UK oil producer Premier Oil on Friday said it had identified at least $100 million in potential savings on its 2020 capital spending plans as it and other rivals scramble to adjust to the plunge in global crude prices.
Oil prices were set for their worst weekly drop since the 2008 financial crisis, with major oil-producing countries planning to add more crude to an oversupplied market.
Premier expects to be broadly cash flow neutral in 2020, assuming a $100 million reduction in planned 2020 capex and $35 per barrel oil price for the rest of the year.
The oil and gas explorer, under pressure from creditors to rein in spending, reaffirmed its full-year production outlook of 70-75 kilo barrels of oil equivalent per day (kboepd) but said its forward covenant position could be impacted by ongoing oil price weakness.
Premier joins oil major Chevron Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp in exploring ways to cut spending amidst the crash in prices.
Debt holder ARCM, a hedge fund with a large short position in Premier's stock, on Thursday again urged the oil company to focus on its cash flow and balance sheet, and abandon its proposed acquisitions.
However, the majority of Premier's creditors have already voted in favor of the company's new debt structure for its $800 million North Sea acquisitions.
(Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham, Bernard Orr)
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