex Energy 2014, LLC ("Castex 2014")

During the year, REL, through the Partnership, invested $4 million in Castex 2014.

Three Rivers Natural Resources Holdings III LLC ("Three Rivers III")

REL, through the Partnership, received sale proceeds of $200 million.

Centennial Resource Development, Inc. ("Centennial")

REL, through the Partnership, received proceeds of $85 million from shares sold.

Other Investments

REL, through the Partnership, received proceeds of $3 million from other investments, including Rock Oil, RCO, Fieldwood, and Origo.

Manager Outlook

§ REL's $137 million cash balance makes the Company well placed to make new investments and grow its existing Portfolio.

§ The Investment Manager believes the current market environment is generating attractive opportunities in midstream, oilfield services and power, and will continue to seek to invest in opportunities that span the entire energy value chain to diversify its E&P exposure.

§ To effect this change in portfolio construction, REL expects to make more investments independently of Riverstone's private funds going forward.

§ A continued focus on operational excellence will remain critical to driving value across the commodity price cycle.

Richard Hayden, Chairman of Riverstone Energy Limited, commented:

"REL's modified investment approach provides the flexibility to adapt to the evolving universe of investment opportunities. Our recent commitment to Handy Tankers is representative of our ability to capitalise on an opportunity that we believe has an attractive return profile and provides diversification to the portfolio."

David M. Leuschen and Pierre F. Lapeyre Jr., Co-Founders of Riverstone, added:

"Despite a difficult market environment, REL was able to achieve successful monetisations at attractive valuations.  The realisations in Three Rivers III and Centennial, and announced sales of Sierra and Meritage III, demonstrate the advantages of REL's differentiated investment strategy and focus on operational execution."

Appointment of Corporate Broker

The Board of REL is pleased to announce the appointment of Numis Securities Limited to act as the Company's joint broker, alongside J.P. Morgan Cazenove.

- Ends -

Riverstone Energy Limited's 2018 Annual Report is available to view at: www.RiverstoneREL.com.

The Investment Manager will host a conference call with investors at 12:00 GMT today. Dial-in details are as follows:

Dial-in (UK): 0800 028 8438

Dial-in (Intl.): +44 (0) 203 107 0289

Conference ID: 5834899

4Q18 Quarterly Portfolio Valuation

Previously, on 31 January 2018, REL announced its quarterly portfolio summary as of 31 December 2018, inclusive of updated quarterly unaudited fair market valuations:

Current Portfolio

Realisations

About Riverstone Energy Limited:

REL is a closed-ended investment company that invests exclusively in the global energy industry, with a particular focus on the exploration & production and midstream sectors. REL aims to capitalise on the opportunities presented by Riverstone's energy investment platform.  REL is a member of the FTSE 250 and its ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol RSE.  REL has 12 active investments spanning conventional and unconventional oil and gas activities in the Continental U.S., Western Canada, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico and credit.

For further details, see www.RiverstoneREL.com

Neither the contents of Riverstone Energy Limited's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the websites (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.

Media Contacts

For Riverstone Energy Limited:

Natasha Fowlie

Fraser Johnston-Donne

+44 20 3206 6300

Note: 

The Investment Manager is charged with proposing the valuation of the assets held by REL through the Partnership. The Partnership has directed that securities and instruments be valued at their fair value. REL's valuation policy follows IFRS and IPEV Valuation Guidelines. The Investment Manager values each underlying investment in accordance with the Riverstone valuation policy, the IFRS accounting standards and IPEV Valuation Guidelines. The Investment Manager has applied Riverstone's valuation policy consistently quarter to quarter since inception. The value of REL's portion of that investment is derived by multiplying its ownership percentage by the value of the underlying investment. If there is any divergence between the Riverstone valuation policy and REL's valuation policy, the Partnership's proportion of the total holding will follow REL's valuation policy. There were no valuation adjustments recorded by REL as a result of differences in IFRS and U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Policies for the period ended 31 December 2018 or in any period to date. Valuations of REL's investments through the Partnership are determined by the Investment Manager and disclosed quarterly to investors, subject to Board approval.

Riverstone values its investments using common industry valuation techniques, including comparable public market valuation, comparable merger and acquisition transaction valuation, and discounted cash flow valuation.

For development-type investments, Riverstone also considers the recognition of appreciation or depreciation of subsequent financing rounds, if any. For those early stage privately held companies where there are other indicators of a decline in the value of the investment, Riverstone will value the investment accordingly even in the absence of a subsequent financing round.

Riverstone reviews the valuations on a quarterly basis with the assistance of the Riverstone Performance Review Team ("PRT") as part of the valuation process. The PRT was formed to serve as a single structure overseeing the existing Riverstone portfolio with the goal of improving operational and financial performance.

The Audit Committee reviews the valuations of the Company's investments held through the Partnership, and makes a recommendation to the Board for formal consideration and acceptance.