Vermilion Energy expects year-end 2022 debt to exceed previous target

Vermilion Energy stated: "With the potential funding of a windfall tax in Q4 2022 and a weaker Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar, we expect our year-end 2022 debt will exceed our previous target of $1.2 billion, however we anticipate we will remain below our leverage target. Following the EU approval of the windfall tax, we elected to suspend share repurchases under our NCIB for Q4 2022 as we continue to prioritize financial discipline and assess the impact of the windfall tax on our debt targets. We will evaluate the reinstatement of share repurchases under our NCIB once we have more clarity on the amount of windfall tax to be incurred in 2022 and the potential impact on 2023. Closing of the Corrib acquisition is nearing the final stages, and we now anticipate the acquisition to close in Q1 2023 due to administrative delays. As previously noted, all free cash flow generated by the acquired interest in Corrib from January 1, 2022 until close will accrue to Vermilion and be netted off the final purchase price. Our 2022 capital budget of $550 million and annual production guidance of 86,000 to 88,000 boe/d remain unchanged, however, we expect annual production to be at the lower end of this range as a result of fire-related downtime in France and delayed onstream timing of the Australia and United States wells. We plan to announce our 2023 budget in early January as we take additional time to assess the impact of the windfall tax, work with regulators in Europe to facilitate additional drilling, and confirm timing of the Corrib acquisition close. We will remain disciplined in 2023 as we continue to focus on debt reduction. At this time, we anticipate a capital budget similar to 2022 investment levels, with potentially a greater proportion allocated to European gas. We have the ability and desire to drill more wells in Europe, and, if ongoing discussions with regulators are productive, we will look to allocate additional capital to the region in 2023."