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The Wendy's Company

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FY2019 Annual Report · The Wendy's Company
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ANNUAL  
REPORT AND  
FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

2019

www.wentplc.com

Wentworth Resources plc is a London 
AIM listed (WEN), full cycle exploration 
and production company with gas 
production and material exploration 
potential in the onshore Rovuma Basin 
of Southern Tanzania.

We have an ambitious, domestic gas-led, African 
focused strategy to deliver material shareholder 
value from our core Tanzanian Mnazi Bay 
producing gas asset and inorganically through a 
focused M&A led growth mandate.

Our ambition is to become a mid-tier, African 
focused, full cycle exploration and production 
company delivering a balance of accretive 
growth and capital returns to our shareholders.

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

CONTENTS

HIGHLIGHTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S STATEMENT .............................................................................................................................................................. 6

STRATEGIC REPORT

Our Strategy and Focus ...............................................................................................................................................................................................10

Tanzania: Mnazi Bay Licence Summary ............................................................................................................................................................12

Tanzania: Mnazi Bay Operations Review .........................................................................................................................................................16

Tanzania: Mnazi Bay Reserves Summary.........................................................................................................................................................17

Tanzania: Legislative and Policy Framework ............................................................................................................................................... 18

Mozambique: Tembo Licence Relinquishment ..........................................................................................................................................21

Financial Review ................................................................................................................................................................................................................22

Corporate Social Responsibility .............................................................................................................................................................................26

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ................................................................................................................................................32

Business Risks .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................34

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Statement of Corporate Governance  .............................................................................................................................................................. 40

Board of Directors .............................................................................................................................................................................................................44

Audit Committee Report ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 46

Remuneration Committee Report .......................................................................................................................................................................49

Nominations Committee Report ...........................................................................................................................................................................58

Reserves Committee Report ....................................................................................................................................................................................59

Communications With Shareholders ................................................................................................................................................................ 60

Conflicts of Interest .........................................................................................................................................................................................................61

Directors’ Report ................................................................................................................................................................................................................62

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities ......................................................................................................................................................... 65

GROUP ACCOUNTS

Independent Auditors’ Report ................................................................................................................................................................................ 66

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income ............................................................................................................................72

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position ...........................................................................................................................................73

Consolidated Statement of Changes In Equity .......................................................................................................................................... 74

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows ..........................................................................................................................................................75

Notes to The Financial Statements .....................................................................................................................................................................76

APPENDICES

Glossary of Terms ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................118

Professional Advisers ...................................................................................................................................................................................................122

1

HIGHLIGHTS

COVID-19 AND COMMODITY PRICE VOLATILITY

•	 Global spread of the Coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented protocols by worldwide 

authorities restricting freedom of movement and increasing security procedures.

•	

In parallel, the recent oil price crash and accompanying stock market slumps have led to 
defensive measures by many companies in the oil and gas sector. 

•	 Operational and financial resilience, accompanied by a limited 2020 work programme, should 

allow the Company to absorb materially adverse impacts from the current global crisis.

•	 Fixed gas price contracts protect the Company from fluctuations in global commodity prices.

CORPORATE

•	 Mnazi Bay, our core producing gas asset in Tanzania, produced at an average 2019 rate of 

70.3 MMscf/day gross (2018: 83.2 MMscf/day).

•	 2P Reserves of 95.1 Bscf valued at $118.6 million (after-tax NPV10)1. 

•	 Gas Sales Agreement (“GSA”) with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (“TPDC”) 

signed into Commercial Effectiveness (“COD”) in September 2019.

•	 Completed corporate restructuring with the delisting from Oslo Børs, resulting in a simpler 

transactional platform and driving efficiencies into the business model.

•	 Change in Executive Management with Katherine Roe appointed as CEO in November 2019, 

supported by a strengthened Board.

•	 Strong, supportive and loyal institutional shareholder register.

FINANCIAL

•	 Milestone Mnazi Bay gas sales revenue of $18.6 million (2018: $16.2 million). 

•	 Adjusted  earnings  (“EBITDAX”)  of  $8.8  million  (2018:  $8.3  million)  excluding  non-recurring 

expenses of $1.0 million (2018: $76.6 million). 

•	 Net profit of $2.4 million (2018: loss $75.2 million).

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

•	 Net cash (cash less debt) at year-end of $11.8 million (2018: $0.8 million).

•	 Cash  and  cash  equivalents  on  hand  at  year-end  of  $13.5  million2 

(2018: $9.42 million2).

•	 Reduced  outstanding  long-term  loans  by  $7.0  million  to  $1.7  million 

(2018: $8.6 million). Term loans fully settled on 31 January 2020.

•	 Dividend policy established with maiden dividend declared in Q3 2019 

and total distribution of $3.0 million for 2019.

OPERATIONAL 

•	 Average  gross  daily  gas  production  for  the  period  decreased  16%  to 
70.3  MMscf/day  from  83.2  MMscf/day  in  2018;  within  annual  2019 
guidance of 68-72 MMscf/day.

•	 Total cash receipts of $25.7 million from gas sales and recovery of long-

term government receivables during 2019 (2018: $36.2 million).

•	 Relinquished  the  Tembo  block  in  Northern  Mozambique  disposing  of 
surplus  drilling  inventory  and  returning  the  Block  to  the  Mozambique 
Authorities with no liability exposure.

1  RPS Canada CPR 31 December 2019

2  Cash  and  cash  equivalents  have  been  restated  within  the  2019  annual  report  net  of  the  undrawn 

$2.5 million overdraft credit facility

33

At the end of January 2020 
the Company became debt 
free when the last loan 
repayment was made.

4

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

CHAIRMAN’S
STATEMENT

2019 was a year in which our Company continued 
to gain financial strength. This was highlighted by 
the  Company  declaring  its  first  dividend  with  a 
yield of 7.2% on a 18p per share price and a total 
distribution  of  $3.0  million  for  2019.  In  addition, 
at  the  end  of  January  2020,  the  Company  also 
became  debt  free  after  making  its  final  loan 
repayment. Cash reserves continue to increase and 
at 31 March 2020 the Group has a cash balance of 
$14.0 million. Mnazi Bay is performing as expected 
from  a  world  class  reservoir,  but  production 
rates  have  been  affected  over  the  past  year 
by  fluctuations  in  demand  primarily  driven  by 
increased  supply  by  hydroelectric  generation. 
The production volumes for 2019 were within the 
guidelines  provided  by  Wentworth  management 
and  averaged  70.3  MMscf/day.  Mnazi  Bay  today 
has  the  capacity  to  deliver  in  excess  of  100 
MMscf/day  from  existing  wells  and  production 
facilities ensuring it is well positioned to supply the 
expected demand increase over the near term.

During  the  past  year  the  Company  made  a 
significant change in its senior management with 
the promotion of Katherine Roe to CEO following 
the  departure  of  Eskil Jersing  in  November  2019. 
Following this, the Board was reduced to four Non-
Executive  Directors  and  one  Executive  Director, 
supported by long-standing and dedicated teams 
in both the UK and Tanzania.

2019 was a difficult year for the oil and gas business 
as public environmental protests affected financial 
institutions’ ability to further invest in our industry. 
Although  Wentworth’s  gas  focused  business 
model  shields  it  from  most  negative  sentiment, 

the Company still faces the pressure put forward 
by  environmental  groups  to  remove  fossil  fuels 
from the world energy supply mix. 

The  power  access  gap  in  Tanzania  is  growing, 
despite  domestic  energy  supply  increasing  and 
transformational  growth 
is  needed  to  deliver 
universal  access  throughout  the  country  through 
low-cost  low  carbon  solutions.  Natural  gas  will 
play a critical role in meeting this target to support 
cheaper  and  more  reliable  electricity  alongside 
carbon-free  renewable  energy  systems,  such  as 
hydro and solar. Wentworth is committed to being 
a long-term partner for Tanzania in delivering low-
carbon,  domestic  energy  supply  growth  that  will 
underpin the socio-economic development of the 
country in the near and longer-term. 

In  closing,  I  would  once  again  like  to  thank  all 
shareholders  for  their  continued  support  and  to 
give  special  recognition  to  the  entire  Wentworth 
family,  including  the  Board  of  Directors,  for  their 
hard work and loyalty in 2019.

Robert McBean
Chairman

24 April 2020 

5

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S STATEMENT

In my first Annual Report statement 
as Chief Executive of Wentworth, I am 
pleased to report strong financial 
and operational performance of 
our Company throughout 2019 
and a resilient 2020 outlook.

6

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

OVERVIEW
Our core asset at Mnazi Bay produced at an average 
rate of 70.3 MMscf/day throughout the year and 
in line with our updated guidance range of 68-72 
MMscf/day.  Consistent  payments  received  from 
TPDC have enabled us to comfortably service the 
remainder of the term loan with our last repayment 
made  in  January  2020.  The  financial  health  of 
our  business  enabled  the  Board  to  declare  our 
maiden dividend in September 2019 and second 
dividend in April 2020, bringing a total distribution 
of  $3.0  million  for  2019.  We  are  fortunate  to  be 
able  to  continue  with  our  sustainable  dividend 
policy despite the global challenges facing of us 
all as we experience the effects of Covid-19 and 
oil price and stock market volatility.

OPERATIONAL
2019  saw  variations 
in  production  demand 
nominations  throughout  the  year  by  TPDC  due 
to  a  combination  of  unseasonal  heavy  rainfall 
across  the  country,  which  increases  the  supply 
of  hydro-electricity  as  well  as  additional  supply 
into  the  National  Natural  Gas  Pipeline  from  the 
Songo  Songo  production  facility.  Despite  these 
challenges, we, along with our Operator, Maurel et 
Prom, committed to additional work in the second 
half  of  2019  and  continuing  into  2020,  to  enable 
supply  from  Mnazi  Bay  to  increase  to  over  100 
MMscf/day  to  meet  growing  demand.  This  work 
programme included:

•	 Repairing the MB-2 flowline to restore production 
from  that  well  whilst  maintaining  overall  field 
deliverability;

•	 Removing the plug from MB-4 to add production 

from the Lower Mnazi Bay sands; and 

•	 Replacing the chokes on the MB-2, MB-3, MB-4 

and MS-1X wells.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S STATEMENT

NET
PROFIT 

$2.4 MM

REVENUE
INCREASED 

$18.6 MM

DEBT 
REDUCED BY 

$7.3 MM

Our  limited work  programme will  allow  the  field 
to  meet  the  increased  demand  that  is  expected 
as overall capacity rates of the existing gas-fired 
power plants increase with the first of these being 
the  Kinyerezi-1  extension  that  is  expected  to  be 
completed and commissioned towards the end of 
2020. Despite some challenges with unseasonal 
rains  and  slower  than  anticipated  demand 
growth, we  are  enjoying  stable  production  rates 
and robust operations. 

2019  also  saw  the  Mnazi  Bay  Partners  sign  the 
GSA  into  commercial  effectiveness  and  thereby 
achieving  commercial  operations  date.  This  key 
milestone  provides  the  Company  with  a  fully 
collateralised contract for our gas sales. 

Our  most  recent  Reserves  Report,  as  at  31 
December  2019,  stated  Wentworth’s  share  of  2P 
Reserves  of  95.1  Bscf  with  a  post-tax  NPV10  of 
$118.6  million.  This  compared  to  $128.7  million 
for  2018.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  during 
2019,  Wentworth 
its  cash  position 
increased 
by  $4.1  million  and  made  total  debt  repayments 

of $7.3 million (including interest), while returning 
$1.0  million  to  shareholders  through  our  maiden 
interim dividend.

FINANCIAL
We  recorded  milestone  gas  sales  revenue  for 
2019 of $18.6 million, EBITDAX of $8.8 million and 
net profit of $2.4 million. Our net cash (cash less 
debt) at year-end was $11.8 million, a significant 
improvement  from  year-end  2018  net  cash  of 
$0.6 million.

CORPORATE
2019  also  saw  the  completion  of  our  corporate 
restructuring, the majority of which was executed 
during 2018. On 14 February 2019, we completed 
the delisting from Oslo Børs resulting in a simpler 
and  more  transparent  corporate  governance 
structure. This move to one stock exchange marked 
the  completion  of  the  Company’s  restructuring 
and  redomicile  to  the  UK,  combined  with  a 
strengthened  Board.  We  now  have  an  efficient 
and cost-effective platform on which to grow our 
business. We have an ambitious African domestic 
gas-led  focused  growth  strategy,  both  from  our 
existing  core  asset  in  Mnazi  Bay  and  through 
targeted Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”). 

OUTLOOK
Wentworth  is  now  in  the  most  financially  and 
operationally  robust  position  in  its  corporate 
history  and  we  are  fortunate  to  have  strong 
relationships  with  all  our  stakeholders  including 
in  Tanzania  and  supportive 
aligned  partners 
shareholders.  The  exploration  and  production 
(“E&P”)  sector  has  suffered  during  2019  with 
investors 
increasingly  wary  of  traditional  oil 
and  gas  exposure.  The  dominating  importance 
and  awareness  of  environmental,  social  and 

Dar es Salaam Team

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

governance  adherence  (“ESG”)  and  associated 
disclosure  is  expected  to  further  differentiate 
between  crude  oil  and  natural  gas  as  traditional 
energy  sources. As  a  natural  gas  supplier  to  the 
domestic  market  in  Tanzania,  supporting  the 
development  of  the  country,  our  Company  will 
be  differentiated within  the  investor  community. 
We have started developing our ESG strategy in 
earnest, which will continue to be at the heart of 
our business going forward, and we are confident 
that Wentworth is well positioned to communicate 
a progressive ESG strategy during 2020. 

Whilst we are all currently experiencing the global 
impact  of  the  widespread  Covid-19  pandemic, 
combined  with  oil  price  volatility  and  related 

stock  market  slumps,  we  are  fortunate  to  have 
a resilient and robust business that can weather 
the  storm.  With  no  commodity  price  exposure, 
a  strong  balance  sheet,  limited  work  for  2020 
and  operational  resilience,  we  look  forward  to 
a  healthy  2020  with  positivity  and  confidence. 
I  would  like  to  thank  all  of  our  shareholders  for 
their ongoing support. 

Katherine Roe
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2020 

9

CASH
AT 31 DEC 19

 $13.5 

MILLION

STRATEGIC REPORT

OUR STRATEGY AND FOCUS

Our strategy is to maximise shareholder 
value  through  asset  optimisation  and 
fiscal responsibility. 

Wentworth  works  closely  with  the  Operator  to  ensure 
that maximum value can be realised from Mnazi Bay. To 
achieve this the Mnazi Bay Joint Venture (“JV”) Partners:

•	 Monitor field production and pressures to ensure that 
reservoir performance is in line with expectations and 
that  production  forecasts  are  coordinated  with  the 
reservoir management strategy;

•	 Perform routine maintenance and inspections to ensure 

that equipment and facilities are fully operational;

•	 Work  with  Government  and  other  stakeholders 
to  promote  alignment  and  compliance  with  local 
legislation and regulations;

•	 Communicate and engage with Government to ensure 
a sustainable and positive future within the sector and 
the Country; and

•	 Conduct  operations  that  increase  Mnazi  Bay’s  overall 
deliverability  and  ability  to  meet  Tanzania’s  growing 
demand for natural gas.

Wentworth  has  continued  to  strengthen 
position. This includes:

its  fiscal 

•	 US$15-20 million/per annum forecast revenues;
•	 A cash balance of $13.5 million at YE 2019; and
•	 De-leveraging  the  balance  sheet,  with  repayment  of 

term loan in January 2020.

The  Company’s  strong  financial  performance  has 
allowed  it  to  establish  a  dividend  policy,  with  the 
maiden  dividend  declared  and  paid  to  shareholders 
during 2019.

Additionally,  the  Company  has  an  M&A  strategy  that 
is  focused  on  East  Africa,  and  will  specifically  pursue 
opportunistic and accretive transactions in Tanzania.

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

2P NPV10 
AFTER TAX 

 $118.6
MILLION

2019 REVENUE

 $18.6 
MILLION

2019 OPEX 

$0.69/MSCF

2P RESERVES

95.1 BSCF

AVERAGE DAILY
GAS PRODUCTION 

70.3 MMSCF/DAY

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STRATEGIC REPORT

TANZANIA: MNAZI BAY LICENCE SUMMARY

The  Mnazi  Bay  Development  and  Production  Licence  (“Mnazi  Bay”)  is 
located  primarily  onshore  in  southern  Tanzania,  approximately  410  kms 
south of Dar es Salaam. Mnazi Bay covers an area of 756 km2 and comprises 
the Mnazi Bay and Msimbati producing gas fields that have been onstream 
since January 2007.

Mnazi Bay is operated by Maurel et Prom (48.06%) 
with  Wentworth  Resources  (31.94%)  and  TPDC 
(20%)  as  joint  venture  partners.  It  is  the  sole 
onshore  Production  Sharing  Agreement  (“PSA”) 
in Tanzania in which TPDC is a partner. Mnazi Bay 
gas sold to TPDC is primarily utilised by Tanzania 
Electric Supply Company (“TANESCO”).

For  exploration  activities,  Maurel  et  Prom  hold  a 
60.075% working interest with Wentworth holding 
a 39.925% working interest. TPDC has a free carry 
on  exploration  costs;  however,  it  pays  its  share 
(20%) of Development and Operational Costs. 

The  Company’s  working  interests  represent  the 
interest  in  field  gross  recoverable  volumes  (and 
cost  commitments),  not  net  entitlements  after 
application of royalties or equivalent deductions.

Wentworth  also  retains  an  option  to  transfer  a 
further  5%  working  interest  per  well  in  exchange 
for other parties’ payment for up to two appraisal 
wells on the block.

the  development 
Production  operations  on 
licence  area  are  governed  by  the  PSA,  executed 
in 2004. This is a cost recovery form of agreement 
and  contains  detailed  cost  recovery  and  profit-
sharing  arrangements  and  production  royalty 
payment obligations.

The Mnazi Bay PSA produces gas which is predominantly sold 
into the NNGI (“National Natural Gas Infrastructure”) Pipeline.

well was  re-entered  and  three  subsequent  gas 
discoveries were made (MB-2, MB-3 and MS-1X). 
Two additional seismic surveys were acquired in 
2007 and 2008.

The  Mnazi  Bay  gas  field was  discovered  in  1982 
by  AGIP.  The  first  well,  Mnazi  Bay-1  (“MB-1”), 
tested  gas  from  a  Miocene  formation  at  rates 
of  13  MMscf/day.  After  testing,  the  well  was 
suspended  by  AGIP,  due  to  lack  of  viable 
gas  monetisation  options  at  the  time.  The 
concession  was  subsequently 
relinquished 
by  AGIP.  The  licence  was  acquired  by  Artumas 
(now  Wentworth)  in  2004.  In  2005,  the  MB-1 

On  26  October  2006,  the  Tanzanian  Ministry 
of  Energy  and  Minerals 
(“MEM”)  granted  a 
development 
licence  to  TPDC  covering  one 
discovery block and eight adjoining blocks, which 
comprise  the  Mnazi  Bay  contract  area,  covering 
the  same  area  as  the  original  PSA  Exploration 
licence.  The  Development  licence  has  an  initial 
25-year term to 2031 and may be extended under 
certain conditions.

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

Schematic showing the 
producing wells and intervals 
in the Mnazi Bay gas field. The 
field currently produces from 
three Miocene aged intervals, 
the MS upper sand, MB upper 
sand, and MB lower sand.

AVERAGE 2019
PRODUCTION

70.3 MMSCF/DAY

The  Mnazi  Bay  field  has  experienced  continuous 
production  since  it  was  first  put  on  stream  in 
January 2007 and production has been continuous 
ever  since.  Critically,  in  August  2015,  the  tie-in 
to  the  Tanzanian  transnational  gas  pipeline  was 
completed  and  first  gas  deliveries  commenced.
This  was  followed  by  the  commissioning  of  gas 
production  facilities  at  Madimba  and  Songo 
Songo;  and  the  gas  receiving  facility  at  Kinyerezi 
in Dar es Salaam which distributes the gas to four 
power  stations with  a  joint  maximum  capacity  of 
620 MW. 

Maurel et Prom assumed Operatorship of Mnazi Bay 
in 2009. A 3D seismic survey covering 328 km2 of the 
offshore area of the block was acquired during 2012 
to  2013.  In  2014,  an  additional  315  kms  of  onshore 
2D  seismic  and  58  line-kms  of  high  resolution  2D 
seismic  was  acquired  and  processed.  The  MB-4 
well was drilled and completed as a gas producer in 
June 2015.

MNAZI BAY PRODUCTION OPERATIONS
The  Mnazi  Bay  field  currently  produces  from  a 
total of five wells, namely the MB-1, MB-2, MB-3, 
MB-4, and MS-1X wells. The field began production 
in  January  2007,  producing  c.  2.5  MMscf/day  to 

the  Mtwara  power  station.  In  October  2015,  the 
Madimba  gas  processing  plant  was  completed 
and  commissioned,  allowing  production  to  be 
ramped  up  to  44  MMscf/day  in  2016  and  c.50 
MMscf/day  in  2017.  2018  production  averaged 
83.2  MMscf/day  and  70.3  MMscf/day  in  2019. 
Annual average volumes were lower due to:

(1)  unusually  heavy  and  longer  duration  rainfall 
within the catchment areas of the hydroelectric 
plants (2019 experienced the highest levels of 
rainfall by a factor of 4 over the 10 year average), 
which  lead  to  the  increased  availability  of 
hydroelectric  power  generation  and  reduced 
demand for natural gas; and

(2)  a  decision  by  TPDC  to  ensure  that  the  gas 
production facility at Songo Songo is utilised to 
a  minimum  throughput  rate  of  20-25  MMscf/
day, which contributed to constrained demand 
for Mnazi Bay gas in 2019.

Gas is sold to TPDC on a fixed rate contract inflated 
for CPI ($3.18/MMbtu in 2019) and TANESCO on a 
fixed rate contract of $5.36/MMbtu.

Production  from  2017  to YE  2019  is  shown  in  the 
graph on page 14.

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TANZANIA: MNAZI BAY LICENCE SUMMARY

SUMMARY 2019 PRODUCTION 
Mnazi Bay gas production averaged 70.3 MMscf/
day  in  2019,  a  reduction  from  2018  levels,  which 
increased  hydroelectric  power 
was  due 
generation and additional natural gas supply from 
the TPDC Songo Songo plant.

to 

Despite  the  unusually  heavy  rains,  natural  gas 
demand  into  the  NNGI  pipeline  increased  by 
more than 14% year-on-year. However, because 
TPDC was compelled to run their Songo Songo 
gas  production  plant  at  a  minimum  of  20-25 
MMscf/day, the demand for Mnazi Bay gas was 
reduced  to  70.3  MMscf/day,  from  83.2  MMscf/
day in 2018. 

The Company anticipates overall demand growth 
in 2020 with key drivers being (i) increased overall 
utilisation  of  existing  natural  gas-fired  power 
plants;  and  (ii)  the  pending  completion  of  the 
Kinyerezi-1  extension,  which  may  increase  total 
demand  by  up  to  30  MMscf/day.  It  is  expected 
that most of this extra demand will be assigned to 
the Mnazi Bay JV partners. During 2019, the Songo 
Songo  Gas  Production  Facility  (“GPF”)  averaged 
c. 24.7 MMscf/day into the NNGI pipeline; whilst 
the  Madimba  GPF  (supplied  by  Mnazi  Bay  JV) 
averaged 70.3 MMscf/day.

Apart from supplying the GPF at Madimba, which is 
capable of producing 210 MMscf/day into the NNGI 
pipeline; Mnazi Bay JV also supply the Mtwara power 
station (22 MW capacity), which provides the Mtwara/
Lindi isolated grid, serving over 16 towns and villages 
throughout  the  regions  of  Mtwara  and  Lindi.  The 
Mtwara power station averages 2.5 MMscf/day and 
this is not expected to change during the course of 
2020. However, there are plans by TPDC to develop 
more demand for gas in Mtwara, notably TPDC and 
the Mnazi Bay JV are working to implement supply 
to  a  domestic  grid  providing  household  gas  to 
residential  households  in  Mtwara.  As  this  will  take 
time  to  develop,  the  project  is  expected  to  have  a 
minimal impact on overall demand in 2020. 

MNAZI BAY PRODUCTION OUTLOOK
Our  2020  production  guidance  is  for  average 
annual gross production of 65-75 MMscf/day. This 
guidance  includes  Wentworth’s  updated  views 
given  the  decision  by  TPDC  in  late  2018  to  keep 
the Songo Songo GPF operational, the higher-than 
anticipated rainfall in 2019 and the commensurate 
high availability of hydroelectric power generation. 

It should be noted that our guidance range is well 
below the maximum sustainable rate (> 100 MMscf/
day) that can be produced from the Mnazi Bay field.

Mnazi Bay Field Monthly Average Production
(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:28)(cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:25)(cid:24)(cid:27)(cid:23)(cid:25)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:26)(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:21)(cid:18)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:23)(cid:25)(cid:17)(cid:16)(cid:16)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:15)(cid:14)(cid:13)(cid:27)(cid:12)(cid:11)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:29)(cid:30)

(cid:28)(cid:30)

(cid:27)(cid:30)

(cid:26)(cid:30)

(cid:30)

14

(cid:26)(cid:30)(cid:31)(cid:25)

(cid:26)(cid:30)(cid:31)(cid:29)

(cid:26)(cid:30)(cid:31)(cid:24)

STRATEGIC REPORTWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

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TANZANIA: MNAZI BAY OPERATIONS REVIEW

MNAZI BAY 2019 OPERATIONS AND OUTLOOK
During 2019, the Mnazi Bay Partners signed the GSA into commercial effectiveness; and thereby achieved 
the COD, meaning that the full GSA is now effective and in-place. Therefore, the Mnazi Bay asset can now 
be  used  as  a  security  for  finance  purposes,  providing  for  contract  stability with  a  take  or  pay  provision 
should average annual production fall below 68 MMscf/day into the NNGI pipeline.

After discussions with TPDC, the Mnazi Bay JV Partners managed to negotiate a reduction in the pipeline 
inlet pressure from 95 bar(g) to 85 bar(g). This will allow for the field to produce more cumulative volumes 
before compression is required and will allow the field to produce at rates greater than 100 MMscf/day as 
demand grows.

During 2019, there were four slickline campaigns in March, June, August and October 2019.

In March and June 2019, slickline operations were performed to bring additional intervals into production 
for the MB-2 and MB-3 wells within the Upper Mnazi Bay sand packages.

In August  2019,  there was  a  routine  campaign  to  acquire  static  pressure  of  the  MB-4 well  and  retrieve 
pressure gauges in MS-1X.

In September 2019, the MB-2 flowline experienced a rupture. The well was rapidly shut-in, and no injuries 
were reported. The flowline was repaired and the well brought back on to production in December 2019.

In October 2019, the plug isolating the Lower Mnazi Bay sand packages in the MB-4 well was removed to 
increase the deliverability of the field.

In addition to the above, cathodic protection was installed at the GPF in Mnazi Bay and in Mtwara. This 
work is still ongoing and is expected to be completed in Q1 2020. 

The  JV  Partners  have  agreed  a  firm  2020  work  programme  of  $14.0  million  that  is  focused  on  field 
maintenance work that will ensure stable future operations, increase operational flexibility. provide insight 
into future project timing and requirements. Notable items include:

•	 Pipeline inspection gauge runs for the 8” pipeline from Mnazi Bay to Mtwara;
•	 Undertaking a pre-front end engineering and design (“FEED”) study on gas compression needs;
•	 Installation of a thermal water evaporator;
•	 Installation of new chokes; and
•	 Completion of cathodic protection installation for production facilities.

16

STRATEGIC REPORTTANZANIA: MNAZI BAY RESERVES SUMMARY

The attributable Proved and Probable reserves net to Wentworth’s working interest are 95.1 Bscf of sales 
gas, which correspond to an estimated after tax NPV10 of $118.6 million per the CPR performed by RPS 
Canada, with an effective date of 31 December 2019.

Reserve Category

Gross Working Interest Reserves

Net Working Interest Reserves

Producing

Non-Producing

Undeveloped

Total Proved

Probable

Proved + Probable

Possible

Proved + Probable + Possible

Oil

Gas

NGLs

BOE

Oil

Gas

NGLs

BOE

(MMbo)

(Bscf)

(MMbo)

(MMbo)

(MMbo)

(Bscf)

(MMbo)

(MMbo)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

18.5

22.3

51.3

92.1

57.7

149.8

82.0

231.8

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3.1

3.7

8.5

15.3

9.6

25.0

13.7

38.6

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

15.1

18.0

29.8

63.0

32.1

95.1

43.7

138.7

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2.5

3.0

5.0

10.5

5.3

15.8

7.3

23.1

Reserve Category

NPV Before Tax

Million US$

NPV After Tax

Million US$

Discount Rate

Producing

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

10.1

10.8

10.8

10.5

10.1

0%

8.9

5%

9.8

10%

15%

20%

10.0

9.7

9.4

Non-Producing

61.0

53.7

47.9

43.2

39.4

56.0

49.4

44.1

39.8

36.3

Undeveloped

71.7

51.4

37.8

28.4

21.8

66.5

47.5

34.8

26.1

19.9

Total Proved

142.8

115.9

96.5

82.2

71.2

131.5

106.7

88.9

75.7

65.6

Probable

71.4

46.2

32.3

24.4

19.8

64.9

42.3

29.7

22.5

18.3

Proved + Probable

214.2

162.2

128.9

106.6

91.0

196.3

149.0

118.6

98.2

83.9

Possible

106.4

68.1

48.0

36.9

30.2

97.3

62.6

44.2

34.0

27.8

Proved + Probable + Possible

320.6

230.2

176.9

143.5

121.3

293.6

211.6

162.8

132.2

111.8

17

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019TANZANIA: LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK

LOCAL CONTENT
The  Petroleum  Local  Content  Regulations  Oil  and  Gas  Industry  act,  2017  (together  “Local  Content 
Regulations”) were enacted by the Minister for Energy and Minerals and came into effect on 5 May 2017. 
These  Local  Content  Regulations  govern  local  content  matters  related  to  upstream,  midstream  and 
downstream activities in Tanzania. 

The Regulatory authorities including the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (“PURA”) and the Energy 
and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (“EWURA”) started to enforce the act in 2018. The Local Content 
Regulations require licensees, contractors and subcontractors working in the oil and gas industry to give 
preference to goods and services manufactured or locally available in Tanzania.

The main principles behind the local content requirement are set by Regulation 5 which states that a person 
conducting petroleum activity shall ensure that:

•	 a qualified Tanzanian citizen is given priority in employment and training in any matter relating to the 

petroleum activity;

•	 preference is given to goods and services provided, manufactured or locally available in Tanzania in 

accordance with the provisions of the Act and these Local Content Regulations; and

•	 a  Tanzanian  citizen  is  given  priority  in  any  matter  relating  to  the  technology  transfer,  research, 

development and innovation in any petroleum-related activities.

Wentworth has developed a local content policy with the primary objective of meeting the local content 
obligations.  Wentworth’s  chosen  strategy  for  achieving  the  Tanzanian  local  content  policy  objective  is 
based on ensuring (i) employment and training opportunities are provided to Tanzanians and that suitable 
succession plans are in place; (ii) provide a process which is open, fair and transparent, ensuring opportunities 
to local contractors and companies; (iii) that the Company develops programmes for research, development 
and  technology  transfer;  (iv)  that  the  Company  procures  legal,  engineering  and  financial  services  from 
Tanzanian-based organisations in a prioritised and fit for purpose manner.

As part of the Company local content plan for 2019 / 2020, Wentworth has developed programmes for 
workforce development, procurement and supplier development and insurance, finance and legal services 
plans. These plans establish the framework for implementation of the local content programme for the year. 

NEW REGULATIONS
CORPORATE INTEGRITY PLEDGE REGULATIONS
The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania has through Government Notice No. 782 published on 
1 November 2019, issued The Petroleum (Corporate Integrity Pledge) Regulations, 2019. (“Integrity Pledge 
Regulations”). The Integrity Pledge Regulations are made under the Petroleum Act Cap 392.

The Integrity Pledge Regulations govern corporate integrity pledge programmes related to upstream activities, 
midstream activities and downstream activities and are administered by PURA and EWURA respectively.

The Integrity Pledge covers all owners who are Natural Persons (except those with an ownership interest of 
less than five percent (5%) and those who have acquired the ownership interest through public trading) and 
all officers, Directors, and employees of the contractor, sub-contractor, licensee or any other person who 
have responsibilities relating to petroleum activities and petroleum operations.

18

STRATEGIC REPORTThrough Government Notice No. 58 published on 31 January 2020, the Government of the United Republic 
of Tanzania issued regulations under the Natural Wealth and Resources Contracts (Permanent Sovereignty) 
Act,  Cap  449  namely The  Natural Wealth  and  Resources  (Permanent  Sovereignty)  (Code  of  Conduct  for 
Investors in Natural Wealth and Resources) Regulations 2020.

The objectives of the Code of Conduct are to ensure that arrangements or agreements on natural wealth 
and resources and related or connected business or activities are conducted in a manner consistent with 
the  highest  ethical  principles  and within  the  requirements  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  Republic  of 
Tanzania 1977 and all applicable national policies and laws. 

The  regulations  apply  to  entities,  consultants,  suppliers,  contractors,  investors,  partners  and  agents, 
including their employees, involved in any arrangement or agreement on natural wealth and resources. 

Through Government Notice No. 57 published on 31 January 2020, the Government of the United Republic of 
Tanzania issued regulations under the Natural Wealth and Resources Contracts (Review and Re-Negotiation 
of Unconscionable Terms) Act, Cap 450, namely ”The Natural Wealth and Resources Contracts (Review and 
Renegotiation of Unconscionable Terms) Regulations 2020”. This followed the Government of the United 
Republic of Tanzania’s decision to embark upon a review of Tanzania’s PSAs, a process which is still ongoing. 
It will be confirmed by the Tanzanian Attorney General that the review of PSAs on the Government’s part is 
completed, and the authorities are currently waiting for due process to ensue.

REGULATIONS DESCRIBING THE PROCESS FOR RE-NEGOTIATION OF UNCONSCIONABLE TERMS
The  regulations  establish  registers  of  natural  wealth  and  resources  within  Ministries  under  whom 
arrangements or agreements on natural wealth and resources are made. 

Application for registration of all agreements made before the regulations will be made within sixty days 
of  coming  into  operation  of  the  regulations,  whereas  applications  for  agreements  made  subsequent  to 
the  coming  into  operation  of  the  regulations  should  be  made  no  later  than  thirty  days  from  the  date  of 
execution of the agreement 

All contract renegotiation arrangements in existence on the date of coming into operation of the regulations 
would continue and be concluded as if the regulations had not been made.

THE PETROLEUM REGULATIONS OF 2019
Through  Government  notice  No.  957  dated  6  December  2019,  the  Government  of  the  United  Republic  of 
Tanzania introduced new regulations that must be followed by all companies operating in oil and gas industry. 

The  new  regulations  relate  to  all  upstream  activities  and  are  administered  by  PURA.  The  regulations 
potentially  introduce  some  changes  to  the  existing  Mnazi  Bay  PSA;  however,  at  this  stage  the  extent  to 
which existing PSAs would need to be amended is not yet clear. The following regulations may have an 
impact on the commercial terms of the Mnazi Bay PSA:

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019STRATEGIC REPORT

TANZANIA: LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK

•	 Royalty shall have a first charge on gross volume on petroleum (including gas) recovered at the delivery 
point before determining the proportion to be allocated to cost oil/gas and profit oil/gas. The licence 
holder  and  the  contractor  shall,  before  the  proportion  to  be  allocated  to  cost  petroleum  and  profit 
petroleum is determined, pay a royalty to the Government in respect of gross volume on petroleum 
recovered at the delivery point.

•	 Cost  Recovery  Hierarchy;  the  available  cost  oil  and/or  cost  gas  shall  be  applied  first  to  recover 
operating  expenses,  and  where  joint  operations  have  been  established,  the  licence  holder  and 
contractor  shall  be  entitled  to  recover  such  expenses  in  proportion  to  their  individual  cumulative 
unrecovered operating expenses;

•	 Costs that are no longer recoverable:

•	 Annual charges, which cover all direct costs attributable to the acquisition, renewal or relinquishment 

of surface rights;

•	 Income  tax, withholding  taxes  and  all  other  taxes  related  expenses  arising  from  income  derived 

from petroleum operations;

•	 Costs of arbitration and the sole expert in respect of any dispute under agreement;
•	 Costs incurred as a result of misconduct or negligence of the contractor;
•	 An annual overhead charge for services rendered outside the United Republic of Tanzania; and
•	 Bonuses paid to employees and Directors.

IMPACT ON WENTWORTH
The  extent  to  which  all  or  some  of  the  new  regulations  will  apply  to  existing  PSAs  will  depend  on  the 
outcome  of  a  review  of  all  PSAs,  which  is  currently  being  conducted  by  the  Regulator  and  the  auditor 
general. The PSA reviews are due to be published later in 2020 and should provide further clarity on this 
issue. Upon submission of the PSA Review report to parliament, the Regulator will engage with each of the 
PSA joint-ventures on an individual basis to discuss the findings of the review.

20

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

MOZAMBIQUE: TEMBO LICENCE RELINQUISHMENT

The  Tembo  Block  Appraisal  Licence  (“Tembo”) 
85%  Wentworth;  15%  Empresa  Nacional  de 
relinquished 
Hidrocarbonetos 
in  2019  following  a  detailed  technical  and 
commercial  re-evaluation  which  determined 
that  the  existing  discovery  could  not  be 
commercially advanced to production. 

(“ENH”)  was 

Wentworth  has  received  approval  to  relinquish 
Tembo  from  the  Ministry  of  Natural  Resources 
transferred  all 
and  Energy.  The  Company 
remaining  assets  back  to  the  Government 
of  Mozambique  and  has  closed  its  office  in 
inventories 
Maputo.  Legacy  surplus  drilling 
were disposed of with no liability exposure. The 
Company is currently in the process of winding 
up  the  Mozambique  entity  and  it  is  expected 
that the exit process will be completed without 
any significant additional costs.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

REVENUE

Revenue ($000)

Net entitlement to gas production (MMscf)

Average realised gas price ($/Mscf)

OPERATING COSTS

Production and operating costs ($000)

Production and operating cost ($/Mscf) 

Depletion ($000)

EBITDAX

Gross profit

Add: Depletion ($000)

Add: amounts capitalised to E&E assets ($000)

Less: recurring administrative costs ($000)

EBITDAX ($000)

EBITDAX per ($/Mscf)

NON-RECURRING EXPENDITURES

Restructuring & redomicile ($000)

New ventures and business development costs ($000)

Tanzanian withholding tax ($000)

Deferred tax expense ($000)

Impairments of Tembo ($000)

Provision against Government receivables ($000)

Non-recurring expenditures ($/Mscf)

INVESTMENT IN OIL & GAS ASSETS

Investments in Mnazi Bay ($000)

Investments in Tembo ($000)

CASH & DEBT

Year-end cash and cash equivalents ($000)

Current portion of long-term loans ($000)

Non-current portion of long-term loans ($000)

Net cash/(debt) at year-end ($000)

EQUITY & CAPITAL

Profit/(loss) after tax ($000)

Closing share price (p)

22

2019

18,636

5,699

3.27

(3,935)

(0.69)

(6,236)

8,465

6,236

-

(5,883)

8,818

1.55

(609)

(489)

-

1,511

-

-

(0.07)

18

-

13,487

(1,714)

-

11,773

2,366

19.0

2018

16,224

4,946

3.28

(2,290)

(0.46)

(7,803)

6,131

7,803

664

(6,289)

8,309

1.68

-

(2,333)

(993)

(26,714)

(41,598)

(4,959)

(15.49)

1,256

1,806

9,403

(7,091)

(1,688)

624

(75,224)

22.0

STRATEGIC REPORT(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:30)(cid:28)(cid:27)(cid:30)(cid:26)(cid:29)(cid:25)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:25)(cid:22)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:28)(cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:25)(cid:25)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:22)
(cid:29)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:30)(cid:28)(cid:27)(cid:30)(cid:26)(cid:29)(cid:25)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:27)(cid:20)(cid:19)(cid:18)(cid:22)(cid:28)(cid:26)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:25)(cid:19)(cid:25)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:28)(cid:27)(cid:26)(cid:25)(cid:25)(cid:26)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:22)
(cid:29)(cid:24)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:29)(cid:31)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:27)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:30)

(cid:29)(cid:31)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:27)(cid:23)(cid:30)(cid:30)(cid:30)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:28)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:27)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:26)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:24)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:25)

(cid:30)
(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:28)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:27)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:26)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:24)

(cid:31)(cid:30)(cid:29)(cid:25)

(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:16)(cid:21)(cid:15)(cid:14)(cid:13)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:12)(cid:17)(cid:11)(cid:15)(cid:10)(cid:9)

(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:20)(cid:21)(cid:19)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:17)(cid:16)(cid:15)(cid:14)(cid:13)(cid:18)(cid:12)(cid:11)(cid:10)(cid:14)(cid:19)(cid:17)(cid:9)(cid:17)(cid:8)(cid:7)(cid:21)(cid:15)(cid:6)(cid:11)(cid:10)(cid:19)(cid:5)(cid:17)(cid:4)(cid:14)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:3)

TANZANIA
Whilst  overall  demand  for  Mnazi  gas  in  2019  has 
been less than the previous year, decreasing from 
83  MMscf/day  in  2018  to  70  MMscf/day  in  2019, 
revenue has increased from $16.2 million to $18.6 
million, an increase of 15%. This is principally due 
to  the  effect  of  the  Ziwani-1  well  carry  cost  gas 
surrender to the Operator which was substantially 
completed 
in  2018  with  $7.1  million  being 
surrendered  during  that  year  and  the  balance  of 
only $1.3 million paid during 2019. 

The Group continue to provide in full against the 
amortised  balance  of  the  Umoja  asset,  which 
was  sold  in  2012  due  to  uncertainty  over  the 
recoverability  of  the  Government  receivable  and 
the  ongoing  review  by  the  Government  of  the 
United  Republic  of  Tanzania  for  which  there  has 
been no material update.

in  Mnazi  Bay  during  2019 
Operating  costs 
increased  to  $0.69/Mscf  from  $0.44/Mscf  but 
kept  within  the  overall  work  programme  and 
budget  agreed  with  the  Operator  for  the  year. 
This 
increase  was  primarily  with  respect  to 
one-off  costs  associated  with  the  repair  of  the 
MB-2/3  flowline  rupture,  and  the  replacement  of 
the  Operator’s  senior  country  management  team 
and costs associated with appointing and relocating 
their  replacements.  Other  operating  costs  are 
largely fixed which adds significant upside to sales 
revenues from increased gas production. 

There were no significant workover projects during 
2019,  albeit  additional  costs  were  incurred  due 
a  rupture  of  a  flowline  between  wells  MB-2  and 
MB-3.  Discussions  with  the  Operator  on  the 
quantum and timing of future operational activities 
continue,  however,  excluding  some  initial  gas 
compression  FEED  studies,  it  is  not  anticipated 
that  there will  be  any  significant  material  outlays 
in 2020.

There  was  no  significant  capital  investment  in 
Mnazi  Bay  during  the  year  (2018:  $1.3  million).  A 
three-year project to upgrade the surface facilities 
at  Mnazi  Bay  from  a  capacity  of  100  MMscf/
day  to  140  MMscf/day  was  completed  during 
2018.  These  costs  comprised  the 
installation 
and  commissioning  of  a  revenue  gas  metering 
station  at  the  Gas  Processing  Facility,  installation 
of  a  chromatography  system,  upgrading  the 
supervisory  control  and  data  acquisition  system, 
and  replacement  of  the  generator  sets  at  the 
camp.  In  addition,  two  evaporator  pits  were  built 
to  dispose  of  excess  condensate water  removed 
from the gas. The next significant project, subject 
to  completion  and  acceptance  of  FEED  during 
2020  and  2021,  will  be  the  installation  of  a  gas 
compression  export  system  that  will  allow  the 
wells  to  sustain  higher  rates  of  production  for 
longer  whilst  still  supplying  gas  at  required 
pressures through the NNGI pipeline.

23

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MOZAMBIQUE
The  Group  had  fully  accrued  for  costs  associated 
with the relinquishment of its Mozambique licence 
in 2018 and did not incur any further expenditures in 
2019 (2018: $1.8 million). Whilst the Tembo licence 
was relinquished in June 2019, the Group continue to 
fulfil its administrative and statutory commitments 
with  respect  to  closing  its  local  subsidiary  and 
expect that this process will be completed in 2020.

EBITDAX
introduced  EBITDAX  as  a  key 
Management 
performance  metric  during  2018 
(earnings 
before  interest,  taxation,  depreciation,  depletion 
impairment,  management 
and  amortisation, 
restructuring  costs, 
redomicile  costs,  share-
based  payments,  and  provisions,  and  pre-licence 
expenditures)  to  provide  more  transparency  to 
the  reporting  process.  Year-on-year  EBITDAX  has 
continued to increase in-line with revenue and gas 
sales production outputs. Management have guided 
expected average daily production in 2020 to be in-
line with 2019, and whilst there is clearly a proportional 
relationship  between  revenue  and  EBITDAX,  given 
the fixed cost base, there may be further opportunity 
to drive some modest increases through efficiencies 
and synergies across the wider Group.

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE (“G&A”) COSTS
Recurring  general  and  administrative  costs  have 
been  reduced  during  the  year  as  management 
continues to leverage cost synergies derived from 
the  redomicile  and  restructuring  process  that 

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to  ensuring 

took  place  during  2018.  Management  remains 
committed 
that  overheads  are 
continually  reviewed,  without  compromising  the 
operating effectiveness of the Group or negatively 
impacting  its  ability  to  effectively  screen  and 
capitalise  on  new  strategic  growth  opportunities 
in  as  cost-effective  a  manner  as  possible.  During 
2019,  the  Group  incurred  costs  totaling  $609k  on 
screening and evaluating a number of opportunities 
which were brought to varying stages of maturity; 
however, none ultimately passed the rigorous due 
diligence thresholds the Board set itself.

During  the  year,  Eskil  Jersing  stepped  down  as 
Chief  Executive  Officer  and  was  replaced  by 
Katherine Roe, who previously held the position of 
Chief Financial Officer. Whilst this restructuring will 
doubtless realise some modest cost-savings during 
2020, the decision to appoint Katherine as CEO, who 
will  also  retain  oversight  of  the  finance  function, 
was based on her strong leadership credentials, her 
determination and her transformative vision for the 
Group into 2020 and beyond.

TAX AND FISCAL
in  Tanzania 
The  tax  and  fiscal  environment 
remains  challenging  with  the 
legislative  and 
fiscal  frameworks  that  the  Company  must  abide 
by  under  constant  review  and  reinterpretation  by 
the Tanzanian Revenue Authority (“TRA”). Although 
the Group settled a number of legacy disputes in 
2018,  there  remains  a  risk  that  further  challenge 
to  the  treatments  of  certain  material  items  may 

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arise in the future. The Group has appointed KPMG 
LLP  as  its  tax  advisor  in  Tanzania  and  maintains 
strict  adherence  to  the  guidance  that  they  issue. 
Current tax and legislative changes are discussed 
in detail within the Tanzania Legislative and Policy 
Framework  section  of  this  report;  however,  it  is 
as  yet  unknown  the  impact  of  the  Petroleum 
Regulations Act 2019 which is most likely to impact 
future  performance,  albeit  early  indications  and 
internal  analysis  suggest  that  the  Mnazi  Bay  PSA 
adheres to the new draft guidance in most areas.

CASH AND DEBT
At  the  balance  sheet  date,  cash  and  cash 
equivalents  has  increased  by  $4.1  million  from 
$9.4 million to $13.5 million. This increase has been 
achieved  through  a  combination  of  sustained, 
albeit marginally reduced, gas sales and financial 
discipline  with  recurring  Group  overheads  being 
reduced  from  $6.3  million  in  2018  to  $5.9  million 
in  2019.  This  increase  in  cash  reserves  has  been 
achieved in addition to the payment of the Group’s 
first interim dividend of $1.0 million to shareholders 
in September 2019. The Directors have announced 
a second dividend of $2.0 million.

The Group continued to pay-down its debt during 
the year and made the final payment of $1.7 million 
on  its  medium-term  $20  million  credit  facility  in 
January  2020. The  Group  has  been  in  a  net  cash 
position  since  December  2018  and,  with  the 
exception of its overdraft facility which is currently 
undrawn, is now wholly ungeared.

The  current  $2.5  million  overdraft  facility  expires 
in  April  2020  with  discussions  on  an  extension 
ongoing.  Whilst  there  is  no  immediate  need  for 
additional finance, it is anticipated that this facility 
will be renewed.

DIVIDEND POLICY 
The Company’s significantly strengthened balance 
sheet  enabled  the  introduction  of  a  sustainable 
dividend  policy  in  2019  with  the  Group  declaring 
its  maiden  interim  dividend  of  $1.0  million  to 
shareholders  in  September  2019.  Furthermore,  an 
additional  interim  dividend  has  been  declared  of 
$2.0  million  bringing  a  total  distribution  in  respect 
of 2019 of $3.0 million which is expected to deliver 
an  annual  yield  of  approximately  7.6%  based  on 
the closing share price on 15 April 2020 in line with 
previous guidance.

light  of  uncertainty  around 

In 
timing  and 
logistics  of  the  Company’s  2020 Annual  General 
Meeting  (“AGM”)  due  to  the  Covid-19  pandemic, 
the  Company  has  declared  a  second  interim 
dividend  rather  than  a  final  dividend  for  2019  to 
avoid  any  delay  in  shareholders  receiving  the 
dividend  which,  if  declared  as  a  final  dividend, 
could  not  be  paid  until  after  the  AGM  has  been 
held.  There  will  be  no  final  dividend  declared 
for  2019;  however,  it  is  anticipated  that  in  future 
years the Company will revert to a declaration of 
an interim dividend with the Interim Results and 
a  final  dividend  declared  with  the  Final  Results 
to be put to shareholders at the Company’s AGM.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019STRATEGIC REPORT

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our  culture  and  values  are  fundamental  to  Wentworth.  How  we  behave 
and  treat  our  team,  partners  and  in-country  stakeholders  is  foremost  in 
all  our  behaviours. We  aim  to  ensure  that we  are  transparent,  have  a  full 
duty of care, communicate effectively and ultimately ensure we minimise 
our environmental footprint and maximise how we initiate and sustainably 
support the communities in which we operate. 

We expect all our employees, consultants and contractors to tangibly demonstrate these shared values, 
which will ultimately support and protect our brand and licence to operate and grow our value proposition 
in a sustainable manner for all our stakeholders.

We aim to ensure that we comply with all local, national and international laws and regulations in those 
jurisdictions in which we operate. The entire Wentworth team are responsible for maintaining our standards 
of  conduct  in  all  of  their  activities.  Further,  the  management  team  hold  the  additional  responsibility  of 
ensuring that best practice behaviours are upheld, and setting the overall tone of conduct. 

Our approach and commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) is built on five areas of focus: 
Health, Safety, Security and Environment (“HSSE”); Ethics; Gender Equality; Community Development and 
Environmental Protection. 

Wentworth’s CSR policy encompasses the management of relationships with shareholders, employees 
and  communities  in  areas  where  the  Company  works,  together  with  the  impact  on  society  and  the 
environment. Wentworth recognises it has specific responsibilities in each of these areas and considers 
adherence to CSR values to be a key factor in securing our long-term success. The Company’s objective 

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

is  to  support  development  in  local  communities  and  to  minimise  the  impact  of  its  operations  on  the 
environment.  Wentworth  values  engagement  with  local  and  national  stakeholders  and  takes  seriously 
concerns regarding oil and gas development. Working closely with host communities achieves the best 
possible outcome for both Wentworth and its stakeholders. 

As an international oil and gas company, we have a clear responsibility towards the communities where 
we  conduct  our  business.  These  include  sustainably  aiding  the  socio-economic  development  and 
welfare  of  those  communities.  Our  work  in  the  community  is  based  on  establishing  partnerships  to 
identify  and  meet  community  needs,  and  to  ensure  open  and  transparent  dialogue  in  relation  to  our 
current operations and future plans.

In 2005, Wentworth established the Wentworth 
Africa  Foundation  (“WAF”)  in  Tanzania.  WAF 
is  a  registered  charity  and  affiliate  of  the 
Company.  Wentworth  has  contributed  over  $1 
million  to  WAF  for  a  range  of  CSR  initiatives, 
aimed  at  contributing  to  the  development  of 
safe  and  effective  educational  environments 
and  conditions within  rural  communities  in  the 
Mtwara  and  Lindi  Regional  areas,  close  to  our 
Mnazi Bay producing asset. 

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STRATEGIC REPORT

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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  2019 HIGHLIGHTS

During 2019, the Company, through the WAF, has 
focused  on  supporting  the  following  sustainable 
projects in Tanzania.

LIBRARY REFURBISHMENT PROGRAMME FOR 
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
WAF  has  worked  in  collaboration  with  READ 
International  for  three  years  to  address  the  lack 
of  access  to  books 
in  Tanzanian  secondary 
schools.  The  collaboration  work  with  this  local 
Non-Government  Organisation  (“NGO”)  involves 
working  closely  with  schools  management, 
Parent  Teachers  Associations,  local  government 
and  local  communities.  To  ensure  sustainability 
and  effective  use  of  funds,  the  programme 
uses  disused  space  in  the  school  identified 
for  refurbishment.  The  collaborative  work  is  a 
youth  led  process  which  ensures  a  vital  sense 
long-term 
of  ownership  and  supports 
sustainability  of  the  library.  The  programme 
has  to-date  constructed  five  secondary  school 
libraries and provided 8,382 books. 

the 

reduces 

MENSTRUATION HYGIENE MANAGEMENT OR 
“KEEP A GIRL IN SCHOOL” PROGRAMME 
Recent research indicates that improving school 
sanitation 
truancy  and  drop-outs 
amongst  girls.  Girls  of  school  age,  especially 
after  puberty,  are  often  faced  with  inadequate 
sanitation  facilities  at  school,  which  may  pose 
problems  during  menstruation  and 
lead  to 
school  absence.  Sanitary  supplies  are  often  low 
on  the  list  of  priorities  as  money  is  extremely 
tight  for  many  families  and  at  a  typical  price  of 
$2 per packet, the price is too expensive for most 
families. The problem is particularly prominent in 
the rural areas where the schools have poor or no 
sanitation. As a result, Wentworth and WAF have 
developed the “Keep a Girl in School” programme 
with  the  vision  of  empowering  girls  to  stay  in 
school  and  to  restore  their  dignity,  so  that  they 
are able to attend school throughout the year and 
complete their education. This will help to break 
the cycle of poverty for future generations. 

The  Keep  a  Girl  in  School  programme  provides 
sanitary  supplies  and  education  to  girls  during 
their  monthly  menstruation.  The  programme 

also provides mentorship to the girls through life 
skills  and  character  development  training,  and 
education  to  both  parents  and  teachers  on  the 
importance  and  benefits  of  girls’  reproductive 
health education. 

WAF has to date provided 385,080 sanitary towels 
to  more  than  3,000  girls  in  selected  secondary 
schools in the Mtwara, Lindi and Coastal Regions. 

BURSARY SUPPORT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, 
UNIVERSITY AND VOCATIONAL COLLEGE 
STUDENTS
University Students
The Bursary Support for University Students began 
in  2014,  where  we  have  been  funding  promising 
young students with the drive to create change and 
to  attend  university. We  are  currently  sponsoring 
three  future  leaders  to  study  education,  nursing 
and medicine.

Secondary School Students 
WAF  has  established  a  Secondary  School  Fund 
for Mtwara and Lindi students who come from low 
income  families.  WAF  has  continued  supporting 
outstanding learners, who are in financial need, by 
providing  them  with  bursary  opportunities.  More 
than  150  students  have  been  assisted  since  the 
programme began in 2012. 

Vocational College Students
Students attending tertiary educational institutions 
from  low  income  and  rural  backgrounds,  often 
struggle  to  achieve  due  to  access  to  resources. 
Therefore, each year since 2014, WAF has sponsored 
scholarships  for  local  students,  from  Mtwara  and 
Lindi  Regions,  to  attend  the  local  Mtwara-based 
tertiary  vocational 
(“VETA”). 
training 
Through this initiative, Wentworth indirectly assists 
young people from the surrounding community to 
access  employment  opportunities  in  Mtwara  and 
Lindi Regions.

institution 

To  date,  more  than  20  scholarships  have  been 
awarded to students studying a range of vocations 
such  as  food  preparation,  plumbing,  welding, 
carpentry,  motor  vehicle  mechanics,  electrical 
installation and maintenance. 

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STRATEGIC REPORT

THE WENTWORTH AFRICA FOUNDATION

Wentworth  Africa  Foundation  is  a  charitable  foundation  registered  in  the 
United Kingdom and Tanzania, set up in 2005 as the vehicle for Wentworth 
Resources Limited’s corporate social responsibility programme.

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

Want to find out more?
For more information 
please visit our website:
www.wentworthfoundation.com

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STRATEGIC REPORT

EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE 

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (“EITI”) is the global standard used and accepted worldwide 
to promote the open and accountable management of the oil, gas and mineral extractives sector.

Guided  by  the  belief  that  a  country’s  natural  resources  belong  to  its  citizens,  the  EITI  established  a 
global  standard  to  promote  the  open  and  accountable  management  of  oil,  gas  and  mineral  resources. 
The  EITI  standard  requires  the  disclosure  of  information  throughout  the  value  chain  of  the  extractive 
industry, from the point of extraction, to the revenue allocation to Government, and ultimately, how these 
revenues benefit the public. By doing so, the EITI seeks to strengthen public and corporate governance, 
promote understanding of natural resource management, and provide data to inform reforms for greater 
transparency and accountability in the extractives sector. 

In each country, throughout the world, EITI is supported by a coalition of government, companies, civil 
societies, donors and partners, to promote openness and accountability. 

Wentworth  works  with  the  Tanzania  Extractive  Industries  Transparency  Initiative  (“TEITI”),  that  aims  to 
increase transparency and accountability in the extractive industries in Tanzania. TEITI was accepted as an 
EITI implementing country by the EITI International Board in February 2009. 

Wentworth has followed TEITI regulations and been a committed stakeholder since the inception of TEITI. 

During the year-ended 31 December 2019, Wentworth has made the following payments to the government 
bodies (figures are as per government financial years in US $000):

Taxes paid by Wentworth

2019

1,970

2018

515

During the course of the year-ended 31 December 2019, the Government was allocated with the following 
share of gas revenues and royalties, in terms of the Mnazi Bay PSA and the Joint Operating Agreement 
(“JOA”), (figures are as per government financial years in US $000):

Government entitlements from Mnazi Bay concession:

 Royalty

 NOC profit gas

 Profit gas

 Cost gas

2019

2018

12,313

14,797

2,458

11,821

41,389

10,714

14,899

2,156

8,414

36,183

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BUSINESS RISKS

PRINCIPAL BUSINESS RISKS
The sustained success of Wentworth as a full cycle E&P company, depends on our ability to manage our 
portfolio and to acquire, develop and/or commercially produce new natural gas reserves. 

The  Board  monitors  all  risks  to Wentworth  on  a  regular  basis  using  information  obtained  or  developed 
from  external  and  internal  sources  and  will  take  actions  as  appropriate  to  mitigate  these.  Wentworth 
utilises  a  risk  management  approach  that  identifies  key  business  risks  and  measures  to  address  these 
risks which are critical given our East African operating environment. Wentworth proactively implements 
such  measures  considered  appropriate  on  a  case-by-case  basis.  Other  significant  elements  of  the  risk 
management approach include regular Board reviews of the business, a defined process for preparation, 
monitoring  and  approval  of  the  annual work  programme  and  budget,  monthly  management  reporting, 
financial operating procedures and policy, due attention to HSSE and anti-bribery management systems.

The  relative  importance  and  impact  of  risks  faced  by Wentworth  will  change  as Wentworth’s  strategy 
progresses in the external business environment.

The executive management team have identified the following principal risks and mitigations in relation to 
Wentworth’s present and future performance and operations. The overall risk register is regularly reviewed 
by both the management team and the Board, who monitor progress against the principal risks.

The primary focus of the management and Board of Directors is to manage exposure to risk rather than 
eliminate the risk completely.

34

STRATEGIC REPORTCategory

Risk(s)

Mitigants

Risk 
change

Covid-19 
Pandemic

•	 Demand for natural gas drops and/
or the Government of the United 
Republic of Tanzania find their 
fiscal budgets constrained through 
unforeseen reductions in Gross 
Domestic Product (“GDP”) and are 
unable to meet their monthly gas 
sales commitments on a timely 
basis.

•	 An incident, occurring at the Mnazi 
Bay production facility, resulting 
in the temporary suspension of 
production resulting from damage 
to a well or any part of the gas 
gathering system. 

•	 The availability of third-party 

support services and the ability to 
readily move equipment to and 
from the well-site may become 
restricted and inhibit normal 
operations.

•	 Staff may become ill or require 
themselves to be quarantined, 
excessive numbers of which may 
limit gas production or the ability to 
operate safely.

•	 Both 2019 and 2020 have seen the TPDC 

gas sales receivable fall to its lowest levels, 
currently at ~45-days from ~5-months in 
2018. Whilst the ultimate duration of the 
Covid-19 outbreak is not yet known, the 
Group does have sufficient working capital 
cash reserves to continue operations and 
absorb a delinquency period of more than 
one year should it need to.

•	 Latest Government forecasts suggest 
that demand for electricity during the 
pandemic may decrease by between 
20-30% if a full national quarantine of 
industrial and commercial activities were 
to be required. During such a scenario, the 
Group may be subjected to reduced gas 
sales income, without the imposition of a 
significant delinquency period and is well-
placed to deal with this.

•	 In the event of there being a limitation 
in production to the current production 
zones, there exists the contingent capacity 
to produce from additional horizons within 
the existing well stock as follows:
•	 MB-1 Well: 2 horizons from the F Sands 

and the G Sands;

•	 MS-1X Well: 1 horizon from the K3 Sands; 

and

•	 MB-4 Well: 2 horizons from the F Sands 

and the G Sands.

•	 Mnazi Bay does have its own medical 

facilities and provision has been made to 
treat a limited number of cases on-site. A full 
emergency response plan has been in-place 
since operations commenced and has been 
updated to take account of any outbreak.
•	 World Health Organisation procedures, 

designed to limit staff exposure and isolate 
those suspected of contracting the virus 
alongside implementation of enhanced 
hygiene and sanitation protocols, have 
been put in-place.

▲

35

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019BUSINESS RISKS

Financial

•	 Difficulty in raising external 

capital or funding for M&A and/or 
development activities in volatile 
markets.

•	 The Group’s business will require 
significant capital expenditure 
and the future expansion and 
development of its business could 
require future debt and equity 
financing. The future availability of 
such funding is not certain.

•	 The Company remains fully funded with 
enough working capital cash reserves for 
its share of the Mnazi bay current work 
programme costs and G&A.

•	 Continually assess existing assets and 

proposed new acquisitions; considering 
future capital requirements from 
a disciplined lifecycle investment 
perspective.

•	 Strong and sustainable relationships with 

key shareholders.

•	 Regular review of cash flow, working 

▲

capital and funding options, and prudent 
approach to budgeting and planning, 
to ensure enough capital to meet 
commitments.

•	 Diversify the sources of funding and apply 

prudent levels of debt to production 
activities.

•	 Strong financial stewardship – manage 
commitments and liquidity, monitor 
delivery of business plan, forecast 
accuracy – build credibility.

Revenues 
and 
Receivables

•	 Counterparty default and distress 

•	 Regularly monitor and amend cost 

and concentration of asset(s).

structure, investment strategy and tactics 
to include counter-cyclical and/or risk 
offsetting investments.

•	 Wentworth maintains a strong balance 
sheet, continues to reduce its debt and 
remains fully funded for its existing 
commitments.

•	 International arbitration.

Cost/Budget 
Overruns

•	 Financial control of operated and 

•	 Wentworth seeks to hold most of its cash 

non-operated assets.

in US dollars.

•	 Regularly review business plans, G&A cost 
basis, ongoing strategy reviews, monthly 
reporting and regular Board meetings.
•	 Regularly engage with JV partners to 

influence cost-effective use of capital, 
operating and decommissioning 
expenditures.

•	 Top down leadership of the Group’s values.
•	 Wentworth accords the highest importance 

to corporate governance matters and 
upholding the highest ethical standards.
•	 Wentworth employs suitably experienced 
and qualified staff and, when required, 
external advisors to ensure full 
compliance.

•	 Legal risk assessment and due diligence 
(where appropriate) are undertaken for all 
counterparties Wentworth deals with.

Legal and 
Compliance 

•	 Fraud and corruption/increased 

third party and jurisdictional 
exposure.

•	 AIM/ Financial Conduct Authority 
(“FCA”) and/or other or financial 
covenant breaches.

3636

▼

►

►

STRATEGIC REPORTCountry 

•	 Governments, regulations, and the 

•	 Regular monitoring of political, regulatory 

and HSSE changes. 

•	 Engaging in constructive discussions where 
and when appropriate and introducing third 
party expertise as required. 

•	 Wentworth has objectives to acquire 
additional core assets, to assist in 
diversifying its jurisdictional risk.

•	 New investments are considered in the 

light of changing environmental regulations, 
fiscal volatility and geopolitical dynamics.
•	 Activities are subject to various jurisdictional 

laws, customs, fiscal and administrative 
regulations.

•	 Wentworth employs suitably experienced 
and qualified staff and, when required, 
external advisors to ensure full compliance. 

•	 Legal risk assessment and due diligence 
(where appropriate) are undertaken for all 
counterparties Wentworth deals with.

•	 Board active mandate to diversify current 

portfolio risk by acquiring appraisal, 
development and/or producing assets, 
using existing financial resources of 
Wentworth and additional capital (as 
required).

•	 Apply Wentworth’s experience, expertise 
and appropriate technology to minimise 
risk, through the asset lifecycle.

•	 Highly selective in choosing where and 

when to deploy its business development, 
M&A resources and new business focus.
•	 Mnazi Bay considered a strategic resource 

in-country.

•	 Wentworth carefully considers the 

technical, HSSE and financial capabilities 
of operators and potential partners during 
any new opportunity acquisition.
•	 Ensure all stages of the operation 

lifecycle are rigorously stress tested 
for all known circumstances and that 
these circumstances have been fully risk 
assessed.

▲

▲

►

security environment may adversely 
change, including the potential use 
of exaggerated tax claims. 

•	 Wentworth’s assets in Tanzania 
are affected by country specific 
situations.

•	 Legal compliance, regulatory or 

litigation risk.

•	 PSA Licence extension uncertainty.
•	 Fiscal stability.
•	 Inadvertent or unauthorised non-

compliance with regulatory or legal 
obligations may result in sanction, 
stock suspension a loss of integrity 
and reputation and potential breach 
of covenants. Potential for legal 
recourse against Wentworth.

Portfolio/
Assets

•	 Company over-reliance on single 
core (producing) asset in Tanzania.

•	 Competitors have significantly 
greater financial and technical 
resources.

HSSE, 
Operational 
and Technical

•	 Dependent on other operators for 
the performance of E&P activities, 
due lack of control.

•	 Counterparty misalignment.
•	 Production limited or shut-in and/
or increased security and other 
operating costs. 

•	 Reduced income from gas sales 
and high levels of fixed operating 
costs may significantly squeeze 
cash reserves.

•	 Third party contractors and 
availability of equipment.

•	 Wells shut-in and reduced cash-
flow from gas sales. Possible 
adverse effects of shut-in 
for extended period on re-
commencement of production.

3737

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019BUSINESS RISKS

OTHER BUSINESS RISKS
In  addition  to  the  above  risks,  Wentworth’s  business  is  subject  to  all  the  risks  inherent  in  oil  and  gas 
exploration,  development  and  production  activities.  Several  of  these  could  have  a  material  impact  on 
Wentworth’s  long-term  performance,  causing  actual  results  to  differ  materially  from  expected  and 
historical results.

Wentworth has identified other pertinent risks including:

•	 Dissatisfied stakeholders;
•	 Inexact reserve and production determinations;
•	 Failure to recruit and retain key personnel and /or engage in adequate succession planning;
•	 Human error or deliberate negative action(s); and
•	 Insufficient timely information available to executive management and the Board.

COMPANY POLICIES
Wentworth has developed comprehensive company policies that align with local, national and international 
policy and regulatory framework where we operate. This is crucial to both the commercial success and the 
reputation of the business.

Everyone  who  works  for  Wentworth  plays  a  key  part.  All  employees,  consultants  and  contractors  are 
accountable  for  the  way  they  conduct  themselves  during  their  contributions.  The  overarching  drivers 
being to ensure, honesty, integrity and professionalism, whilst maintaining the highest ethical standards in 
the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business.

The Directors are mindful of the impact of Wentworth’s business on its employees and contractors, the 
environment and on the wider community in the UK, Tanzania and Mozambique. It notes the following with 
respect to HSSE, corporate responsibility, business integrity, community responsibility and employees.

HEALTH, SAFETY, SECURITY AND ENVIRONMENT
It is a priority for Wentworth that everyone is aware of his/her responsibility towards providing for a safe and 
secure working environment. HSSE and social responsibility leadership are considered core competencies. 
Wentworth’s HSSE risks are managed in a systematic way by utilising procedures and appropriate training 
of staff, with the aim to reduce these risks to as low as is reasonably practical. Wentworth ensures that 
appropriate emergency response systems are in place to reduce and mitigate the impact and losses of 
any incident and any residual risks and follows all relevant laws, regulations and industry standards.

Wentworth maximises its influence with Mnazi Bay JV partners, Maurel et Prom, and TPDC as well as WAF 
to share and execute on its HSSE and social responsibility values. Contractors are required to demonstrate 
and  deliver  a  credible  HSSE  and  social  responsibility  programme.  To  achieve  continual  improvement, 
Wentworth is committed to reviewing its HSSE and social responsibility performance at least twice a year.

Wentworth is committed to minimising its impact on the environment in both field operations and within 
its  offices  in  Reading  and  Dar  es  Salaam.  All  staff  share  responsibility  for  monitoring  and  improving  the 
performance of its environmental policies with the objective of reducing our impact on a year-on-year basis.

38

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Wentworth is committed to conducting its business in a responsible and sustainable way. Wentworth has 
corporate, environmental and social responsibilities to the indigenous communities in the areas in which 
it operates, to its partners including WAF, its employees and to its shareholders. In pursuing its business 
objectives, it undertakes not to compromise its CSR with any of these stakeholders.

BUSINESS INTEGRITY
Wentworth  is  committed  to  conducting  its  business  with  integrity,  honesty  and  fairness.  All  business 
activities are reviewed to ensure they meet these standards and all new and existing staff are trained as 
appropriate. Wentworth also seeks to ensure that similar standards are applied by its business partners, 
contractors and suppliers. All members of staff are individually accountable for their actions to ensure that 
they apply and maintain these standards.

COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY
Wentworth and its subsidiary undertakings are committed to being a good partner in all communities in 
which it operates. Engagement and dialogue with local stakeholders are essential in ensuring, that where 
possible, projects benefit both Wentworth and the communities in which a project or asset is located.

EMPLOYEES
Wentworth is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination where all employees are afforded 
equal opportunities and are rewarded on merit and ability. In the implementation of this policy, Wentworth 
is committed to ensuring that all employees are given contracts with clear and fair terms. Staff are given 
relevant training and encouraged to join professional bodies to enhance their knowledge, competencies, 
career development and opportunities for progression.

Wentworth  is  committed  to  achieving  the  highest  possible  standards  of  conduct,  accountability  and 
propriety and to a culture of openness in which employees can report legitimate concerns without fear of 
penalty or punishment. 

Wentworth has a whistleblowing policy which empowers employees to be proactive, to report any failure 
to  comply  with  legal  obligations  or  Wentworth’s  regulations,  dangers  to  health  and  safety,  financial 
malpractice,  damage  to  the  environment,  criminal  offences  and  actions  which  are  likely  to  harm  the 
reputation  of  Wentworth.  The  whistleblowing  policy  allows  employees  to  make  anonymous  reports 
directly to the Senior Independent Director.

Katherine Roe
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2020 

39

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019 
STATEMENT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 

Dear Shareholder 

As  Chairman  of Wentworth  Resources  plc,  my  role  is  to  lead  the  Company,  ensuring  sound  Corporate 
Governance and establishing a strong and sustainable corporate culture of respect, integrity, honesty and 
transparency. The Company has adopted the QCA Corporate Governance Code 2018 (“QCA Code”) which 
is considered by the Directors to provide the most suitable governance framework for the Company given 
its current size and stage of development. 

We continue to remain focused on HSSE and are committed to ensuring the health and safety of all who 
work with us, as well as striving to protect the environments in which we work. The remuneration policy 
of the Company, as set by the Remuneration Committee, includes a zero Lost Time Incident (“LTI”) target 
linked to the performance bonus of all staff. In addition, the CEO is tasked with ensuring that our partners 
adopt the same approach to HSSE that we do. 

During 2019 Eskil Jersing resigned as CEO and Katherine Roe was appointed in his place. She continues 
to oversee the finance function and is well supported by a senior finance team in Tanzania and the UK. 
Following this change the Company reviewed its financial controls to ensure they were appropriate for the 
new executive structure.

LONG-TERM VALUE AND STRATEGY
The  Company  is  focused  on  the  delivery  of  long-term  sustained  shareholder  value  and  growth,  both 
organically  through  its  core  Tanzanian  Mnazi  Bay  producing  gas  asset,  and  through  a  focused  M&A  led 
growth mandate. Our strategy and business model is explained in detail within the Strategic Report. 

BOARD COMPOSITION 
During 2019, Eskil Jersing, the Company’s former CEO, left the Company and Katherine Roe, (previously 
CFO), was  appointed  CEO with  a  mandate  to  lead  the  Company  into  the  next  phase  of  its  growth. The 
Board  currently  comprises  myself,  Robert  McBean,  as  Non-Executive  Chairman,  three  Non-Executive 
Directors and our CEO. Full details of each Director can be found within their biographies in this report. 
I lead the Board with a strong vision of the Company culture and a clear focus on strategy. My experience 
in global oil and gas markets as well as M&A markets is considered key to the Company at this stage of its 
development. I previously held the role of Executive Chairman and currently hold 5.22% of the voting rights 
in the capital of the Company and therefore was not considered independent on appointment as Non-
Executive Chairman. However, in the opinion of the Non-Executive Directors, I bring to the Board a great 
depth  of  experience  and  knowledge  and  continue  to  be  considered  critical  to  the  Company’s  ongoing 
operations and execution of its M&A strategy. 

John  Bentley, Tim  Bushell  and  Iain  McLaren  together  have  considerable  experience  in  the  oil  and  gas 
sector and international capital markets and bring integrity and vision to the Board. Though John Bentley 
has served on the Board for more than nine years, he continues to exercise independence of character 
and judgement and as such is considered independent. Similarly, Tim Bushell and Iain McLaren are both 
considered independent. 

The CEO has considerable oil and gas and capital markets experience, as well as a demonstrable ability 
to  execute  complex  transactions.  I  am  confident  that  she  can  deliver  the  Company’s  strategy with  the 
support of the rest of the Board. 

40

CORPORATE GOVERNANCEFor the Board to function effectively and lead the Company, the Directors must have detailed knowledge 
of Tanzanian gas production operations, the jurisdictional landscape and the Company’s other operations. 
In addition, the Board requires knowledge of the global oil and gas industry and M&A markets, international 
capital markets and UK, Jersey and Tanzanian legislation and regulation. 

To  achieve  this,  the  Directors  collectively  pursue  ongoing  training  and  professional  development 
opportunities, and regularly visit the Tanzanian assets and meet with key in-country stakeholders. Further, 
Directors are encouraged to retain membership of professional and/or industry bodies and attend external 
courses as required. Lastly, the Board receives briefing notes, updates and training from the Company’s 
Nominated Adviser and legal advisers on an ad hoc basis. 

ATTENDANCE AT BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Company does not specify a time commitment required from its Directors but expects Board members 
to devote enough time to their roles as required. All Board members are expected to attend shareholder 
meetings  and  be  available  to  shareholders  as  required.  There  are  frequent  communications  between 
Board members, outside the set meeting dates, in order to stay abreast of business developments. Board 
meetings are often accompanied by a Board dinner to allow more informal discussion of issues between 
Directors, this drives clarification and engagement leading to a greater consensus in meetings. The role 
of the CEO is a full-time position. 

The full Board meets at least four times a year and on any other occasions it deems necessary 1. During 
2019, there were six scheduled Board meetings, five ad-hoc Board meetings convened at short-notice, 
three Remuneration Committee meetings, two Audit Committee meetings, one Nominations Committee 
meeting and the Reserves Committee did not meet but passed a resolution in writing. Directors attendance 
is shown below. 

Number of scheduled Board 
meetings in a year

Robert McBean

John Bentley

Tim Bushell 

Iain McLaren 

Katherine Roe 

Eskil Jersing 
(resigned 15 November 2019) 

Cameron Barton 
(resigned effective 30 March 2019) 

Board 
Meetings

Audit 
Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

Reserves 
Committee

6

6

6

6

6

6

5

1

2

-

2

2

2

-

-

-

3

3

3

3

3

-

-

1

1

1

1

1

1

-

-

-

0

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1  The Company has established procedures whereby ad-hoc Board meetings can be convened at short-notice to deal with specific 

matters which need to be considered between scheduled meetings of the Board.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019STATEMENT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 

EXTERNAL ADVISERS 
The Audit Committee has secured external advice on tax and legal matters as required. The Remuneration 
Committee received external legal advice relating to Eskil Jersing’s resignation.

John  Bentley  is  the  Senior  Independent  Director  and  as  such  he  is  available  to  all  Board  members  and 
shareholders should they have any concerns. The Board is supported by a qualified Company Secretary 
however the Company does not detail the role of the Senior Independent Director or the Company Secretary.

BOARD EVALUATION
The Nominations Committee is responsible for conducting assessments of the Board, its committees and 
individual Directors, which are carried out on an informal basis. Following the resignation of Eskil Jersing in 
November 2019, the Nominations Committee met to consider the composition of the Board. As a result of 
that review, Katherine Roe was appointed interim CEO and subsequently CEO. 

No formal board performance evaluation was conducted in 2019. The Remuneration Committee assesses 
the performance of the Executive Director against Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”) which are determined 
at the beginning of each financial year and reviewed at the end of the performance period. 

COMPANY CULTURE
The Directors are committed to operating the Company’s business in a way that delivers lasting benefit 
to  the  communities  and  environments  where  the  business  operates.  In  particular,  the  importance  of 
delivering success in a safe and responsible environment underpins everything that the Company does.

Myself  as  Non-Executive  Chairman  and  the  CEO  are  the  leaders  of  the  Company’s  corporate  culture, 
demonstrating  our values  of  respect,  integrity,  honesty  and  transparency  in  everything  that we  do. We 
set the tone for the Company by exemplifying consistent values of high ethical standards and fairness; 
lead the Company in defining its vision; are the main spokespersons for the Company; and bear the chief 
responsibility in ensuring the Company meets its short-term operational and long-term strategic goals. 

The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct Policy sets out the minimum standards of behavior required 
by all Directors, officers, employees and contractors in conducting the business affairs of the Company, 
including in relation to conflicts of interest, protection and proper use of corporate assets and opportunities, 
confidentiality of corporate information, anti-corruption, fair dealing with the Company’s security holders, 
customers,  suppliers,  competitors  and  employees,  compliance  with  laws,  rules  and  regulations  and 
maintenance of corporate records and the reporting of illegal and unethical behaviour. 

42

CORPORATE GOVERNANCEBOARD COMMITTEES
The  Board  has  been  supported  by  an  Audit  Committee,  Remuneration  Committee,  Nominations 
Committee  and  Reserves  Committee; details of  their  activities during  2019  can  be  found  in  each  of 
their  reports.  Since  the  end  of  the  year,  the  Board  has  decided  that  the  functions  of  the  Reserves 
Committee can be carried out by the Board as a whole and therefore the Reserves Committee has 
been disbanded.

THE QCA CODE
We have adopted the QCA Code as appropriate for a Company of our size and current stage of development, 
however the following areas of non-compliance have been identified:

•	 Robert McBean, in his previous Executive role, was granted share options over a total of 1.9m ordinary 
shares in the capital of the Company. Additionally, John Bentley was previously awarded share options 
over  a  total  of  900,000  ordinary  shares  in  accordance  with  Canadian  market  practice.  These  share 
options remain in place, but no further share options will be granted to Non-Executive Directors; and

•	 The Executive Director is assessed against clear and objective criteria, however there are no objective 
criteria set against which the Board, Committees and individual effectiveness of the Non-Executive 
Directors are considered. Board evaluation is considered on an ad-hoc basis and there is no formal 
evaluation process carried out by the Company. 

The  Company  has  elected  to  follow  the  recommendations  of  the  QCA  Code  for  the  presentation  of  its 
Corporate  Governance  disclosures.  Accordingly,  the  Company’s  Corporate  Governance  Statement 
contained on its website at www.wentplc.com sets out, against each of the 10 Principles of the QCA Code, 
where the disclosures relating to each principle are located. 

Robert McBean
Chairman

24 April 2020

43

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Katherine Roe
Chief Executive Officer  

Bob McBean
Non-Executive Chairman

Bob  is  a  mechanical  engineer  with  over  40 
years’  experience  in  the  upstream,  midstream, 
and  downstream  oil  and  gas  industries.  He  is  an 
accomplished energy project developer and both 
a  private  and  public  company  senior  executive 
and  Director.  His  past  accomplishments  include: 
the 
originating,  developing,  and  serving  as 
first  Managing  Director  of  Qatar  Fuel  Additives 
Company,  a  world-scale  methanol  and  methyl 
tertiary butyl ether petrochemicals facility in Qatar; 
originating, developing, and then serving as the first 
Managing Director of Dubai Natural Gas Company, 
an  associated  gas  LPG  processing  facility  in 
Dubai; and co-founding Scarboro Resources with 
interests and operations in Italy, Libya, Abu Dhabi, 
Indonesia, France, Pakistan and Canada. Bob is a 
member of the Nominations Committee.

Katherine,  Chief  Executive  Officer,  was  appointed 
to the role following the departure of Eskil Jersing 
on  15  November  2019,  Katherine  was  previously 
the  Company’s  CFO  and  retains  oversight  of  the 
finance function. Katherine joined the Company in 
2014  as Vice  President  Corporate  Development  & 
Investor Relations. Katherine has 20 years of senior 
corporate and capital markets experience and prior 
to  joining  Wentworth,  Katherine  spent  11  years  at 
Panmure Gordon & Co, where she headed up the 
Natural Resources team, with a principle focus on 
the  oil  and  gas  sector.  Katherine  has  experience 
across  a  number  of  international  jurisdictions with 
exposure to emerging and development markets, 
particularly in Africa. Further, Katherine has extensive 
experience with a range of strategic growth options 
in the public markets through multiple IPO launches, 
equity  capital  fundraisings  and  M&A  transactions. 
Katherine  was  an  AIM  Nominated  Adviser  and 
Qualified Executive for many years, having moved 
from Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division. 
She 
independent  Non-Executive 
Director  and  Audit  Chair  of  Longboat  Energy  plc, 
having  been  independent  Non-Executive  Director 
of  Faroe  Petroleum  plc,  following  DNO’s  hostile 
takeover in early 2019.

is  currently 

44

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018

John Bentley
Non-Executive Director and 
Senior Independent Director

Tim Bushell
Non-Executive Director
and Deputy Chairman

Iain McLaren 
Non-Executive Director

in  Metallurgy 

John  has  over  40  years  of 
experience 
international 
in 
natural resource corporations at 
both the executive management 
level.  He  has  a 
and  board 
degree 
from 
Brunel University. John has had 
a specific focus in the upstream 
oil  and  gas  industry  in  Africa 
having been instrumental in the 
formation  of  Energy  Africa  Ltd 
where  he  was  CEO  during  the 
period 1996 through 2000. Prior 
to  this,  he  held  several  senior 
positions  in  the  Gencor  Group. 
Until  recently,  he  was  Non-
Executive  chairman  of  Faroe 
Petroleum  plc  and  remains  a 
Non-Executive director of Africa 
Energy  Corp.  John  is  Chair  of 
the  Nominations  Committee 
and a member of the Audit and 
Remuneration Committees.

Tim is a qualified geologist with 
more than 30 years’ experience 
in the oil and gas industry. He has 
worked at British Gas, Ultramar, 
LASMO, and Paladin Resources. 
Most  recently  Tim  was  Chief 
Executive Officer at Falkland Oil 
and  Gas  Limited  and  Director/
co-founder  of  Core  Energy  AS. 
He  is  currently  serving  as  a 
Non-Executive  Director  on  the 
Board of Genel Energy plc, Petro 
Matad  Limited  and  Sval  Energi 
AS. He is also a Director Redrock 
Energy  Limited.  Tim  is  Chair  of 
the  Remuneration  Committee 
and a member of the Audit and 
Nominations Committees.

Iain  has  significant  experience 
in  the  oil  and  gas  sector  with 
deep  experience  as  Audit 
Committee chair. He is currently 
a  Non-Executive  Director  and 
Chair  of  the  Audit  Committee 
of  Jadestone  Energy  Inc.  and 
until  May  2018  was  Senior 
Independent  Director  and  Chair 
of the Audit Committee for Cairn 
Energy  plc.  He  is  currently  a 
Director of two other investment 
companies. He is a past President 
Institute  of  Chartered 
of  the 
Accountants  of  Scotland  and 
was  a  partner  of  KPMG  for  28 
years  until  2008.  Iain  is  Chair 
of  the  Audit  Committee  and  a 
member  of  the  Remuneration 
and Nominations Committees. 

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45

 
 
 
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Audit Committee met twice during the year and with specific regard to the Annual Report and Accounts, 
considered  Group  financial  disclosures  and  accounting  matters,  including  the  impact  and  treatment  of 
standards that came into effect, those that have not yet done so but have been endorsed by the EU and 
amendments to existing standards.

With the world currently struggling to deal with and assess the impact of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, 
the Audit Committee dedicated a significant amount of time to assessing the Group’s financial systems, 
preparations and resilience for what will likely be a prolonged period of uncertainty. The Audit Committee 
have  judged  that  the  business  will  continue,  anticipating  minimal  disruption  and  do  not  at  this  stage 
foresee these to be either longstanding or material in nature. The Audit Committee will, however, continue 
to monitor the situation as it progresses and is mindful of the speed at which circumstances may change, 
both for the better or for the worse. Further disclosures on the risks associated with Covid-19 are made 
within the Business Risks section of this report and more details on the assessment of the uncertainties 
surrounding the situation can be found in note 3.

Other areas the Audit Committee paid specific regard to are noted below:

•	 the  impairment  provision  with  respect  to  the  Tembo  asset  in  Mozambique,  which  was  formally 

relinquished during 2019 but impaired in-full within the 2018 financial statements;

•	 the provision-in-full made against the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania receivable and 
any indicators of a change to the present obligation, probability or amount of anticipated final settlement;
•	 the presentation of certain non-recurring administrative costs within the statement of comprehensive 

income;

•	 the recoverability of gas sales receivables;
•	 the carrying values of both producing and non-producing assets capitalised within the statement of 

financial position; and

•	 the relevance of current financial and accounting policies alongside the requirements contained within 

the recently executed GSA following the award of COD in September 2019.

A summary of the areas in which the Audit Committee were required to exercise significant judgement is 
noted below, all of which are further disclosed within note 3 of the Annual Report and Accounts:

•	 Covid-19 readiness and contingency planning progress, noting that the situation is fast-moving and 
has not previously been specifically anticipated, albeit the implications of which are similar in nature to 
other scenarios that have been analysed and where possible mitigated;

•	 continued accounting treatment of Cyprus Mnazi Bay Limited (“CMBL”) as a joint-operation;
•	 recoverability of costs capitalised on Mnazi Bay, their carrying value and the supportive results of the 

most recent RPS Reserves Report;

•	 Mnazi  Bay  gas  supply,  demand  and  settlement  assumptions  with  respect  to  current  receivables, 

capitalised carrying value and going concern; and

•	 the ongoing recognition basis for deferred tax losses attributed to Wentworth’s equity share of CMBL.

46

CORPORATE GOVERNANCEA key role of the Audit Committee is to monitor the effectiveness of the internal control environment which 
includes  giving  consideration  to  the  Group’s  internal  control  and  risk  management  policies  and  systems, 
their effectiveness and the requirements for an internal audit function in the context of the Group’s overall 
risk  management  system. The Audit  Committee  is  satisfied  that  the  Group  does  not  currently  require  an 
internal  audit  function,  however,  it  will  continue  to  periodically  review  the  situation  and,  where  it  deems 
necessary, commission limited internal audit of controls and processes. These informal audits may be carried 
out randomly and on areas where the Audit Committee deems there to be an elevated exposure to risk or 
where it is difficult to fully mitigate a particular risk entirely. The Audit  Committee receives and monitors 
monthly operating and financial reports for unexpected variances or instances that may indicate a possible 
change to the existing risk profile of an activity and interrogate those activities in more detail if required.

The external audit function plays an important part in assessing the effectiveness of financial reporting and 
internal controls and, in turn, the effectiveness and quality of audit is of key importance with sufficient weight 
given to new areas of compliance, such as International Financial Reporting Standard (“IFRS”) 16, and existing 
areas  of  risk  as  is  deemed  appropriate  for  the  relative  size  and  complexity  of  the  Group’s  activities.  Our 
Auditors, KPMG LLP (UK), have been in place since 2018 and, in line with the audit profession’s own ethical 
guidance, the current audit engagement partner is due to rotate off the Company’s account in the year-
ending 31 December 2022 having served for a period of five years. KPMG LLP (UK) may serve as external 
auditor for a total period of 20 years, with a mandatory tender process occurring after no more than 10 years 
in 2028. 

There are no contractual restrictions on the choice of the external auditor. The Audit Committee reviews 
the Auditors’ independence and monitors the nature and level of non-audit fees payable to them on an 
annual basis. The Audit Committee believes that certain work of a non-audit nature is best undertaken 
by the external auditors, and that it is not appropriate to limit the level of such work by reference to a set 
percentage of the audit fee, as this does not take into account important judgments that need to be made 
concerning the nature of work undertaken to help safeguard the auditors’ independence. Details of fees 
payable to the auditors are set out in note 7. 

Where the auditor could not objectively provide services but had historically done so, it had given Wentworth 
sufficient notice of this and disengaged from this activity. This was the case with certain Group tax advisory 
services which had been provided by KPMG Calgary and has now been moved to CW Energy Consultants, 
based in the United Kingdom, and assisted by the computation of certain aspects of the IFRS 2 share-based 
payments charge, the valuations for which are now prepared internally by Wentworth.

The Audit Committee has reviewed the UK Corporate Governance and QCA Code including the requirement 
for FTSE 350 companies to put the external audit contract out to tender at least every ten years. Having 
considered the guidance on aligning the timing of such re-tenders with the audit engagement partner 
rotation cycle, the Audit Committee’s current intentions are that it will initiate a re-tendering process in 
2028 in line with KPMG LLP (UK)’s own requirements noted above. This policy will be kept under review 
and the Audit Committee will use its regular reviews of auditor effectiveness to assess whether an earlier 
date for such a re-tender would be desirable. The Audit Committee has recommended to the Board that 
it recommend the re-appointment of KPMG LLP (UK) at the 2020 AGM.

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There were no instances to report of circumstances where the Board did not accept a recommendation made 
to it by the Audit Committee on any matter, including the re-appointment of KPMG LLP (UK) as external auditor.

Finally, the Audit Committee gave due consideration to the adequacy of its whistleblowing procedures and 
the ongoing engagement of LLP (UK), their independence, associated remuneration and non-audit fees.

Iain McLaren
Chairman, Audit Committee

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

•	 Iain McLaren (Chairman)
•	 John Bentley
•	 Tim Bushell

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

•	 Reviewing the effectiveness of the Group’s financial reporting, internal control policies and procedures 

for the identification, assessment and reporting of risk;

•	 monitoring the integrity of the Group’s financial statements;
•	 monitoring the effectiveness of the internal control environment;
•	 making recommendations to the Board on the appointment of the auditors;
•	 agreeing the scope of the auditors’ annual audit programme and reviewing the output;
•	 keeping the relationship with the auditors under review;
•	 assessing the effectiveness of the audit process; and
•	 developing and implementing policy on the engagement of the auditors to supply non-audit services.

The external auditors have unrestricted access to the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Audit Committee 
meetings are also attended by the external Auditor where appropriate and, by invitation, the Chairman, 
Chief Executive Officer, Group Financial Controller and senior management.

48

CORPORATE GOVERNANCEREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT

Dear Shareholder,

On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to present the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the year-ended 
31 December 2019. 

The Committee aims to ensure that remuneration is linked to the performance of the Company and believes 
that the Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”), which is based on absolute shareholder return, ensures that 
management is aligned with shareholders in respect of the share incentive element of their remuneration 
packages. The Committee is satisfied that the outcomes, in respect of the incentives and remuneration 
during the financial year under review, are appropriate. 

During 2019, the composition of the Board of Directors was subject to further change.Eskil Jersing resigned 
from the Company and Katherine Roe was appointed CEO. Cameron Barton left the Board in March having 
resigned previously. 

No changes have been made to the remuneration policy and practices adopted at the end of 2018. The 
Committee will continue to ensure that the Company’s remuneration policy and practices are kept under 
review to ensure that they remain appropriate for the Company at its stage of development and that they 
do not encourage any unnecessary risk taking by the executive team. 

On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank shareholders for their continuing support. 

Tim Bushell 
Chairman, Remuneration Committee 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

•	 Tim Bushell (Chairman)
•	 John Bentley
•	 Iain McLaren

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE 

•	 Determining the remuneration policy for the Group to be applied to Directors and senior management 

and recommending any changes to the remuneration policy;

•	 reviewing  and  agreeing  the  total  remuneration  package  for  the  Executive  Director  and  other 

members of senior management;

•	 approving targets for the performance-related LTIP scheme;
•	 agreeing KPIs for the Executive Director’s annual bonus targets and monitoring achievement of those 

KPIs; and

•	 appointing remuneration consultants as may be required by the Committee to advise in respect of 

any matters.

REMUNERATION POLICY
The Group’s remuneration policy is focused on ensuring that overall remuneration is set at a competitive level 
against the Company’s peer group to enable the Company to attract and retain high-calibre employees with 
the requisite skill-sets required to execute the Company’s strategy. The Committee is tasked with ensuring that 
the policy is applied in such a way that remuneration of directors, management and senior staff is set at a level 
no higher than is required to achieve the Company’s objectives and that pay is closely linked to performance.

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Following a period of significant corporate change in 2018, there was further change during 2019 as Eskil 
Jersing resigned from his position as CEO towards the end of the year. Katherine Roe was appointed interim 
CEO and subsequently CEO. 

The Committee has focused on ensuring that the base salary, annual bonus, benefits and pension are at a 
level to attract high-quality employees. However, the Committee is also keen to align the Executive Director 
and senior management with the long-term strategy of the Company and to that end a greater emphasis 
has been placed on aligned long-term incentives linked to performance at the time of recruitment. 

Executive Director Policy

Base Salary

Purpose and link to strategy

Base salary to be set at a competitive level to enable recruitment and retention 
of Executive Directors and to ensure that Executive Directors are appropriately 
rewarded for their role and responsibilities. 

Operation

•	 Base salary is reviewed annually in April considering the Directors’ 

performance, individual responsibilities and experience. 

•	 Salary increases will be awarded to reflect changes in role or responsibility 

and any industry benchmarking adjustment. 

•	 The Committee considers matters of retention, motivation and economic 

climate as well as the challenges facing the business. 

•	 As and when required the Committee obtains benchmarking data and 

reviews peer group comparator companies’ remuneration.

Performance related bonuses

Purpose and link to strategy

To incentivise and reward, on an annual basis, the achievement of individual 
targets and Group targets on both financial and non-financial metrics.

Operation

•	 Objectives/KPIs are set, prior to the year under review with the Executive 

Directors being treated collectively as a team, where appropriate, in addition to 
individual performance considerations.

•	 KPIs, specific to the Executive Directors and select senior management, are 

aligned to the Group’s strategy and business plan and focused on enabling the 
Group to achieve its long-term objectives.

•	 At the end of each year the Committee uses its judgement to determine 

whether the KPIs have been achieved in addition to individual performance 
and contribution to the Group.

•	 The maximum level of performance related bonus for Executive Directors 

is capped at 100% of annual salary, having discretion, in exceptional 
circumstances only, to increase beyond this.

•	 The maximum level for senior management is capped at 50% of annual salary.
•	 As a priority, the Committee considers whether operations have been 

completed to acceptable HSSE standards and considers whether there were 
any HSSE incidents when determining the level of bonus payments. 

•	 The bonus is non-contractual, is discretionary and is paid in cash following 

the year-end. 

•	 Any bonus payment is subject to the Company’s malus and claw-back policy.

50

CORPORATE GOVERNANCEPension provision

Purpose and link to strategy

To provide competitive retirement benefits commensurate with schemes 
offered by peer companies in line with legislation.

Operation

•	 During each year, the Employer contributes an amount equal to 10% of the 

Salary to the Employee’s personal pension scheme. Any contributions shall be 
payable in equal monthly instalments in arrears. 

Benefits

Purpose and link to strategy

To provide competitive cost-effective benefits to assist in attracting and 
retaining the calibre of Directors required to deliver the Group’s strategy.

Operation

•	 A range of customary benefits, in addition to base salary, is provided to 

Executive Directors including life assurance and private healthcare provisions.

LTIP

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

To attract and retain the calibre of Executive Directors and senior management 
required to implement and realise the Company’s long-term strategy. The LTIP is 
intended to align the Executive Directors and senior management’s interests with 
the long-term interests of shareholders through challenging performance targets 
linked to vesting of the awards. 

•	 The LTIP was approved by shareholders in July 2018.
•	 The Committee makes initial awards under the LTIP to newly appointed 

Directors, subject to the Company being in an open dealing period, up to a 
maximum of 200% of base salary.

•	 The Committee intends to make annual awards in July of each year, where 

appropriate, to Executive Directors and senior management. Annual awards are 
capped at 100% of annual base salary subject to the Remuneration Committee 
having discretion, in exceptional circumstances only, to increase an annual 
award to up to 200% of annual base salary.

•	 All awards are over nil cost options vesting over a three-year period and are 
subject to performance conditions linked to the Company’s actual share 
price growth over the period. 

•	 Options granted under the Company’s previous schemes remain in place. 

Remuneration Policy for overseas employees
The majority of the Group’s employees are based in Tanzania and local customs are adopted to ensure 
that  employees’  remuneration  in  country  of  operation  is  appropriate  to  their  jurisdiction. The  Company 
policy is to pay its employees fair salaries and benefits, competitive with market demand. 

The  Company  implements  a  performance  review  process  against  individual  goals  relevant  to  their 
positions  and  the  Company’s  achievement  related  to  share  price  performance.  Employees  are  entitled 
to a maximum annual bonus of up to two months basic salary as established by the Company. Individual 
goals represent 50% of an employee’s annual bonus and the other 50% of an employee’s annual bonus, is 
based on share price performance. 

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Recruitment
In  the  case  of  recruitment  of  a  new  Executive  Director  the  Committee  can  use  all  the  components  of 
remuneration as set out in the policy table above.

•	 Base salary of a new Executive Director will be determined by reference to market rates through peer 
group analysis, the experience and skills of the individual and their existing remuneration package. 
•	 Any annual bonus will be applied in-line with the policy with KPIs being agreed with any new appointee 
as soon as possible after appointment. The relevant maximum bonus percentage will be pro-rated to 
reflect the period of employment with the Company during the year. 

•	 An award under the LTIP may be made on joining, in-line with the policy, up to 200% of base salary and 

thereafter capped at 100% of base salary per annum, other than in exceptional circumstances. 

•	 In the case of an external hire, the Remuneration Committee may deem it appropriate to compensate 
an individual for the loss of existing incentive and benefit arrangements which would be forfeited on 
termination of their previous employment. In the case of an internal hire existing awards made to that 
individual would be retained.

Service Contracts and change of control provisions
The Executive Director has a signed service contract that is not fixed in duration. Details of the Director’s 
service contract and appointment dates are as follows:

Katherine Roe

Date of 
Current Contract

Notice 
Period

23 August 2018

12 Months

The Directors’ service contracts are available to view at the Company’s registered office and its Reading 
office and prior to each AGM at the venue for the meeting. 

Termination of employment
Clause 17 of the Executive Director’s service agreement outlines the termination of the agreement by the 
employer, which states that “the Employer shall have the discretion to terminate the Appointment lawfully 
without any notice (or part thereof) by paying to the Employee a sum equal to, but no more than, the salary 
as at the date that such payment is made under this clause”. 

A bonus payment will not normally be made to a Director under notice although there may be circumstances 
relating to a specific, clear and determinable KPI where a limited bonus payment may be agreed. 

LTIP  awards  lapse  on  termination  of  employment  unless  the  individual  is  considered  a  ‘good  leaver’ 
whereupon under the LTIP the award will lapse six months later. Under the previous Company Option 
Plan,  the  award will  lapse  45  days  following  termination  of  employment,  however,  the  Remuneration 
Committee (approved by the Board) has extended this period to 12 months where the Committee has 
determined that individual to be a ‘good leaver’. The Committee has the discretion to determine whether 
a leaver is a ‘good leaver’.

52

CORPORATE GOVERNANCENon-Executive Director Policy

Pursuant to Article 25 in the Company’s Articles of Association, the Board can enter into, vary or terminate 
an  agreement  with  a  Non-Executive  Director  and  can  determine  the  level  of  Non-Executive  Directors 
remuneration subject to any limit set by the Company by ordinary resolution. 

Fees

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Fees are set at a competitive level to attract and retain high-calibre Non-
Executive Directors who collectively bring the required skill-set to the Board 
to support the Executive Directors and guide the Company to achieve its 
objectives. 

•	 Fees for the Chairman are determined by the Committee. Fees for the Non-
Executive Directors are determined by the Board as a whole with Directors 
recusing themselves from decisions relating to their own remuneration.

•	 The Board has regard to the level of fees paid to Non-Executive Directors of 

comparator companies similar to the Company and the time commitment and 
responsibilities of the role. 

•	 The chair of Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee and the Senior 

Independent Director each receive an additional £10,000. No fees are paid to the 
Chair of the Nominations Committee. No Director receives fees for sitting on a 
Board Committee. 

Performance related bonuses

Non-Executive Directors do not participate in the group’s annual bonus scheme. 

Pension provision

Non-Executive Directors are not paid a pension contribution. 

LTIP

Non-Executive Directors do not participate in the LTIP Scheme.

KEY ACTIVITIES

•	 	Agreed	and	set	KPIs	for	the	Executive	Directors	for	2019;
•	 	agreed	the	total	remuneration	package	for	each	Executive	Director	and	members	of	senior	management;
•	 	agreed	a	new	remuneration	package	for	Katherine	Roe	on	appointment	as	CEO;	and
•	 	agreed	the	terms	of	Eskil	Jersing’s	resignation.

The Company Secretary acted as secretary to the Committee. The Chairman of the Board and other Board 
members attended Committee meetings at the invitation of the Committee and as appropriate. 

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EXTERNAL ADVICE
Pinsent  Mason  provided  legal  advice  in  relation  to  the  termination  of  Eskil Jersing’s  contract.  No  other 
external advice was sought by the Committee during the year. 

DIRECTORS REMUNERATION DURING THE PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2019

Total Remuneration of Executive Directors
The table below reports single figure of total remuneration for each Executive Director during the year:

Base 
Remuneration

Bonus

Other 
Benefits

LTIP 
 charges

2019
Total

$

2018
Total

$

$

340,867

$

-

$

$

524,891

(12,825)

852,933

361,727

260,172

131,846

50,201

55,726

497,945

175,986

601,039

131,846

575,092

42,901

1,350,878

537,713

Eskil Jersing 1

Katherine Roe 2

Total

1  Departed the Company on 15 November 2019 Eskil Jersing elected to take his pension of $34,055 as salary and it has been included 
within other benefits. Other amounts included in other benefits include; healthcare of $3,646; separation payment of $476,583; 
accrued but unused leave of $10,607.
2 Appointed as CEO on 15 November 2019.

Annual Bonus of the Executive Director
The Remuneration Committee did not award a bonus to Eskil Jersing, as a result of his resignation, and 
on termination of his employment with the Company. Katherine Roe was awarded a bonus of $131,846 in 
recognition of KPI performance. 

The following key objectives had been agreed with Katherine Roe for the financial year-ending 
31 December 2019:

HSSE: zero lost time incidents;

Financial objectives: Quantifiable revenue and G&A targets;

Operational targets: Quantifiable production targets;

Objectives relating to stakeholder engagement and investor relations; and 

An M&A Transaction target. 

54

CORPORATE GOVERNANCELTIP Awards granted during the financial year
No LTIP awards were granted to the Directors during the financial year-ended 31 December 2019. At the 
time of Katherine Roe’s appointment as permanent CEO, on 3 January 2020, the following LTIP award was 
granted in accordance with the policy. The percentage of awards which will vest will be dependent on 
share price growth during the performance period. 

LTIP awards table

Director

Date of Grant

Share price at 
date of grant 1

Exercise 
price

Number of 
options subject 
to performance 
conditions set 
out below

Maximum 
number of 
shares 
that may 
vest

Katherine Roe

3 January 2020 

£0.1843

-

2,485,621

2,485,621

Face value 
of maximum 
award 2

£458,100 
($599,946)

1  The  share  price  is  calculated  by  reference  to  a  3-month volume weighted  average  price  of  an  ordinary  share  for  the  3  months 

immediately preceding the date of grant.

2  The face value of the awards is calculated using the 3-month volume weighted average price of an ordinary share for the 3 months 
immediately preceding the date of grant. The actual value of the awards to participants will be dependent on the percentage of the 
award that vests and the share price at the date of exercise. 

The key features of the 2018 LTIP awards are as follows:

•	 The award is in the form of nil cost conditional rights to ordinary shares;
•	 Performance will be measured over a three-year period to 3 January 2023;
•	 25%  of  the  award  will  vest  if  the  Company’s  share  price  at  the  end  of  the  Performance  Period  has 
increased by an 8% compounded annual growth rate, and 100% of the award will vest if the share price 
has increased by a 16% compound annual growth rate; 

•	 Should  the  Company’s  share  price  increase  between  8%  and  16%  the  awards  will  vest  on  a  linear 

sliding scale between 25% and 100%;

•	 No  awards  will  vest  should  the  Company’s  share  price  fail  to  increase  by  8%  compounded  annual 

growth rate;

•	 The  actual  share  price  growth  is  calculated  on  the  average  price  over  the  3-month  dealing  period 
immediately  prior  to  the  date  of  the  award  and  the  average  price  over  the  3-month  dealing  period 
immediately prior to the end of the performance period; and

•	 In certain situations, including a change of control, the awards may vest early if no replacement award 

has been made.

Resignation of Eskil Jersing
On  termination  of  Eskil  Jersing’s  contract,  the  Remuneration  Committee  agreed  that,  in  addition  to  his 
contractual entitlements, Eskil was paid a seperation payment of £30,000 ($38,626), which is included in 
the total remuneration table, as well as a contribution to his legal costs of £1,500 ($1,931).

Pursuant to the terms of his service agreement Eskil Jersing is subject to certain restrictive covenants in 
favour of the Company for a period of 12 months from termination of his service agreement. 

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Total Remuneration of Non-Executive Directors
The table below reports remuneration for each Non-Executive Director

Other 
Benefits

Share 
options 

Base 
Remuneration

$

-

Cameron Barton 1

Robert McBean

230,518

John Bentley

Iain McLaren 

Tim Bushell

76,807

76,807

76,807

Bonus

$

20,000

-

-

-

-

$

-

26,204

-

-

-

Total

460,939

20,000

26,204

1 Resigned, effective 31 March 2019

2019
Total

$

20,000

256,722

76,807

76,807

76,807

2018
Total

$

80,000

418,418

80,000

18,030

18,030

507,143

614,478

$

-

-

-

-

-

-

Following  the  resignation  of  Eskil  Jersing  on  15  November  2019,  the  Board  (other  than  Robert  McBean) 
determined  that  the  Company  would  benefit  from  an  extension  of  the  term  of  Mr  McBean’s  letter  of 
appointment which terminated on 30 June 2020. In February 2020, the Company agreed with Mr McBean 
that his letter of appointment would be extended by 12 months to 30 June 2021, and in consideration for 
this the Company agreed to pay $100,000 immediately (equal to half of the termination payment due to Mr 
McBean on 30 June 2020) with the remaining $100,000 to be paid on 30 June 2021. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECTOR REMUNERATION POLICY FOR 2020

Executive Directors

Base Salary

Annual Bonus

LTIP

Base salary for the Executive Directors and senior management will be 
reviewed annually in April and may be adjusted to reflect inflation and any 
change in current market practice.

KPIs have been agreed with the Executive Director for her 2020 annual bonus 
targets under the following classifications:
•	 HSSE;
•	 Financial including revenue targets which are considered commercially 

sensitive by the Committee;

•	 Operational including production targets which are considered commercially 

sensitive by the Committee;

•	 Preservation of the Company’s cash position;
•	 Stakeholder communications; and 
•	 M&A activity.
Total bonus opportunity will be capped at 100% of 2020 base salary.

The Committee intends to grant further LTIP awards during 2020 in 
accordance with the Policy. The Committee will consider quantum, 
performance period and performance targets at the time of award but 
expects that the performance condition will remain linked to actual share 
price growth over the performance period.

Benefits and Pension 
contribution:

The Executive Directors will receive the range of Company benefits and 
pension contribution in line with the Remuneration Policy.

56

CORPORATE GOVERNANCENon-Executive Directors

Fees

Benefits

The 2020 fees for the Non-Executive Directors have been set at £50,000 with 
an additional £10,000 paid to each of John Bentley, Iain McLaren and Tim 
Bushell for their roles of Senior Independent Director, Chair of Audit Committee 
and Chair of Remuneration Committee respectively. 
The exception to this is the Non-Executive Chairman who will receive an annual 
fee of £180,000. 

It was agreed in 2018 that the Non-Executive Chairman will continue to receive 
health care insurance but will forego all other benefits. 
Non-Executive Directors do not receive any benefits.

STATEMENT  OF  DIRECTORS’  SHAREHOLDINGS  AND  OUTSTANDING  AWARDS  UNDER  THE  LTIP  AND 
THE COMPANY’S PREVIOUS SHARE OPTION SCHEME

Ordinary shares
24 April 2020

Share options
24 April 2020

Ordinary shares
24 April 2019

Share options
24 April 2019

Robert McBean

John Bentley

Iain McLaren

Tim Bushell

Eskil Jersing 1

9,605,385

368,202

302,502

-

1,900,000

900,000

-

-

-

Katherine Roe 2

91,666

3,675,696

9,605,385

368,202

100,000

-

-

1,900,000

900,000

-

-

2,670,226

1,190,075

1  Resigned 15 November 2019
2  Appointed permanent CEO 3 January 2020

MISCELLANEOUS DISCLOSURES
The Company has granted an indemnity to its Directors (including subsidiary undertakings) under which 
the Company will, to the maximum extent possible, indemnify them against all costs, charges, losses and 
liabilities incurred by them in the performance of their duties.

The Company provides limited Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance, at a cost of approximately $45k 
in 2019 (2018: $59k).

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EXTERNAL APPOINTMENTS
The Company acknowledges the benefit of the Executive Director accepting appointments as a Non-Executive 
Director of other companies however she is only permitted to engage in other activities and businesses outside 
the Group provided there is no risk of conflict with her executive duties and subject to full Board disclosure. 

The Executive Director held the following positions during 2019 whilst she was an employee of the Company:

Katherine Roe is a Non-Executive Director of Longboat Energy plc and she was a Non-Executive Director 
of Faroe Petroleum plc until she resigned on 14 February 2019.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

During 2019 the Board of the Company was subject to further change following the resignation of Eskil 
Jersing. The  Nominations  Committee  met  once  during  the year  to  discuss  succession  planning  for  the 
position  of  CEO  and  to  assess  the  composition  of  the  Board,  the  balance  of  skills  and  experience  and 
the personal qualities and capabilities of the remaining board members. To maintain the Board as a well-
functioning unit, the Committee recommended that Mr McBean’s letter of appointment be extended by a 
12-month period and that Katherine Roe be appointed interim CEO and subsequently CEO. 

During 2020, the Committee will continue to evaluate the balance of the skills and qualities of the individual 
board members and will continue to focus on Board composition including succession planning for the 
Chairman, who will now retire at the end of June 2021.

John Bentley
Chairman, Nominations Committee

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

•	 John Bentley (Chairman)
•	 Robert McBean 
•	 Tim Bushell
•	 Iain McLaren

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

•	 Review the structure, size and composition of the Board and recommend any changes to the Board;
•	 Carry out succession planning for the Board and senior management;
•	 Be  responsible  for  filling  board  vacancies  when  they  arise  and,  before  any  appointment  is  made, 

evaluating the balance of skills, knowledge, experience and diversity on the Board; and

•	 Review the time requirement of Non-Executive Directors.

58

CORPORATE GOVERNANCERESERVES COMMITTEE REPORT

The role of the Reserves Committee is to assist the Board with overseeing and monitoring the Company’s 
process  for  calculating  its  oil  and  gas  reserves  and  the  processes  and  procedures  used  to  ensure 
compliance with applicable legislation and conformity with industry reporting standards. During 2019, the 
Committee  passed  a  resolution  to  approve  the  RPS  Canada  Competent  Persons  Report  for  Mnazi  Bay 
(effective date 31 December 2019).

Subsequently the Board has decided that the functions of the Reserves Committee can be carried out by 
the Board as a whole and therefore the Reserves Committee has been disbanded.

Tim Bushell
Chairman, Reserves Committee

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019COMMUNICATIONS WITH SHAREHOLDERS

The  Board  is  accountable  to  the  Company’s  shareholders  and  as  such  it  is  critical  for  the  Board  to 
appreciate the aspirations of the shareholders and equally that the shareholders understand how the 
actions of the Board and short-term financial performance relate to the achievement of the Company’s 
longer-term goals.

The  Board  reports  to  the  shareholders  on  its  stewardship  of  the  Company  through  the  publication  of 
interim  and  final  results  each  year.  Press  releases  are  issued  throughout  the  year  and  the  Company 
maintains  a  website  (www.wentplc.com)  on  which  press  releases,  Corporate  presentations  and Annual 
Reports are available to view. The Executive Director maintains a Q&A page on the Corporate website and 
a  Corporate  page  on  Linkedin  both  of which  are  populated  and  updated  regularly. This Annual  Report 
contains extensive information about the Company’s activities. Enquiries from individual shareholders on 
matters relating to the business of the Company are welcomed and shareholders and other interested 
parties can subscribe to receive notification of news updates and other documents from the Company via 
email. In addition, the Directors meet with major shareholders to discuss the progress of the Company. The 
Executive Director provides periodic feedback to the Board following meetings with shareholders.

60

CORPORATE GOVERNANCECONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The Company has in place procedures for the disclosure and review of any conflicts, or potential conflicts 
of  interest  which  the  Directors  may  have  and  for  the  authorisation  of  such  conflicts  by  the  Board.  In 
deciding whether to authorise a conflict matter or a potential conflict, the Directors must have regard to 
their general duties under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019DIRECTORS’ REPORT 

The Directors present the Report and Financial Statements on the affairs of Wentworth and its subsidiaries, 
together with the Financial Statements and Auditors’ Report for the year-ended 31 December 2019.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY AND BUSINESS REVIEW
The principal activity of the Group and Company throughout the year remained the exploitation of natural 
gas in Tanzania. The significant developments during 2019, and more recently, the other activities of the 
Group, as well as the future strategy and prospects for the Group, are reviewed in detail in the Chairman’s 
and Chief Executive Officer’s statements as well the Strategic Report section of this report. 

The Group operates through overseas branches and subsidiary undertakings as appropriate to the fiscal 
environment. Subsidiary undertakings of the Group are set out in note 17 to the financial statements. 

RESULTS AND DIVIDENDS
The Group profit for the financial year was $2.3 million (2018: loss $75.2 million). This leaves an accumulated 
Group  retained  loss  of  $337.2  million  (2018:  $338.5  million)  to  be  carried  forward.  Full  analysis  of  the 
movements in the Group’s reserves is provided in the Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity. The 
Directors recommend the payment of a second interim dividend of $2.0 million with a total distribution 
of $3.0 million for 2019 (2018: $nil).

GOING CONCERN
The  Group’s  business  activities,  together  with  the  factors  likely  to  affect  its  future  development, 
performance and position are set out in the Strategic Report. The financial position of the Group, its cash 
flows and liquidity position are described in the Financial Review contained within this report. 

With  the  world  currently  struggling  to  come  to  terms  with  the  unprecedented  events  of  the  Covid-19 
pandemic and the risk presented to the continued health and well-being of our workforce alongside the 
disruption that preventative measures have had on the global supply chain in placing restrictions on the 
transportation of goods, services and personnel set to continue for some time to come, considerable time 
and  resource  have  been  allocated  by  Directors  and  senior  management  in  ensuring  that Wentworth  is 
best placed to be able to continue to safely produce gas from Mnazi Bay alongside the Operator, Maurel 
et  Prom.  Given  the  essential  nature  of  services  provided  and  the  forecasted  impact  of  the virus  in  the 
country, the Group notes that an interruption of production and unavailability of key workforce is remote. 
The Directors however are mindful of the speed with which circumstances may change, both for the better 
or for the worse, and all modelling is based on information that we currently have available to us.

The Group has a long established and collaborative relationship with the Government of the United Republic 
of Tanzania, having operated in-country for many years, however the Directors do recognise that the Group 
is dependent upon the continued collection of gas sales invoices and ongoing operational support of the 
Government as its sole gas sales customer through its operating agencies, TPDC and TANESCO.

The Directors have, therefore, judged that on a risk-weighted basis, which takes into consideration both 
the  probability  of  occurrence  and  an  estimate  of  the  financial  impact,  the  continued  timely  settlement 
of  gas-sales  invoices  by  the  Government  of  the  United  Republic  of Tanzania  continues  to  be  the  most 
significant risk currently faced by the Group. To this end, should no settlement of further gas sales invoices 
be received from the date of approval of these financial statements, we have assessed that the Group 
would be able to continue to operate for a period of up to 14-months without the need for a further injection 
of working capital.

62

CORPORATE GOVERNANCEFurther to this based on the application of reasonable and foreseeable sensitivities, which include potential 
changes in demand, capital spend, operating costs, the Directors believe that the Group is well placed to 
manage its financial exposures. The Directors have judged that owing to a combination of the stability of 
this relationship which has seen payment terms continue to improve during 2019, and its much improved 
financial position having fully repaid all of its fixed-term debt in January 2020, the Group has sufficient 
cash resources for its working capital needs, committed capital and operational expenditure programmes 
for at least the next 14-months based on the Directors worst case scenario of no settlement of future gas 
sales as noted above.

CAPITAL STRUCTURE
Details of the issued share capital, together with details of the movements in the Company’s issued share 
capital during the year, are shown in note 25 to the financial statements. The Company has one class of 
ordinary share, which carries no right to fixed income. Each ordinary share carries the right to one vote at 
general meetings of the Company.

There  are  no  specific  restrictions  on  the  size  of  a  holding  nor  on  the  transfer  of  shares,  which  are  both 
governed by the general provisions of the Articles of Association and prevailing legislation. The Directors are 
not aware of any agreements between holders of the Company’s shares that may result in restrictions on the 
transfer of securities or on voting rights. Details of the employee share schemes are set out in note 24. No 
person has any special rights of control over the Company’s share capital and all issued shares are fully paid. 

DIRECTORS
The Directors who served during the year were as follows:

•	 Mr Robert McBean (Non-Executive Chairman)
•	 Ms Katherine Roe (Chief Executive Officer) 
•	 Mr Eskil Jersing (formerly Chief Executive Officer) (resigned 15 November 2019)
•	 Mr John Bentley (Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director)
•	 Mr Tim Bushell (Non-Executive Director)
•	 Mr Iain McLaren (Non-Executive Director)
•	 Mr Cameron Barton (Non-Executive Director) (resigned 31 March 2019)

Biographical details of serving Directors can be found in the Board of Directors section of this report.

DIRECTORS AND ELECTION ROTATION 
Regarding the appointment and replacement of the Directors, the Company is governed by its Articles 
of Association, the QCA Corporate Governance Code 2018, the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 and related 
legislation. The powers of Directors are described in the Corporate Governance section.

In accordance with Article 20 of the Company’s Articles of Association, at every AGM of the Company one-
third of the Directors shall retire from office.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019DIRECTORS’ REPORT 

SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDINGS
Except for the holdings of ordinary shares listed below, the Company has not been notified by, or become 
aware of any persons holding 3% or more of the 184,159,139 issued ordinary shares 1 of no par value of the 
Company as at 31 March 2020: 

Shareholder

No. of Shares % of Issued Share Capital % of Total Voting Rights 1

AXA Investment Managers

Sustainable Capital

Vitol Energy

FiL Investment International

Robert P. McBean

18,784,944

17,558,598

16,818,545

13,109,210

9,605,385

10.0730

9.4154

9.0185

7.0295

5.1507

10.2004

9.5345

9.1326

7.1184

5.2158

1  Based on a final counting of the number of shareholders having exercised their right of dissent and the number of shares held by 
them as of 1 October 2018, the Company may be required to acquire 2,329,326 shares of the Company, representing 1.25% of the 
issued and outstanding shares of the Company, from the dissenting shareholders.

BUSINESS RISK
A summary of the principal and general business risks can be found within the Strategic Report.

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Information  about  the  use  of  financial  instruments,  the  Group’s  policy  and  objectives  for  financial  risk 
management are given in note 29 to the financial statements.

AUDITORS
Each  of  the  persons who  is  a  Director  at  the  date  of  approval  of  this  Report  and  Financial  Statements 
confirms that:

•	 so far as the Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s Auditors 

are unaware; and

•	 the  Directors  have  taken  all  the  steps  that  they  ought  to  have  taken  as  Directors  in  order  to  make 
themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s Auditors are 
aware of that information.

This confirmation is given and should be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of section 418 of 
the Companies (Jersey) Law.

KPMG LLP (UK) has expressed its willingness to continue in office as Auditors and a resolution to appoint 
KPMG LLP (UK) will be proposed at the forthcoming AGM.

Katherine Roe
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2020

64

CORPORATE GOVERNANCESTATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The  Directors  are  responsible  for  preparing  the  Report  and  Financial  Statements  in  accordance  with 
applicable law and regulations. 

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law, 
the  Directors  have  elected  to  prepare  the  Group  and  Company  financial  statements  in  accordance  with 
IFRS as adopted by the European Union. Under company law, the Directors must not approve the financial 
statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and 
Company and of the profit or loss of the Group and Company for that period. The Directors are also required 
to prepare financial statements in accordance with the rules of the London Stock Exchange for companies 
trading securities on the Alternative Investment Market.

In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:

•	 select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
•	 make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
•	 state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union, 

subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

•	 prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that 

the Company will continue in business.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and 
explain the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position 
of the Company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the requirements 
of the Companies (Jersey) Law. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and 
hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

WEBSITE PUBLICATION
The Directors are responsible for ensuring the Annual Report is made available on a website. Financial statements 
are published on the Company’s website in accordance with the requirements of the Company’s Articles of 
Association. The maintenance and integrity of the Company’s website is the responsibility of the Directors. The 
Directors’ responsibility also extends to the ongoing integrity of the financial statements contained therein.

DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT 
We confirm that to the best of our knowledge that the financial statements, prepared in accordance with 
IFRS as adopted by the European Union, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit or loss of the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole; 
and the Report and Financial Statements include a fair review of the development and performance of the 
business and the position of the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a 
whole, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

For and on behalf of the Board

Katherine Roe
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2020

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019GROUP ACCOUNTS

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT
Year-ended 31 December 2019

1.  OUR OPINION IS UNMODIFIED 

We  have  audited  the  consolidated  financial  statements  of  Wentworth  Resources  plc  (“the  Company”) 
for the year ended 31 December 2019, which comprise the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, 
the  Consolidated  Statement  of  Comprehensive  Income,  the  Consolidated  Statement  of  Cash  Flows,  the 
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity, and the related notes, including the accounting policies in 
Note 2. 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements:

•	 give a true and fair view, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted 
by the European Union, of the state of the Group’s affairs as at 31 December 2019 and its profit for 
the year then ended; and 

•	 the	financial	statements	have	been	properly	prepared	in	accordance	with	the	Companies	(Jersey)	

Law 1991. 

Basis for opinion 
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and 
applicable law. Our responsibilities are described below. We have fulfilled our ethical responsibilities 
under, and are independent of the Group in accordance with, UK ethical requirements including the FRC 
Ethical Standard as applied to listed entities. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is a 
sufficient and appropriate basis for our opinion. 

2.  KEY AUDIT MATTERS: OUR ASSESSMENT OF RISKS OF MATERIAL MISSTATEMENT 

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in the 
audit of the financial statements and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement 
(whether or not due to fraud) identified by us, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall 
audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. 
These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in 
forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

We  continue  to  perform  procedures  over  Recoverability  of  Trade  Receivables.  However,  following 
improvements in collections from the Group’s largest counterparty, we have not assessed recoverability 
of  trade  receivables  as  a  significant  risk  in  our  current  year  audit  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  separately 
identified in our report this year.

In arriving at our audit opinion above, the key audit matters, in decreasing order of audit significance, 
were as follows:

Going Concern (Risk vs 2018 ▲)
Refer to the Audit Committee Report, and accounting policy Note 1.

The risk
Disclosure Quality
Note 1 to the financial statements explains how the Board has formed a judgement that it is appropriate 
to adopt the going concern basis of preparation for the Group.

That judgement is based on an evaluation of the inherent risks to the Group’s business model and how 
those risks might affect the Group’s financial resources or ability to continue operations over a period of 
at least a year from the date of approval of the financial statements. 

66

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

The  risk  most  likely  to  adversely  affect  the  Group’s  available  financial  resources  over  this  period  is 
defaults on payments by the Group’s major customer.

There are also less predictable but realistic second order impacts, such as the challenges posed by the 
Covid-19 pandemic including potential disruption of production.

The  risk  for  our  audit  was  whether  or  not  those  risks  were  such  that  they  amounted  to  a  material 
uncertainty that may have cast significant doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern. Had 
they been such, then that fact would have been required to have been disclosed. 

Our response
Our procedures included:

•	 Benchmarking assumptions: We assessed the appropriateness of key assumptions in the cash flow 
projections (including production costs, production volumes, committed and other planned capital 
expenditure) against our sector knowledge and experience, historical production information where 
relevant, internal development plans.

•	 Sensitivity  analysis:  We  considered  sensitivities  around  the  level  of  production  and  receipt  of 
payments from customers indicated by the Group’s financial forecasts taking account of reasonably 
possible downside (but not unrealistic) adverse effects that could arise from the Covid-19 outbreak. 
•	 Assessing  transparency:  We  considered  the  appropriateness  of  relevant  disclosures,  including 
both the going concern disclosure in note 1 of the financial statements and also the commentary 
elsewhere in the annual report.

Recoverability of tangible and intangible assets (Risk vs 2018 ◄►)
Property, plant and equipment - $77.5 million (2018: $83.7 million), Exploration and Evaluation Assets - 
$8.1 million (2018: $8.1 million).

Refer to the Audit Committee Report, accounting policy Note 2, and financial disclosure notes.

The risk
Asset Carrying Amount
Property plant and equipment and Exploration and evaluation assets need to be assessed for indicators 
of  impairment  on  a  regular  basis.  Given  the  volatile  nature  of  the  gas  industry  and  local  economic 
circumstance there is a real possibility that events will arise that amount to impairment indicators and if 
so that an Impairment test could result in a material change to the carrying value of assets. Identifying 
and assessing whether impairment indicators have arisen involves judgement and can be subjective.

Our response
Our procedures included:

•	 Accounting Application:  evaluating  management’s  assessment  of  indicators  of  impairment  of  the 

Group’s operating and exploration assets with reference to the relevant accounting standards.

•	 Test of details: Assessing indicators of impairment by considering changes in the political, economic and 
legal environment and their implications on the Group’s business. Identifying and assessing changes in 
production profile and plans, asset obsolescence, and any significant changes in cost base. 

•	 Assessing  transparency:  we  assessed  the  appropriateness  of  the  Group’s  disclosures  about  the 

outcome of the impairment indicators assessment. 

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GROUP ACCOUNTS

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT
Year-ended 31 December 2019

Recoverability of Deferred Tax assets (Risk vs 2018 ◄►)
(Deferred Tax Asset- $5.5 million (2018: $4.0 million)

Refer to the Audit Committee Report, accounting policy Note 2, and financial disclosure notes.

The risk
Forecast-based valuation
There is inherent uncertainty involved in forecasting future taxable profits generated from the Tanzanian 
operations, which determines the extent to which deferred tax assets are or are not recognised. There is 
judgement involved in determining the extent to which tax losses can be used to absorb future taxable 
profits as tax legislation can be subject to interpretation. The effect of these matters is that, as part of our 
risk assessment, we determined that the recoverable amount of deferred tax assets has a high degree 
of estimation uncertainty, with a potential range of reasonable outcomes greater than our materiality for 
the financial statements as a whole. 

Our response
Our procedures included:

•	 Our tax expertise: Use of our own tax specialists to assist us in assessing the recoverability of the tax 
losses against the forecast future taxable profits, taking into account the group’s tax position, the 
timing of forecast taxable profits, and our knowledge and experience of the application of relevant 
tax legislation. 

•	 Assessing  impact  (if  any)  of  updated  tax  legislation  and  inspecting  correspondence  with  tax 

authorities (where applicable) to assess interpretation of tax legislation.

•	 Assessing  forecasts:  challenging  key  assumptions  underpinning  near  and  medium  term  financial 
projections against reserves report prepared by external experts, historical production information 
where relevant, internal development plans and our knowledge and experience of the sector and 
the economic conditions in Tanzania. 

•	 We compared previous forecasts against actual results achieved to assess historical reliability of the 

forecasting.

•	 Assessing  transparency:  we  assessed  the  adequacy  of  the  Group’s  disclosures  regarding  the 

deferred taxation asset.

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Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

3.  OUR APPLICATION OF MATERIALITY AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCOPE OF OUR AUDIT 

Materiality  for  the  consolidated  financial  statements  as  a  whole  was  set  at  $1.15  million  (2018:  $1.57 
million)  determined with  reference  to  a  benchmark  of  group  total  assets,  of which  it  represents  1.0% 
(2018: 1.0%).

We  agreed to  report  to the Audit  Committee any  corrected  or  uncorrected  identified  misstatements 
exceeding $58k (2018: $78k), in addition to other identified misstatements that warranted reporting on 
qualitative grounds.

Of the group’s 8 (2018: 3) reporting components, we subjected 3 to full scope audit (2018: 1) and 2 (2018: 
2) to audits of account balances for Group purposes. The components for which we performed work 
other than audits for group reporting purposes were not individually significant but were included in the 
scope of our work in order to provide further coverage over the group’s results. 

The components within the scope of our work accounted for the percentages illustrated below.

(2018: 1 Audits for group reporting and 2 audits of account balances covering 100% of revenue, 100% of 
PBT, and 96% group assets) 

The components within the scope of our work accounted for the following percentages of the group’s results:

Number of 
components

Group 
revenue

Group profit 
before tax

Group total 
assets

Audits for group reporting purposes

Audits of account balances

Total 

3

2

8

100%

0%

100%

100%

0%

100%

96%

0%

100%

The Group team instructed component auditors as to the significant areas to be covered, including the 
relevant risks detailed above and the information to be reported back. The Group team approved the 
components’  materiality, which was  set  at  $925k  and  $637k  (for Wentworth  Gas  Limited  and  Cyprus 
Mnazi Bay Limited respectively) (2018: $1.25 million for both components) having regard to the mix of 
size and risk profile of the Group across the components. The work for group reporting purposes on 
2 (2018: 2) of the 8 (2018: 3) components was performed by the component auditor and the rest, was 
performed by the Group team.

The Group team visited the component auditor located in Tanzania to assess the audit risk and strategy 
which relates to both reporting components. Telephone conference meetings were also held with the 
component auditor. At these meetings, the findings reported to the Group team were discussed in more 
detail, and any further work required by the Group team was then performed by the component auditor. 

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GROUP ACCOUNTS

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT
Year-ended 31 December 2019

4. WE HAVE NOTHING TO REPORT ON GOING CONCERN 

The Directors have prepared the financial statements on the going concern basis as they do not intend 
to liquidate the Group or to cease its operations, and as they have concluded that the Group’s financial 
position means that this is realistic. They have also concluded that there are no material uncertainties 
that could have cast significant doubt over their ability to continue as a going concern for at least a year 
from the date of approval of the financial statements (“the going concern period”). 

Our responsibility is to conclude on the appropriateness of the Directors’ conclusions and, had there 
been  a  material  uncertainty  related  to  going  concern,  to  make  reference  to  that  in  this  audit  report. 
However,  as  we  cannot  predict  all  future  events  or  conditions  and  as  subsequent  events,  including 
Brexit and Covid-19 (as discussed above), may result in outcomes that are inconsistent with judgements 
that were reasonable at the time they were made, the absence of reference to a material uncertainty in 
this auditor’s report is not a guarantee that the Group will continue in operation. 

We  identified  going  concern  as  a  key  audit  matter  (see  section  2  of  this  report).  Based  on  the work 
described in our response to that key audit matter, we are required to report to you if we have concluded 
that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is inappropriate or there is an undisclosed material 
uncertainty that may cast significant doubt over the use of that basis for a period of at least a year from 
the date of approval of the financial statements.

We have nothing to report in these respects.

5.  WE HAVE NOTHING TO REPORT ON THE OTHER INFORMATION IN THE ANNUAL REPORT

The directors are responsible for the other information presented in the Annual Report together with 
the financial statements. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information 
and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except as explicitly stated below, any form of 
assurance conclusion thereon. 

Our  responsibility  is  to  read  the  other  information  and,  in  doing  so,  consider  whether,  based  on  our 
financial statements audit work, the information therein is materially misstated or inconsistent with the 
financial statements or our audit knowledge. Based solely on that work we have not identified material 
misstatements in the other information. 

6. WE HAVE NOTHING TO REPORT ON THE OTHER MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT 

BY EXCEPTION 
Under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991, we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

•	 proper accounting records have not been kept, or
•	 proper returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or 
•	 the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
•	 we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

We have nothing to report in these respects. 

70

Wentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019

7.  RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES 

Directors’ responsibilities 
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities, the directors are responsible for: 
the preparation of the financial statements including being satisfied that they give a true and fair view; 
such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements 
that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; assessing the Group’s ability 
to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern; and using 
the  going  concern  basis  of  accounting  unless  they  either  intend  to  liquidate  the  Group  or  to  cease 
operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s responsibilities 
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole 
are  free  from  material  misstatement,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error,  and  to  issue  our  opinion  in  an 
auditor’s  report.  Reasonable  assurance  is  a  high  level  of  assurance,  but  does  not  guarantee  that  an 
audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. 
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, 
they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of 
the financial statements. 

A fuller description of our responsibilities is provided on the FRC’s website at:

www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities

8. THE PURPOSE OF OUR AUDIT WORK AND TO WHOM WE OWE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES 

This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in in accordance with Article 113A of 
the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the 
Company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no 
other  purpose. To  the  fullest  extent  permitted  by  law, we  do  not  accept  or  assume  responsibility  to 
anyone other than the Company and the Company’s members, as a body, for our audit work, for this 
report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Mark Smith
For and on behalf of KPMG LLP
Chartered Accountants and Recognised Auditor 

15 Canada Square
London
E14 5GL

24 April 2020

i

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t
r
a
t
e
g
c
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e
p
o
r
t

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r
p
o
r
a
t
e
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o
v
e
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a
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71

 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Note

31 December 2019
$000

31 December 2018
$000

Total revenue 

Production and operating costs

Depletion

Total cost of sales

Gross Profit

Recurring administrative costs

New venture and pre – licence costs

Amounts capitalised to E&E assets

Impairment loss on E&E assets

Provision for Tanzania Government receivables

Management restructuring costs

Redomicile costs

Share-based payment charges

Depreciation

Loss on sale of PP&E 

Tanzanian withholding tax costs

Total costs

Profit/(loss) from operations

Finance income

Finance costs

Profit/(loss) before tax

Current tax expense 

Deferred tax income/(expense)

Net and comprehensive profit/(loss) after tax

Net profit/(loss) per ordinary share 

Basic and diluted (US$/share)

5

16

7

15

14

10

24

16

28

11

11

28

28

26

18,636

(3,935)

(6,236)

(10,171)

8,465

(5,883)

(609)

-

-

-

(489)

-

(63)

(2)

-

-

(7,046)

1,419

21

(453)

987

(132)

1,511

1,379

2,366

0.01

16,224

(2,290)

(7,803)

(10,093)

6,131

(6,289)

-

664

(41,598)

(4,959)

(940)

(1,393)

(98)

(12)

(3)

(993)

(55,621)

(49,490)

2,659

(1,616)

(48,447)

(63)

(26,714)

(26,777)

(75,224)

(0.40)

72

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
Year-ended 31 December 2019

Note

31 December 2019
$000

31 December 2018
(Restated) 1 $000

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

TPDC receivables

Non-current assets

Exploration and evaluation assets

Property, plant and equipment

Deferred tax asset

Total assets

LIABILITIES 

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Current portion of long-term loans

Contingent PTTEP liability

Non-current liabilities

Long-term loans

Decommissioning provision

EQUITY

Share capital

Equity reserve

Accumulated deficit

Total liabilities and equity

12

13

15

16

28

18

20

21

20

22

25

25

13,487

6,075

-

19,562

8,129

77,559

5,548

91,236

110,798

2,125

1,714

-

3,839

-

1,085

1,085

416,426

26,651

(337,203)

105,874

110,798

11,903

9,403

5,238

22,194

8,129

83,777

4,036

95,942

118,136

3,062

7,091

848

11,001

1,688

969

2,657

416,426

26,588

(338,536)

104,478

118,136

1  Restated amounts relate to the presentation adjustment net-off of $2.5 million cash and cash equivalents within current assets 
against  $2.5  million  credit  overdraft  facility  within  current  liabilities  with  respect  to  the  undrawn  overdraft  credit  facility  at 
31 December 2018 (note 19).

The financial statements of Wentworth Resources plc, registered number 127571 were approved by the 
Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 24 April 2020.

Signed on behalf of the Board of Directors.

Katherine Roe
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2020

73

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

Note

Number
of shares

Share
capital
$000

186,488,465

416,426

Equity
reserve
$000

26,490

Accumulated
deficit
$000

Total
 equity 
$000

(262,566)

180,350

Balance at 31 December 2017 
as previously reported

IFRS 9 transitional adjustment

2

-

-

-

(746)

(746)

Restated balance at 
31 December 2017

Net loss and comprehensive 
loss

Share based compensation

Balance at 31 December 2018

Dividends

Net profit and comprehensive 
profit

24

27

Share based compensation

24

186,488,465

416,426

26,490

(263,312)

179,604

-

-

-

-

-

98

(75,224)

(75,224)

-

98

186,488,465

416,426

26,588

(338,536)

104,478

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

63

(1,033)

2,366

(1,033)

2,366

-

63

Balance at 31 December 2019

186,488,465

416,426

26,651

(337,203)

105,874

74

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Year-ended 31 December 2019

Note

31 December 2019
$000

31 December 2018
(Restated) 1 $000

Operating activities

Net profit/(loss) for the year

Adjustments for:

 Depreciation and depletion 

 Impairment loss on E&E assets

 Provision for Tanzania Government receivables

 Finance costs/(income), net

 Deferred tax expense

 Share based compensation

 Loss on sale of PP&E

Change in non-cash working capital

Net cash generated from operating activities

Investing activities 

Additions to exploration and evaluation assets

Additions to property, plant and equipment

Reduction of TPDC receivable

Proceeds from sale of office assets

Interest income

Net cash from investing activities

Financing activities 

Principal term loan repayments

Overdraft credit facility repayment 1

Interest on term loan

Interest/renewal fee on overdraft facility

Payment of contingent PTTEP liability

Dividends paid

Net cash used in financing activities

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period

Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period

16

15

14

31

28

24

31

31

31

31

16

20

19

20

19

21

27

2,366

6,238

-

-

432

(1,511)

63

-

7,588

410

7,998

-

(20)

5,238

-

21

5,239

(6,661)

-

(593)

(18)

(848)

(1,033)

(9,153)

4,084

9,403

13,487

(75,224)

7,815

41,598

4,959

(1,043)

26,714

98

3

4,920

1,576

6,496

(1,806)

(1,968)

15,377

3

-

11,606

(6,996)

(2,500)

(1,544)

(68)

(1,341)

-

(12,449)

5,653

3,750

9,403

1  Restated amounts relate to the presentation adjustment net-off of $2.5 million cash and cash equivalents within current assets 
against  $2.5  million  credit  overdraft  facility  within  current  liabilities  with  respect  to  the  undrawn  overdraft  credit  facility  at 
31 December 2018 (note 19).

75

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. INCORPORATION AND BASIS OF PREPARATION

Wentworth  Resources  plc  (“Wentworth”  or  the  “Company”)  is  an  East  Africa-focused  upstream  oil  and 
natural  gas  company.  These  audited  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  accounts  of  the 
Company and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “Wentworth Group of Companies” or the “Group”). 
The  Company  is  actively  involved  in  oil  and  gas  exploration,  development  and  production  operations. 
Wentworth is incorporated in Jersey and shares of the Company as at 31 December 2019 were widely held 
and listed on the AIM part of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: WEN). 

The Company’s principal place of business is located at Thames Tower, 2nd Floor, Station Road, Reading 
RG1 1LX, United Kingdom.

The Company maintains offices in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Reading, United Kingdom.

Basis of presentation and statement of compliance
These  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  on  a  historical  cost  basis  and  have  been 
prepared  using  the  accrual  basis  of  accounting. The  consolidated  financial  statements  are  prepared  in 
accordance with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (”IASB”). 

The consolidated financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 24 April 2020.

At the time of writing this report, relatively little is known about the behaviour and ultimate impact of the 
Covid-19 virus, both operational and financial. The virus was entirely unanticipated, and the speed of infection 
and reinfection has taken worldwide authorities by surprise. Freedom of movement and security protocols 
have been put in place in the United Kingdom that are unprecedented in the past 75-years. That being said, 
Wentworth has never been in a stronger position to be able to absorb and deal with the potential downside 
scenarios that we have been working very hard to model and mitigate internally. Ultimately, however, it will 
be the macro-economic environment that influences the impact upon the wider Group and there can be 
no certainty as to what this final outcome will be. We continue to apply the judgement that the business will 
continue, anticipating minimal disruption and do not at this stage foresee these to be either longstanding or 
material to our business. We do, however, continue to monitor the situation as it progresses and are mindful 
of the speed in which circumstances may change, both for the better or for the worse.

Functional and presentation currency
These consolidated financial statements are presented in US dollars which is the functional currency the 
majority of its subsidiaries.

76

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Basis of consolidation
These  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  accounts  of  the  Company  and  its  subsidiaries. 
Subsidiaries are entities that the Company controls. An investor controls an investee when it is exposed, 
or  has  rights,  to  variable  returns  from  its  involvement  with  the  investee  and  can  affect  those  returns 
through its authority over the investee. The existence and effect of potential voting rights are considered 
when assessing whether a company controls another entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the 
date on which control is transferred to the Company. They are deconsolidated from the date that control 
ceases. The legal entities within the Wentworth Group of Companies are disclosed within note 17. All inter-
company transactions, balances and unrealised gains on transactions between the parent and subsidiary 
companies are eliminated on consolidation.

The  Group  holds  a  31.94%  participation  interest  in  the  Mnazi  Bay  Concession  through  two  subsidiaries. 
Wentworth Gas Limited (“WGL”), which is a wholly owned subsidiary, owns a 25.40% participation interest 
and  CMBL  owns  a  16.38%  participation  interest  of  which  the  Group’s  proportionate  share  is  6.54%  (i.e. 
Wentworth’s  interest  of  39.925%  interest  in  CMBL  multiplied  by  16.38%  participation  interest).  CMBL  is 
considered a jointly controlled entity and accounted for as a joint operation rather than a joint venture. The 
Group proportionately consolidates CMBL as related contractual agreements establish that the parties to 
the joint arrangement have rights to the assets and obligations for the liabilities of ownership in proportion 
to their interest in the arrangement.

The  Group’s  business  activities,  together  with  the  factors  likely  to  affect  its  future  development, 
performance and position are set out in the Strategic Report. The financial position of the Group, its cash 
flows and liquidity position are described in the Financial Review contained within this report. 

With  the  world  currently  struggling  to  come  to  terms  with  the  unprecedented  events  of  the  Covid-19 
pandemic and the risk presented to the continued health and well-being of our workforce alongside the 
disruption that preventative measures have had on the global supply chain in placing restrictions on the 
transportation of goods, services and personnel set to continue for some time to come, considerable time 
and  resource  have  been  allocated  by  Directors  and  senior  management  in  ensuring  that Wentworth  is 
best placed to be able to continue to safely produce gas from Mnazi Bay alongside the Operator, Maurel 
et  Prom.  Given  the  essential  nature  of  services  provided  and  the  forecasted  impact  of  the virus  in  the 
country, the Group notes that an interruption of production and unavailability of key workforce is remote. 
The Directors however are mindful of the speed with which circumstances may change, both for the better 
or for the worse, and all modelling is based on information that we currently have available to us.

The Group has a long established and collaborative relationship with the Government of the United Republic 
of Tanzania, having operated in-country for many years, however the Directors do recognise that the Group 
is dependent upon the continued collection of gas sales invoices and ongoing operational support of the 
Government as its sole gas sales customer through its operating agencies TPDC and TANESCO.

77

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Directors have, therefore, judged that on a risk-weighted basis which takes into consideration both the 
probability of occurrence and an estimate of the financial impact, the continued timely settlement of gas-
sales invoices by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania continues to be the most significant 
risk currently faced by the Group. To this end, should no settlement of future gas sales invoices be received 
from the date of approval of these financial statements, we have assessed that the Group would be able to 
continue to operate for a period of up to 14-months without the need for a further injection of working capital.

Further to this based on the application of reasonable and foreseeable sensitivities, which include potential 
changes in demand, capital spend, operating costs, the Directors believe that the Group is well placed to 
manage its financial exposures. The Directors have judged that owing to a combination of the stability of 
this relationship which has seen payment terms continue to improve during 2019 and its much improved 
financial position having fully repaid all of its fixed-term debt in January 2020, the Group has sufficient 
cash resources for its working capital needs, committed capital and operational expenditure programmes 
for at least the next 14-months based on the Directors worst case scenario of no settlement of future gas 
sales as noted above.

The  Directors  have  a  reasonable  expectation  that  the  Group  has  adequate  resources  to  continue  in 
operational existence for the foreseeable future and therefore continue to adopt the going concern basis 
of accounting in preparing the annual financial statements.

Future accounting pronouncements
The following amended standards and interpretation are effective for financial years commencing on or after 1 
January 2020. The Group does not intend to adopt the standards below, before their mandatory application date.

New and amended standards

Standard

Description

Effective date

EU  Endorsement 
Status

IFRS 3 (amendments)

Definition of a Business 

1 January 2020

Endorsed

IAS 1 and IAS 8 (amendments)

Definition of Material

1 January 2020

Endorsed

IFRS 9, IAS 39 and IFRS 7 
(amendments)

Interest Rate Benchmark Reform

1 January 2020

Endorsed

IFRS 17

Insurance Contracts

1 January 2021

Endorsed

The Company intends to adopt the above listed standards and interpretations in its financial statements 
for the annual period beginning 1 January 2020. The Company does not expect the interpretation to have 
a material impact on the financial statements.

78

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 20192. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these Company and Group consolidated 
financial	 statements	 are	 set	 out	 below.	 These	 policies	 have	 been	 consistently	 applied	 to	 all	 the	 years	
presented, unless otherwise stated.

Joint arrangements
The  analysis  of  joint  arrangements  requires  management  to  analyse  numerous  agreements  and  the 
requirements  of  IFRS  10  and  IFRS  11.  Several  judgements  and  estimates  are  made  by  management 
including whether joint control exists and the extent of exposure to the underlying assets and liabilities 
of  the  joint  arrangement.  By  virtue  of  the  provisions  contained  within  the  underlying  shareholder 
agreements,  to  which  CMBL  (see  below  for  accounting  considerations  of  this  entity)  and Wentworth 
Holdings  Gas  Limited,  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  Wentworth  Resources  plc,  are  parties  to, 
management have assessed that the Company has a joint arrangement through its 31.94% ownership 
in the licence and accounts for this interest as a joint operation as no single individual shareholder may 
exercise  absolute  control  over  the  entity. The  agreement  is  bilateral, with  Maurel  et  Prom  and whilst 
the Operator may make day-to-day decisions, the overall strategic direction of the partnership requires 
unanimous consent between Maurel et Prom and Wentworth. Maurel et Prom hold 48.06% share in the 
licence and 20% is owned by TPDC. As such the Group is entitled to its share of production from the 
licence  and  therefore  revenue  generated  from  the  sale  of  this  output.  Wentworth  also  recognise  its 
share of all expenses incurred the joint arrangement, its right to the assets, as well as its share of the 
liabilities and obligations.

Accounting treatment of CMBL
The Group holds a 31.94% participation interest in the Mnazi Bay Concession through two subsidiaries. 
WGL, which is a wholly owned subsidiary, which owns a 25.40% participation interest and Wentworth 
Holdings (Jersey) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary whom hold 39.925% in CMBL, which owns a 16.38% 
participation interest of which the Group’s proportionate share is therefore 6.54% (i.e. Wentworth’s interest 
of  39.925%  interest  in  CMBL  multiplied  by  16.38%  participation  interest).  CMBL  is  considered  a  jointly 
controlled entity and accounted for as a joint operation rather than a joint venture. The Group therefore 
recognises its share of production from the licence and therefore revenue generated from the sale of 
this output.  It also recognises its share of all expenses incurred the joint arrangement, its right to the 
assets, as well as its share of the liabilities and obligations. 

Financial instruments
The	Group	recognises	financial	assets	and	liabilities	on	its	balance	sheet	when	it	becomes	a	party	to	the	
contractual provisions of the instrument.

(i) Financial assets 
Classification and initial measurement 
Financial  assets  within  the  scope  of  IFRS  9  are  classified  as  financial  assets  at  amortised  cost,  fair 
value through profit or loss or fair value through OCI. The Group determines this classification at initial 
recognition  depending  on  the  business  model  for  managing  the  financial  asset  and  the  contractual 
terms of the cash flows. 

The Group’s financial assets include cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables. 

79

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

When financial assets are initially recognised, they are measured at fair value being the consideration given 
or received plus directly attributable transaction costs. Any gain or loss at initial recognition is recognised 
in the income statement. 

The Group’s financial assets measured at amortised cost are held for the collection of contractual cash 
flows where those cash flows have specified dates and represent solely payments of principal and interest, 
such as cash and cash equivalents or trade receivables. 

The Group’s financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss are those financial assets where the 
contractual cash flows do not represent solely payments of principal and interest, such as trade receivables.

Subsequent measurement 
Financial  assets  held  for  the  collection  of  contractual  cash  flows  that  are  solely  payments  of  principal 
and interest (and classified as amortised cost) are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the 
effective  interest  rate  method  (“EIR”). Amortised  cost  is  calculated  by  taking  into  account  any  discount 
or premium on acquisition and fees or costs that are an integral part of the EIR. The EIR amortisation is 
included in finance income in the income statement. Allowance for impairment is estimated on a case-
by-case basis. 

Derecognition 
A financial asset is derecognised when the Group loses control over the contractual rights that comprise 
that asset. This occurs when the rights are realised, expire or are surrendered.

Impairment of financial assets 
The Group assesses on a forward-looking basis the expected credit losses that might arise on financial 
assets  measured  at  amortised  cost.  This  assessment  considers  the  probability  of  a  default  event 
occurring that could result in the expected cash flows due from a counterparty falling short of those 
contractually agreed. 

Expected credit losses are estimated for default events possible over the lifetime of a financial asset measured 
at amortised cost. However, where the financial asset is not a trade receivable measured at amortised cost 
and  there  have  been  no  significant  increases  in  that  financial  asset’s  credit  risk  since  initial  recognition, 
expected credit losses are estimated for default events possible within 12 months of the reporting date. 

(ii) Financial liabilities 
Classification and initial measurement 
Financial liabilities within the scope of IFRS 9 are classified as financial liabilities at amortised cost or fair value 
through profit or loss. The Group determines the classification of its financial liabilities at initial recognition. 

The Group’s financial liabilities include trade and other payables, other liabilities and borrowings which are 
classified as amortised cost. Trade payables may be designated and measured at fair value through profit 
or loss when doing so eliminates or significantly reduces a measurement or recognition inconsistency that 
would otherwise arise from measuring assets or liabilities on a different basis. 

All  financial  liabilities  are  recognised  initially  at  fair  value  while  financial  liabilities  at  amortised  cost 
additionally include directly attributable transaction costs. 

80

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Subsequent measurement 
Trade and other payables, borrowings and other financial liabilities are subsequently measured at amortised 
cost using the EIR method after initial recognition. Gains and losses are recognised in the income statement 
through the EIR amortisation process. Amortised cost is calculated by taking into account any discount 
or premium on acquisition and fees or costs that are an integral part of the EIR. The EIR amortisation is 
included in finance costs in the income statement. 

A gain or loss on a financial liability measured at fair value through profit or loss is recognised in the income 
statement in the period in which it arises. 

Derecognition 
A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation under the liability is discharged or cancelled or 
expires. When an existing financial liability is replaced by another on substantially different terms, or the 
terms  of  an  existing  liability  are  substantially  modified,  such  an  exchange  or  modification  is  treated  as 
a  derecognition  of  the  original  liability  and  the  recognition  of  a  new  liability,  and  the  difference  in  the 
respective carrying amounts is recognised in the income statement. 

(iii) Offsetting of financial instruments 
Financial assets and financial liabilities are offset and the net amount reported in the balance sheet when 
there is an enforceable legal right to offset the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on 
a net basis, or to realise the assets and settle the liabilities simultaneously.

(iv) Fair value of financial instruments 
At each reporting date, the fair value of financial instruments that are traded in active markets is determined 
by reference to quoted market prices, without any deduction for transaction costs. For financial instruments 
not traded in an active market, the fair value is determined using appropriate valuation techniques. Such 
techniques may include using recent arm’s length market transactions, reference to the current fair value 
of  another  instrument  that  is  substantially  the  same,  discounted  cash  flow  analysis  or  other  valuation 
models.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, term deposits and short-term highly liquid investments 
with the original term to maturity of three months or less, which are convertible to known amounts of cash 
and which, in the opinion of management, are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.

Long-term receivables
Long-term receivables plus applicable accrued interest are initially recognised at their fair value based 
on the discounted cash flows. The discounted cash flows are reviewed at least every year to adjust for 
variations in the estimated future cash flows with the change in estimate reported in profit or loss. The 
discount rate is based on the credit quality and term of the financial instrument. The financial instrument 
is  subsequently  valued  at  amortised  costs  by  accreting  the  instrument  over  the  life  of  the  asset.  The 
accretion is reported in profit or loss.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Exploration and evaluation (“E&E”) 
E&E  costs,  including  costs  of  licence  acquisition,  technical  services  and  studies,  exploratory  drilling, 
whether  successful  or  unsuccessful,  and  testing  and  directly  attributable  overhead,  are  capitalised  as 
E&E assets according to the nature of the assets acquired. These costs are accumulated in cost centres 
by well, field or exploration area pending determination of technical feasibility and commercial viability. 

E&E assets are assessed for impairment if (i) sufficient data exists to determine technical feasibility and 
commercial  viability,  and  (ii)  facts  and  circumstances  suggest  that  the  carrying  amount  exceeds  the 
recoverable amount. 

The  technical  feasibility  and  commercial  viability  of  extracting  a  resource  is  generally  considered 
to  be  determinable  when  proven  and/or  probable  reserves  are  determined  to  exist.  A  review  of  each 
exploration licence or field is carried out, at least annually, to ascertain whether it is technically feasible 
and commercially viable. Upon determination of technical feasibility and commercial viability, intangible 
E&E  assets  attributable  to  those  reserves  are  first  tested  for  impairment with  the  unimpaired  amounts 
reclassified  from  E&E  assets  to  a  separate  category  within  tangible  assets  within  Property,  Plant  & 
Equipment (“PP&E”) referred to as oil and gas interests.

Costs incurred prior to the legal awarding of petroleum and natural gas licences, concessions and other 
exploration rights are recognised in profit or loss as incurred.

PP&E - oil and natural gas properties 
Items  of  PP&E,  which  include  oil  and  gas  development  and  production  assets,  are  measured  at  cost  less 
accumulated  depletion  and  depreciation  and  accumulated  impairment  losses.  PP&E  assets  include  costs 
incurred in developing commercial reserves and bringing them into production, such as drilling of development 
wells, tangible costs of facilities and infrastructure construction, together with the E&E expenditures incurred in 
finding the commercial reserves that have been reclassified from E&E assets as outlined above, the projected 
cost of retiring the assets and any directly attributable general and administrative expenses. Expenditures on 
developed oil and natural gas properties are capitalised to PP&E when it is probable that a future economic 
benefit will flow to the Company as a result of the expenditure and the cost can be reliably measured. The 
initial cost of an asset is comprised of its purchase price or construction cost, any costs directly attributable to 
bringing the asset into operation, the initial estimate of any decommissioning obligations associated with the 
asset and borrowing costs on qualifying assets. When significant parts of an asset with PP&E, including oil and 
gas interests, have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items (major components).

Costs  incurred  subsequent  to  the  determination  of  technical  feasibility  and  commercial  viability  and  the 
costs of replacing parts of PP&E are recognised as capitalised oil and gas interests only when they increase 
the future economic benefits embodied in the specific asset to which they relate. Subsequent changes in 
estimated decommissioning obligation due to changes in timing, amounts and discount rates are included in 
the cost of the asset. Such capitalised oil and gas interests generally represent costs incurred in developing 
proved  and/or  probable  reserves  and  bringing  in  or  enhancing  production  from  such  reserves  and  are 
accumulated on a field or geotechnical area basis. The carrying amount of any replaced or sold component 
is derecognised. The costs of the day-to-day operating of PP&E are recognised in profit or loss as incurred.

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GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Depletion 
The net carrying amount of PP&E is depleted on a field by field unit of production method by reference to 
the ratio of production in the year to the related proven and probable reserves. If the useful life of the asset is 
less than the reserve life, the asset is depreciated over its estimated useful life using the straight-line method. 
Future  development  costs  are  estimated  considering  the  level  of  development  required  to  produce  the 
proven and probable reserves. These estimates are reviewed by third party independent reserves engineers. 
Changes in factors such as estimates of reserves that affect unit-of-production calculations are dealt with 
on a prospective basis. Capital costs for assets under construction included in development and production 
assets are excluded from depletion until the asset is available for use, that is, when it is in the location and 
condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management

Disposals 
Oil and natural gas properties are derecognised upon disposal or when no future economic benefits are 
expected  to  arise  from  the  continued  use  of  the  asset. Any  gain  or  loss  on  derecognition  of  the  asset, 
including farm out transactions or asset sales or asset swaps, is calculated as the difference between the 
proceeds on disposal, if any, and the carrying value of the asset, is recognised in profit or loss in the period 
of derecognition.

PP&E - office and other equipment
Office  and  other  equipment  are  carried  at  cost  less  accumulated  depreciation  and  impairment  losses. 
Depreciation of the cost of these assets less residual value is charged to profit and loss on a straight-line 
basis over their estimated useful economic lives of between three and five years. 

Leases
IFRS 16 Leases applies to all leases, including subleases, but does not apply to leases to explore for or use 
minerals, oil, natural gas and similar non-regenerative resources.

The Group recognises a right-of-use asset and a lease liability at the lease commencement date. The right 
of use asset is initially measured at cost, which comprises the initial amount of the lease liability adjusted 
for any lease payments made at or before the commencement date, plus any initial direct costs incurred 
and an estimate of costs to dismantle and remove the underlying asset or the site on which it is located, 
less any lease incentives received.

The right-of-use asset is subsequently depreciated using the straight-line method from the commencement 
date to the earlier of the end of the useful life of the right-of-use asset or the end of the lease term. The 
estimated useful lives of right-of-use assets are determined on the same basis as those of property and 
equipment.  In  addition,  the  right-of-use  asset  is  periodically  reduced  by  impairment  losses,  if  any,  and 
adjusted for certain remeasurements of the lease liability.

The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at the 
commencement  date,  discounted  using  the  interest  rate  implicit  in  the  lease  or,  if  that  rate  cannot  be 
readily determined, the Group’s incremental borrowing rate.

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Lease payments included in the measurement of the lease liability comprise the following:

•	 Fixed payments, including in-substance fixed payments;
•	 Variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate, initially measured using the index or rate 

as at the commencement date;

•	 Amounts expected to be payable under a residual guarantee; and
•	 The  exercise  price  under  a  purchase  option  that  the  Group  is  reasonably  certain  to  exercise,  lease 
payments  in  an  optional  renewal  period  if  the  Group  is  reasonably  certain  to  exercise  an  extension 
option,  and  penalties  for  early  termination  of  a  lease  unless  the  group  is  reasonably  certain  not  to 
terminate early.

The  lease  liability  is  measured  at  amortised  cost  using  the  effective  interest  method.  It  is  remeasured 
when there is a change in future lease payments arising from a change in an index or rate, if there as a 
change in the Group’s estimate of the amount expected to be payable under a residual value guarantee, or 
if the Group changes its assessment of whether it will exercise a purchase, extension or termination option.

When the lease liability is remeasured in this way, a corresponding adjustment is made to the carrying 
amount of the right-of-use asset or is recorded in a profit or loss if the carrying amount of the right-of-use 
asset has been reduced to zero.

The Group presents right-of-use assets that do not meet the definition of investment property in ‘property 
plant and equipment’ and lease liabilities in ‘loans and borrowings’ in the statement of financial position.

The Group has elected not to recognise right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that 
have a lease term of 12-months or less and leases of low-value assets. The Group recognises the lease 
payments associated with these leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Decommissioning obligation
Decommissioning obligations are recognised for legal obligations related to the decommissioning of long-
lived tangible assets that arise from the acquisition, construction, development or normal operation of such 
assets. A liability for decommissioning is recognised in the period in which it is incurred and when a reasonable 
estimate  of  the  liability  can  be  made  with  the  corresponding  decommissioning  provision  recognised  by 
increasing the carrying amount of the related long-lived asset. The recognised decommissioning provision 
is subsequently allocated in a rational and systematic method over the underlying asset’s useful life. The 
initial	amount	of	the	liability	is	accreted	by	charges	to	the	profit	or	loss	to	its	estimated	future	value.	

Impairment
The  carrying  values  of  production  assets,  exploration  and  evaluation  expenditures  that  have  been 
capitalised  and  property,  plant  and  equipment  are  assessed  for  impairment  when  indicators  of  such 
impairment exist. In performing impairment reviews, assets are categorised into the smallest identifiable 
groups  (cash  generating  units)  that  generate  cash  flows  independently.  If  any  indication  of  impairment 
exists, the estimated recoverable amount of the asset or cash generating unit (“CGU”) is calculated.

If the carrying amount of the asset or CGU exceeds its recoverable amount, it is impaired with the loss 
charged to the income statement so as to reduce the carrying amount to its recoverable amount.

Impairment losses are recognised in the income statement in those expense categories consistent with 
the function of the impaired asset or CGU.

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GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019An  assessment  is  made  at  each  reporting  date  as  to  whether  there  is  any  indication  that  previously 
recognised impairment losses may no longer exist or may have decreased. If such indication exists, the 
Group makes an estimate of the recoverable amount.

(i) Calculation of recoverable amount
The recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is the greater of its value in use and fair value less costs to sell. 
In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows of the asset or CGU in its present condition are 
discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments 
of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset. In determining fair value less costs to sell, 
consideration will be given to whether the value of the asset or CGU can be determined from an active 
market (e.g. recognised exchange) or a binding sale agreement which are classified as level 1 in the fair 
value hierarchy under IFRS 13 ‘Fair Value Measurements’. Where this is not determinable, fair value less 
costs to sell for a CGU is usually estimated with reference to a discounted cash flow model, similar to the 
method used for value in use, but may include estimates of future production, revenues, costs and capital 
expenditure  not  currently  included  in  the  economic  model.  Additionally,  cash  flow  estimates  include 
the impact of tax and are discounted using a post-tax discount rate. An estimate made on this basis is 
classified as level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

(ii) Reversals of impairment
A previously recognised impairment loss is reversed only if there has been a change in the estimates used to 
determine the asset’s recoverable amount since the last impairment loss was recognised. If this is the case, 
the carrying amount of the asset is increased to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is reversed 
only to the extent that the asset’s carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have 
been determined, net of depreciation or amortisation, if no impairment loss had been recognised for the 
asset in prior years. Such reversals are recognised in the income statement. Impairment losses recognised 
in relation to goodwill are not reversed for subsequent increases in the recoverable amount.

Share capital
The proceeds from the exercise of share options and the issuance of shares from treasury are recorded as 
share capital in the amount for which the option, warrant, or treasury share enables the holder to purchase 
a share in the Company.

Proceeds for shares in excess of the nominal value are recorded within share premium.

Share issuance costs
Commissions  paid  to  underwriters,  and  other  related  share  issue  costs,  such  as  legal,  auditing  and 
advisory, on the issue of the Company’s shares are charged directly to share capital, net of tax within the 
share premium account.

Share based payments
The fair value of the options at the date of the grant is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing 
model and share based compensation is accrued and charged to profit or loss, with an offsetting credit to 
equity reserve over the vesting periods. A forfeiture rate is estimated on the grant date and is adjusted to 
reflect the actual number of options that vest.

Capitalisation of interest
The Company capitalises interest expense incurred during the construction phase of the projects, except 
E&E assets which were funded by the related financing.

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Revenue recognition
Natural gas revenues are recognised upon the transfer of control over its gas to its customers, TPDC and 
TANESCO, which is when delivery is made to them through the offtake network.

Investment  income  is  accrued  on  a  time  basis  by  reference  to  the  principal  outstanding  and  at  the 
effective interest rate applicable, which is the rate that discounts estimated future cash receipts through 
the expected life of the financial asset to that asset’s net carrying value.

Income taxes
Tax expense comprises current and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in the profit or loss except to the extent 
it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive income (“OCI”) or directly in equity. 

Current income tax 
Current tax expense is based on the results for the period as adjusted for items that are not taxable or not 
deductible. Current tax is calculated using tax rates and laws that were enacted or substantively enacted 
at  the  end  of  the  reporting  period.  Management  periodically  evaluates  positions  taken  in  tax  returns 
with  respect  to  situations  in  which  applicable  tax  regulation  is  subject  to  interpretation.  Provisions  are 
established where appropriate on the basis of amounts expected to be paid to the tax authorities.

Deferred income tax 
Deferred taxes are the taxes expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities in the consolidated statement of financial position and their corresponding 
tax basis. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences. Deferred 
tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits are expected to be 
available against which deductible temporary differences to the tax basis can be utilised. Deferred income 
tax assets and liabilities are not recognised if the temporary difference arises from the initial recognition 
of goodwill, if any, or from the initial recognition (other than in a business combination) of other assets in a 
transaction that affects neither the taxable profit nor the accounting profit. 

Deferred  tax  liabilities  are  recognised  for  taxable  temporary  differences  arising  on  investments  in 
subsidiaries  and  joint  arrangements  except  where  the  reversal  of  the  temporary  difference  can  be 
controlled, and it is probable that the difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future. 

Deferred tax assets are reviewed at each reporting period and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable 
that sufficient future taxable profits are expected to be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered. 
Deferred tax assets are recognised for taxable temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries 
to the extent that it is probable that the temporary difference will reverse in the foreseeable future and future 
taxable profits are expected to be available against which the temporary difference can be utilised.

Foreign currency translation
Items  included  in  the  financial  statements  of  the  Company  and  its  subsidiaries  are  measured  using 
the  currency  of  the  primary  economic  environment  in  which  the  legal  entity  operates  (the  “functional 
currency”). Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency using the exchange 
rates  prevailing  at  the  dates  of  the  transaction.  Foreign  exchange  gains  and  losses  resulting  from  the 
settlement of such transactions and from the translation of monetary assets and liabilities not denominated 
in the functional currency of an entity are recognised in profit or loss. 

86

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019The functional currency of all Wentworth subsidiaries is US dollars except for Wentworth Resources (UK) 
Limited which is Pound Sterling. The assets and liabilities of this Company are translated into US dollars at 
the period-end exchange rate. The income and expenses of the Company are translated to US dollars at 
the average exchange rate for the period. 

Translation gains and losses are included in OCI; however, this subsidiary has limited operations so there 
is no significant amount of foreign exchange gains and losses to include in OCI. All other foreign exchange 
gains and losses are recognised in profit or loss. 

Changes in accounting policies
IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ was adopted on 1 January 2019, replacing International Accounting Standards (“IAS”) 17 
‘Leases’. The new standard has not been applied retrospectively. The standard changes the identification 
of leases and how they will be recognised, measured and disclosed by lessees, requiring the recognition of 
a right-of-use asset and liability for the future lease payments on the balance sheet. The standard requires 
the right-of-use asset to be depreciated over the duration of the lease term and shown within operating 
profit in the income statement, with the interest cost associated with the financing of the asset included 
within interest expense. In applying the transition requirements and provisions of the new standard, the 
Group reviewed its lease contracts, which mainly related to leased office buildings and the right-of-use 
asset and related liability was found to be immaterial. The standard does not apply to leases to explore for 
or use natural resources, such as production licences and rights.

The Group has elected not to recognise right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for leases which have low 
value, or short-term leases with a duration of 12 months or less. The payments associated with such leases 
are charged directly to the income statement on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

In assessing the application of IFRS 16, the Group considered the following practical expedients:

•	 the previous determination of whether a contract is, or contains, a lease pursuant to IAS 17 ‘Leases’ and 
IFRIC 4 ‘Determining whether an Arrangement Contains a Lease’ has been maintained for existing contracts;
•	 right-of-use assets or lease liabilities for leases where the lease term ends within 12 months of the date 

of initial application have not been recognised;

•	 initial direct costs from right-of-use assets have been excluded; and
•	 hindsight was used when assessing the lease term.

Earnings or loss per share (“EPS”)
Basic earnings or loss per share is calculated by dividing profit or loss attributable to owners of the Company 
(the numerator) by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (the denominator) during 
the period. The denominator is calculated by adjusting the shares outstanding at the beginning of the period 
by the number of shares bought back or issued during the period, multiplied by a time-weighting factor. 

Diluted  EPS  is  calculated  by  adjusting  the  earnings  and  number  of  shares  for  the  effects  of  all  dilutive 
potential ordinary shares deemed to have been converted at the beginning of the period or if later, the date 
of issuance. The effects of anti-dilutive potential ordinary shares are ignored in calculating diluted EPS. 

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3. CRITICAL ACCOUNTING JUDGEMENTS AND KEY SOURCES OF ESTIMATION UNCERTAINTY

In  applying  the  Company’s  accounting  policies,  the  preparation  of  consolidated  financial  statements 
requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts 
of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as at the date of the consolidated 
financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. 
Actual amounts may differ materially from these estimates due to changes in general economic conditions, 
changes in laws and regulations, changes in future operating plans and the inherent imprecision associated 
with estimates. Significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of these consolidated financial 
statements include the assessment of impairment triggers related to E&E and PP&E assets, estimation of 
decommissioning obligations, collectability of trade and other receivables and of long-term receivables, 
and recognition of a deferred tax asset.

Recoverable value of Mnazi Bay E&E and PP&E costs
Significant accounting Judgements
The Directors review the carrying value of the Groups assets to determine whether there are any indicators if 
impairment such that the carrying values of the assets may not be recoverable. The assessment of whether 
an indicator of impairment of reversal therefore has arisen requires considerable judgement, taking account 
of factors such as future operational and financial plans, commodity prices and the competitive environment.

E&E are inherently judgemental to value. The amounts for E&E represent active exploration projects and 
investments. These amounts are expensed to profit or loss as exploration costs unless the determination 
process  over  whether  reserves  are  recoverable  or  not  is  not  completed  and  there  are  no  indications 
of  impairment  at  the  reporting  date  or  commercial  reserves  are  established.  The  outcome  of  ongoing 
exploration and evaluation activities and whether the carrying value of E&E will ultimately be recovered is 
inherently uncertain and requires significant judgement.

Management performs impairment tests on the Company’s PP&E when indicators of impairment are present. 
The assessment of impairment indicators is subjective and considers the various internal and external factors 
such as the financial performance of individual CGUs, market capitalisation and industry trends.

Key sources of estimation uncertainty
The preparation of discounted cash flows used to assess the recoverable amount of the Groups CGUs 
includes  management’s  estimates  of  future  operating  costs,  economic  and  regulatory  environments, 
capital expenditures requirements, long term field plans and other factors including discount rates and 
the total level of reserves deemed to be commercial.

The  valuation  underpinning  the  carrying  value  of  PP&E  assets  are  largely  dependent  on  supply  and 
demand variables.

The gas sales price is fixed and the cost base of production operations is also largely fixed in nature. Whilst 
the benefits of increased production volumes are clear, the opposite is equally true during operational 
downtime, prolonged or permanent gas supply outages which may in turn impact upon the commerciality 
of  the  field.  Mnazi  Bay  currently  has  5  producing wells  and  formally  signed  the  COD  making  all  terms 
contained  within  the  Mnazi  Bay  GSA  legally  binding  and  fully  in  effect  from  10  September  2019.  The 
Mnazi Bay JO is committed to supplying a minimum quota of natural gas to TPDC and TANESCO of 80.0 
MMscf/day rising to 130.0 MMscf/day for the entire remaining term of the GSA and is guaranteed of future 

88

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019revenue streams via a take or pay provision of 85% of these amounts. Whilst this greatly strengthens and 
formally ratifies the long-term commerciality of the Mnazi Bay asset, any significant adverse change to 
daily production operations may trigger an impairment review under IFRS 6 and IAS 36 and a subsequent 
write down in the book value of the Mnazi Bay asset which currently totals $77.6 million.

Gas sales in Tanzania are not only constrained by the ability of the joint operation to supply gas to TPDC 
and TANESCO but are also contingent upon their ability to offtake gas from the Mnazi Bay field. There 
are other domestic gas producers in Tanzania that sell to both TPDC and TANESCO in addition to there 
being alternative sources of supply such as year-round solar and seasonal hydro-electric generation. The 
continued commerciality of the field is contingent upon the continued demand for Mnazi Bay gas. 

Reserves estimates
Significant accounting judgements
The Directors use judgement and experience to determine the timing and quantum of volumes recovered 
from producing fields in order to be able to calculate a probabilistic base-case value-in-use for its assets. 
This valuation may vary in response to changes in field performance over time and the Company expects 
that there will likely be revisions upward or downward based on updated information such as the results of 
future drilling, oil and gas production levels and reservoir performance.

Key sources of estimation uncertainty 
Oil and natural gas reserves, prepared by an external independent reserve evaluator as at 31 December 2019, 
are used in the calculation of depletion, impairment and impairment reversal determinations and recognition 
of deferred tax asset. Reserve estimates are based on engineering data, estimated future prices and costs, 
expected future rates of production and the timing of future capital expenditures; all of which are subject to 
many uncertainties and certain input assumptions.

Foreign currency exposure
Significant accounting judgements
The  Group  operates  across  a  number  of  different  jurisdictions  with  primary  exposures  to  US  Dollars, 
Tanzanian Shillings and Pound Sterling. The Directors have judged both the functional and presentation 
currencies of the Group to be US Dollars.

Key sources of estimation uncertainty
Foreign exchange rate risk is the risk that the Company suffers financial loss as a result of changes in the 
value of an asset or liability or in the value of future cash flows due to movements in foreign currency 
exchange rates. All group revenue is generated from gas sales in Tanzania and upon declaration of COD 
on  10  September  2019  the  PSA  entered  the  Commercial  Development  phase  under which  both TPDC 
and TANESCO may elect to pay the operator in either US Dollars or Tanzanian Shillings for the gas that 
is produced and sold. Currently the Operator continues to be paid in US Dollars. While some costs are 
denominated in Tanzanian Shillings, most of the operating expenditures are denominated in US Dollars 
which  would  lead  to  an  increased  currency  exposure  if  payment  were  to  be  received  in  Tanzanian 
Shillings. Wentworth Resources plc deposits any cash reserves that it does not immediately need with 
counterparties rated BB- or better (S&P long-term rating or equivalent). Deposits are made primarily in US 
Dollars, the functional currency of the Group, unless a future requirement for other currencies is identified 
and reserves of that currency are held but not immediately required. Where possible, cash reserves are 
deposited with  more  than  one  counterparty  to  mitigate  the  risk  of  counterparty  default. The  Company 
does not currently undertake any currency hedges.

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Abandonment provision
Significant accounting judgements
The  Directors  use  judgement  and  experience  to  determine  the  expected  timing,  closure  and 
decommissioning method, which can vary in response to changes in the relevant legal requirements or 
decommissioning technologies.

Key sources of estimation uncertainty
The ultimate cost of decommissioning and rehabilitation is uncertain and cost estimates can vary in response 
to  many  factors  including  the  emergency  of  new  restoration  techniques  and  costs  of  labour.  Therefore, 
the  Group  periodically  reviews  the  cost  estimate  for  its  operations.  Decommissioning  and Abandonment 
obligations have been estimated using technology at current prices inflated and discounted using discount 
rates that reflect current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to each liability. 
These  assessments  are  subjective  by  nature  and  may  be  significantly  more  or  less  than  management’s 
current discounted cost estimations. Due to the relatively long life of the Groups assets, changes in estimates 
within a reasonably possible range in the next 12 months are not expected to significantly impact the carrying 
value of the Groups provisions for decommissioning and site restoration costs.

Taxes
Significant accounting judgements
The Directors make judgements in relation to the recognition of various taxes levied on the Group, with are 
both payable and recoverable. Judgement applies as the Group operates in countries where the legal and 
tax systems are less developed, which increases the requirement for management to make assumptions 
as to whether certain payments will be required related to matters such as income taxes, value added 
taxes, and other indirect taxes as well as outcomes of any tax disputes which would affect the recognition 
of  tax  liabilities  and  deferred  tax  assets.  A  provision  is  recognised  in  the  financial  statements  for  such 
matters if it is considered probable that a future outflow of cash resources will be required. The provision, 
if any, is subject to management estimates and judgements with respect to the outcome of the event, the 
costs to defend, the quantum of the exposure and past practice in the country. 

Key sources of estimation uncertainty 
Estimates may be made to determine the amount of taxes recoverable, principally deferred tax assets. 
The commencement of commercial production and gas sales under the Gas Sales Agreement, allowed 
for  the  recognition  of  a  deferred  tax  asset within  the  financial  statements. The  amount  that  the  Group 
recognises is subject to the following estimates:

•	 The timing and discounting of future profits for the utilisation of tax losses from the current tax pools 

which are based on management assessments and forecasts of future performance;

•	 The effective tax rate at which the losses will be utilised at throughout the Group which is currently the 

prevailing tax rate of the ultimate parent company;

•	 The status of any current tax assessments and disputes and their impact on the deferred tax pool on 

a probabilistic basis;

•	 Any material changes in legislation that may impact upon the fiscal regime on which the deferred tax 

asset is computed.

Changes in these estimates within a reasonably possible range in the next 12 months are not expected to 
significantly alter the carrying amount of the Groups taxes that are recoverable.

90

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 20194. SEGMENT INFORMATION

The Company conducts its business through Tanzania (“Mnazi Bay Concession”) segment. Gas operations 
include  the  exploration,  development,  and  production  of  natural  gas  and  other  hydrocarbons.  The 
Mozambique (“Rovuma Onshore Block”) segment was relinquished, effective 30 April 2019. The Corporate 
segment activities include investment income, interest expense, financing related expenses, share based 
compensation relating to corporate activities and general corporate expenditures. Inter-segment transfers 
of products, which are accounted for at market value, are eliminated on consolidation. 

Net income/(loss) for the year-ended 31 December 2019

Tanzania 
Operations
$000

 Corporate
$000

 Consolidated
$000

Total revenue

Production and operating costs

Depletion

Total cost of sales

Gross profit

Recurring administrative costs

New venture and pre–licence costs

Management restructuring costs

Share-based payment charges

Depreciation and depletion

Total costs

Profit/(loss) from operations

Finance income

Finance costs

Profit/(loss) before tax

Current tax expense

Deferred tax expense

Net profit/(loss) and comprehensive profit/(loss) 
from continued operation

18,636

(3,935)

(6,236)

(10,171)

8,465

(2,939)

-

-

(23)

-

(2,962)

5,503

-

(338)

5,165

(83)

1,511

1,428

6,593

-

-

-

-

-

(2,944)

(609)

(489)

(40)

(2)

(4,084)

(4,084)

21

(115)

(4,178)

(49)

-

(49)

(4,227)

18,636

(3,935)

(6,236)

(10,171)

8,465

(5,883)

(609)

(489)

(63)

(2)

(7,046)

1,419

21

(453)

987

(132)

1,511

1,379

2,366

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Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Net income/(loss) for the year-ended 31 December 2018

Tanzania 
Operations
$000

Mozambique  
(Discontinued)
$000

 Corporate
$000

 Consolidated
$000

Total revenue

Production and operating costs

Depletion

Total cost of sales

Gross profit

Recurring administrative costs

Amounts capitalised as E&E assets

Impairment loss on E&E assets

16,224

(2,290)

(7,803)

(10,093)

6,131

(3,151)

449

-

Provision for Tanzania Government receivables

(4,959)

-

-

-

-

-

(19)

-

(41,598)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(41,617)

(41,617)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(3,119)

215

-

-

(940)

(1,393)

(93)

(12)

-

-

(5,342)

(5,342)

-

(24)

16,224

(2,290)

(7,803)

(10,093)

6,131

(6,289)

664

(41,598)

(4,959)

(940)

(1,393)

(98)

(12)

(3)

(993)

(55,621)

(49,490)

2,659

(1,616)

(41,617)

(5,366)

(48,447)

-

- 

-

(30)

-

(30)

(63)

(26,714)

(26,777)

(5,396)

(33,607)

-

-

(5)

-

(3)

(993)

(8,662)

(2,531)

2,659

(1,592)

(1,464)

(33)

(26,714)

(26,747)

(28,211)

-

(41,617)

-

(41,617)

Management restructuring costs

Redomicile costs

Share-based payment charges

Depreciation and depletion

Loss of sale of PP&E

Tanzanian withholding tax costs

Total costs

Loss from operations

Finance income

Finance costs

Loss before tax

Current tax expense

Deferred tax expense

Net loss and comprehensive loss from 
continued operation

Net loss and comprehensive loss from 
discontinued operation

92

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Selected balances at 31 December 2019

Tanzania 
Operations
$000

Mozambique  
(Discontinued)
$000

 Corporate
$000

 Consolidated
$000

Current assets

Exploration and evaluation assets

Property, plant and equipment

Deferred tax asset

Total assets

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Total Liabilities

8,758

8,129

77,556

5,548

99,991

3,356

1,085

4,441

Capital additions for the year-ended 31 December 2019

Additions to property, plant and equipment

18

Selected balances at 31 December 2018

118

10,686

-

-

-

-

3

-

19,562

8,129

77,559

5,548

118

10,689

110,798

-

-

-

-

483

-

83

3,839

1,085

4,924

2

20

Current assets 1

Exploration and evaluation assets

Property, plant and equipment

Deferred tax asset

Total assets

Current liabilities 1

Non-current liabilities

Total Liabilities

Tanzania 
Operations
(Restated) 1 
$000

Mozambique  
(Discontinued)
$000

 Corporate
$000

 Consolidated
(Restated) 1 
$000

21,391

8,129

83,773

4,036

117,329

9,870

2,657

12,527

392

-

-

-

392

428

-

428

411

-

4

-

415

703

-

703

22,194

8,129

83,777

4,036

118,136

11,001

2,657

13,658

1  Restated amounts relate to the presentation adjustment net-off of $2.5 million cash and cash equivalents within current assets 
against  $2.5  million  credit  overdraft  facility within  current  liabilities with  respect  to  the  undrawn  overdraft  credit  facility  at  31 
December 2018 (note 19).

Capital additions for the year-ended 31 December 2018

Additions to exploration and evaluation assets

Additions to property, plant and equipment

-

1,256

1,086

-

-

6

1,806

1,262

93

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5. REVENUE

Revenue from gas sales

Revenue from condensate sales

6. LEASES

 2019
$000

18,601

35

18,636

Amounts recognised in profit or loss
The following amounts have been recognised in profit or loss for which the Company is a lessee:

2019: Leases under IFRS 16

Expenses relating to short-term leases

2018: Operating leases under IAS 17

Leases expenses

Amounts recognised in statement of cash flows

Cash outflow for leases

 2019
$000

250

 2018
$000

16,169

55

16,224

 2019
$000

250

 2019
$000

281

 2018
$000

281

94

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 20197. EXPENSES AND AUDITOR’S REMUNERATION

Employee salaries and benefits

Contractors and consultants

Travel and accommodation

Professional, legal and advisory

Office and administration

Corporate and public company costs

Auditor’s remuneration:

Audit of these financial statements

Audit of financial statements of subsidiaries of the Company

Taxation compliance services

Other tax advisory services

 2019
$000

2,277

972

248

829

638

919

5,883

111

151

62

60

384

 2018
$000

2,685

775

347

1,257

696

529

6,289

107

52

202

15

376

95

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

8. STAFF NUMBERS AND COSTS

The average number of persons employed by the Company during the year, analysed by category, was 
as follows:

 2019
Number of employees

 2018
Number of employees

Senior Managers

Managers and supervisors

Support staff

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:

Salaries 

Social security costs

Bonus

Severance

Other payroll costs

1

5

9

15

2019
$000

775

167

116

-

141

1,199

 2

5

8

15

 2018
$000

845

79

93

111

169

1,297

9. DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION

The average number of persons employed by the Company during the year, analysed by category, was 
as follows:

Director’s remuneration 

Bonus

Severance

Other benefits

LTIP charges

Share option charges

2019
$000

1,062

152

489

112

43

-

1,858

 2018
$000

787

334

-

46

37

15

1,219

The aggregate of remuneration of the highest paid Director was $341k (2018: $202k).

96

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 201910. MANAGEMENT RESTRUCTURING COSTS

During year 2019, management restructuring costs of $489k (2018: $940k) were incurred and comprise 
employee severance related to the departure of Eskil Jersing, formerly CEO of the Company, who was 
based in Reading, United Kingdom.

11. FINANCE INCOME AND FINANCE COSTS

Finance income

Interest income

Accretion – TPDC receivable (Note 13)

Accretion – Tanzanian Government receivable (Note 14)

Finance costs

Accretion – decommissioning provision 

Change in estimates – Tanzanian Government receivable (Note 14)

Interest expense and other finance costs

Foreign exchange loss

12. TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES 

Trade receivable from TPDC

Other receivable from TPDC 

Trade receivable from TANESCO

Other receivables

2019
$000

21

-

-

21

(116)

-

(208)

(129)

(453)

 2019
$000

4,014

513

789

759

6,075

 2018
$000

-

2,188

471

2,659

(104)

(471)

(980)

(61)

(1,616)

 2018
$000

5,760

513

491

789

7,553

Other receivables from TPDC represent income tax of $513k (2018: $513k) paid by WGL, a wholly owned 
subsidiary of the Company. The income tax is anticipated to be recovered from TPDC’s share of profit gas 
within the next 12-months under the terms of the Mnazi Bay PSA, which provides such a mechanism for 
the recovery of all corporate taxes.

Other receivables include Value Added Tax (“VAT”) recoverable of $279k (2018: $258k), gas condensate sales 
of  $35k  (2018:  $74k)  and  corporate  tax  prepayments with  respect  to  changes  in  the Tanzanian  tax  law  of 
$312k (2018: $326) in accordance with IFRS 9. The Company notes no material expected credit losses.

97

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

13. TPDC RECEIVABLES 

On  30 June  2009,  the  Company  and TPDC  entered  into  a JOA  related  to  the  Mnazi  Bay  Concession  in 
Tanzania.  Under  the  terms  of  the  JOA,  TPDC  has  a  20%  participating  interest  share  in  the  Mnazi  Bay 
Development Area production and will pay the Company for 20% of past costs incurred in respect of the 
Mnazi Bay Concession from TPDC’s share of future production. This receivable from TPDC was considered 
a financial instrument and initially recorded at fair value based on discounted cash flows and its carrying 
amount has been adjusted for accretion and changes in the estimated timing of cash flows.

As at 31 December 2019, the receivable from TPDC was fully recovered (2018: $5.2 million).

Balance at 31 December 2017

Accretion 

Retained gas revenue to offset receivable

Share of TPDC Mnazi Bay Concession costs paid by the Company

Balance at 31 December 2018

Retained gas revenue to offset receivable

Share of TPDC Mnazi Bay Concession costs paid by the Company

Balance at 31 December 2019

14. TANZANIA GOVERNMENT RECEIVABLES

$000

15,550

2,188

(13,585)

1,085

5,238

(5,685)

447

-

As at 31 December 2019, the undiscounted Tanzanian Government receivable is $6.5 million (2018: $6.5 million). 

Balance at 31 December 2017

Accretion

Change in estimated timing of receipt

Provision against amortised balance

Balance of amortised cost at 31 December 2018

Accretion

Change in estimated timing of receipt

Balance of amortised cost at 31 December 2019

$000

4,959

417

(417)

(4,959)

-

516

(516)

-

98

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019The Group has an agreement with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania (TANESCO, TPDC 
and  MEM)  to  be  reimbursed  for  all  the  project  development  costs  associated  with  T&D  expenditures 
at  cost.  An  audit  of  the  Mtwara  Energy  Project  (“MEP”)  development  expenditures  was  completed  in 
November 2012 and costs of approximately $8.1 million were verified to be reimbursable. After deducting 
costs associated with the Tariff Equalisation Fund and VAT input credits associated with the MEP totalling 
$1.6 million, the amount agreed to be reimbursed was $6.5 million. 

During 2017, the Government initiated its first review of the costs to verify the balance owing by it. On 8 
February 2018 the Government issued the results which differed from the previously audited and approved 
gross receivable of $6.5 million, which the Group maintains was accurate and correct.

The  Government  is  conducting  a  second  review  and  due  to  the  age  and  uncertainty  surrounding  the 
receivable  and  its  recoverability,  the  Group  made  a  provision  in-full  during  2018  against  the  carrying 
amount without prejudice to the ongoing commercial discussions with the Government, the Group has 
reviewed this at the year-end and continues to feel the provision is appropriate.

15. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION ASSETS

Cost

Balance at 31 December 2017

Additions

Impairment loss

Balance at 31 December 2018 and 2019

Tanzania
$000

Mozambique
$000

8,129

-

-

8,129

39,792

1,806

(41,598)

-

Total
$000

47,921

1,806

(41,598)

8,129

During 2018, the Company performed a technical and commercial review of the Mozambique E&E asset 
portfolio and determined that the Tembo licence did not provide the Company with suitable monetisation 
solutions in keeping with the Company’s material growth mandate. All Mozambique E&E assets of $41.6 
million were impaired in 2018. 

Tanzania E&E assets were $8.1 million (2018: $8.1 million). The Mnazi Bay Concession agreement will expire 
in 2031. The Mnazi Bay joint operation have identified several prospects within the concession area but 
outside of the area covering discovered gas reserves. The costs incurred in evaluating these prospects 
have been capitalised and, to the extent that it is possible to do so given their maturity, have been assessed 
as being recoverable in full.

99

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

16. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Cost

Balance at 31 December 2017

Additions 

Disposal of assets

Balance at 31 December 2018

Additions 

Balance at 31 December 2019

Accumulated depreciation and depletion 

Balance at 31 December 2017

Depreciation and depletion

Disposal of assets

Balance at 31 December 2018

Depreciation and depletion

Balance at 31 December 2019

Carrying amounts

31 December 2018 

31 December 2019

Natural gas 
properties
$000

Office and 
other equipment 
$000

102,854

1,256

(82)

104,028

18

104,046

(12,527)

(7,803)

76

(20,254)

(6,236)

(26,490)

83,774

77,556

600

6

-

606

2

608

(591)

(12)

-

(603)

(2)

(605)

3

3

Total 
$000

103,454

1,262

(82)

104,634

20

104,654

(13,118)

(7,815)

76

(20,857)

(6,238)

(27,095)

83,777

77,559

The Company assessed triggers for impairment on the natural gas properties and determined that none of 
the criteria had been met. An impairment test was therefore not required. Materially all of the Company’s 
natural  gas  is  sold  under  long-term,  fixed  price  gas  sales  and  purchase  agreements,  eliminating  the 
current volatility in the commodity market. In addition, the independent valuation of the Company’s Proved 
plus Probable reserves of $118.6 million is in excess of the net book value of the Company’s PP&E.

100

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 201917. SUBSIDIARY UNDERTAKINGS

The subsidiary undertakings at 31 December 2019 are:

Legal entity

Country of 
incorporation

Class of 
shares held

Types of 
ownership

Percentage 
holding

Nature of  
business

Wentworth Resources (UK) 
Limited 

United 
Kingdom

Ordinary 

Direct

100%

Wentworth Holding (Jersey) 
Limited

Wentworth Tanzania 
(Jersey) Limited

Wentworth Gas (Jersey) 
Limited

Jersey

Ordinary 

Direct

100%

Jersey

Ordinary

Indirect

100%

Jersey

Ordinary

Indirect

100%

Wentworth Gas Limited 

Tanzania

Ordinary

Indirect

100%

Cyprus Mnazi Bay Limited

Cyprus

Ordinary

Indirect

39.925%

Investment holding 
company

Investment holding 
company

Investment holding 
company

Investment holding 
company

Exploration 
production company

Exploration 
production company

Investment holding 
company

Wentworth Mozambique 
(Mauritius) Limited

Wentworth Moçambique 
Petroleos, Limitada 1

Mauritius

Ordinary

Indirect

100%

Mozambique

Ordinary

Indirect

100% Exploration company 

1  The  Wentworth  Moçambique  Petroleos,  Limitada  is  in  the  process  of  liquidation  after  relinquishment  of  the  Tembo  Block 

Appraisal Licence.

18. TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

Payable to Maurel et Prom (Operator)

Trade payables

Other payables and accrued expenses

 2019 
$000

1,303

150

 672

2,151

 2018
$000

1,710

413

939

3,207

Other payables and accrued expenses includes accrued bonus $203k (2018: nil), payroll taxes $25k (2018: 
$133k) and accrued third party services $372k (2018: $806k). 

101

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

19. RESTATEMENT OF OVERDRAFT CREDIT FACILITY

The  Company  has  a  rolling  one-year,  $2.5  million  overdraft  credit  facility with  a Tanzanian  Government 
owned bank which was is in the process of being renewed for a further 12 months to 5 April 2021 subject 
to the mutual agreement of the bank and the Company. The overdraft facility has an interest rate of the 
lender’s base lending rate, minus 1% per annum to be paid monthly. 

Security provided to the lender includes a debenture over the fixed and floating assets of the Company’s 
Tanzanian assets and a deed of assignment of 20% of the revenue and cash flow from sales of natural gas 
from the Tanzanian assets.

During the year-ended December 2019, the Company paid interest expense and renewal fee of $18k (2018: 
$68k) on the overdraft credit facility.

The credit facility, which was fully repaid on 9 July 2018, was not drawn-down at the year-ended 31 December 
2018 but was included within cash and cash equivalents, with a matching current liability recognised within 
“overdraft  credit  facility”.  It was  felt  that  to  better  reflect  the  true  nature  of  the  Group’s  position,  provide 
enhanced transparency to the financial reporting process and bring the presentation in-line with established 
international accounting convention, that the cash and cash equivalents asset be netted down against the 
undrawn overdraft credit facility liability. This restatement has had no effect on either the net asset position 
or the net and comprehensive profit after tax of the Group at 31 December 2018.

20. LONG-TERM LOANS

Credit facilities from Tanzania based banks
On 8 December 2014, WGL, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a $20.0 million loan 
to finance field infrastructure development within the Mnazi Bay Concession in Tanzania. 

The term of each loan was initially forty-eight months in duration commencing on the first draw-down 
date and each loan bears interest at six-month LIBOR rate plus 750 basis points, subject to a minimum 
(floor) of 8% p.a. and a maximum (ceiling) of 9.5% p.a. Security is in the form of a debenture creating first 
ranking charge over all the assets of the WGL (assets of WGL include a 25.4% participation interest in the 
Mnazi  Bay  Concession),  assignment  over  the  TPDC  long-term  receivable  and  assignment  of  revenues 
generated from the Mnazi Bay Concession.

During the year-ended 31 December 2019, the Company incurred interest expense on long-term loans, 
inclusive  of  accretion  of  financing  costs,  of  $0.2  million  (2018:  $0.9  million).  A  total  of  $0.6  million  was 
settled in cash during 2019 (2018: $1.5 million).

The  carrying  amount  of  the  long-term  loans  include  transaction  costs  of  $25k  (net  of  accretion). At  31 
December 2019, the carrying amount of the credit facilities approximates its fair value as the loan’s effective 
interest rate approximates market rates.

102

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Credit facilities balance

Balance as at 1 January 2018

Proceeds from loan 

Loan repayments during the year

Total changes from financing cash flows

Other changes

Interest expense

Interest paid

Finance cost accretion 

Transitional adjustment

Total other charges

Balance as at 31 December 2018

Proceeds from loan

Loan repayments

Total changes from financing cash flows

Interest expense

Interest paid

Finance cost accretion

Total other charges

Balance as at 31 December 2019

$000

15,661

-

(6,996)

(6,996)

1,178

(1,544)

(266)

746

114

8,779

-

(6,661)

(6,661)

474

(593)

(285)

(404)

1,714

The $20 million credit facility
During  2017,  the  Company  executed  amendments  to  the  credit  facility  agreement, which  included  the 
restructuring of principal loan repayments and added provisions. The new provisions were not finalised at 
the time of the execution of the amendment to the credit facility agreement. On 6 June 2018, the Company 
formalised the new provisions, which became effective 6 June 2018. 

The  new  provisions  contain  a  requirement  for  the  Company  to  maintain  two  financial  covenants  both 
calculated  semi-annually  beginning  on  30  June  and  31  December.  The  Debt  Service  Coverage  Ratio 
provides  that  the  Company  has  adequate  cover  to  meet  its  loan  interest  and  principal  repayment 
obligations for the next twelve months, while the Loan Life Coverage Ratio provides that adequate free 
discounted cash flow coverage is maintained for all future loan repayments over the full life of the loan.

The $20.0 million credit facility is subject to interest rate of six-month LIBOR rate plus 750 basis points 
subject to a minimum (floor) of 8.5% p.a. and no maximum (ceiling). As at 31 December 2019, the six-month 
interest rate was 9.69%. 

As at 31 December 2019, only one principal repayment of $1,684k was outstanding which was paid on 30 
January 2020. 

103

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

21. CONTINGENT PTTEP LIABILITY

On 26 July 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Cove Energy plc’s 16.38 percent interest in 
Mnazi Bay production operations which was held by Cove Energy’s 100 percent owned subsidiary Cove 
Energy Tanzania Mnazi Bay Limited. 

Part of the consideration was a contingent payment to Cove Energy of up to $8.5 million, should certain 
future natural gas production thresholds from Mnazi Bay be achieved. 

At the same time, the Company completed the sale of 60.075 percent of the share capital of CETMBL to 
Maurel et Prom for which their part of the contingent consideration was $5.1 million. 

The net contingent liability for the Company after the completion of the two transactions was, therefore, 
$3.4 million ($8.5 million less $5.1 million). 

The net contingent liability as at 31 December 2019 was $nil (31 December 2018: $850k). 

Balance at 1 January

Payments to reduce liability

Balance at 31 December

 2019
$000

848

(848)

-

 2018
$000

2,189

(1,341)

848

22. DECOMMISSIONING AND ABANDONMENT PROVISION

The Company’s decommissioning provisions result from net ownership interests in petroleum and natural 
gas  assets  including  well  sites,  pipeline  gathering  systems,  and  processing  facilities  in  Tanzania.  The 
operator of the Mnazi Bay Concession have estimated the Company’s share of the undiscounted inflation-
adjusted amount of cash flow required to settle decommissioning obligations for the infrastructure within 
the Mnazi Bay Concession to be $4.23 million. The costs are expected to be incurred around 2030. The 
obligations have been estimated using existing technology at current prices inflated and discounted using 
discount rates that reflect current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to 
each liability. The discount and inflation rates used in determining the value of the decommission provision 
at 31 December 2019 were 12.0% and 2.03%, respectively (2018: 12.0% and 2.03%, respectively).

A reconciliation of the decommissioning obligations is provided below: 

Balance at 1 January

Accretion

Balance at 31 December

104

 2019
$000

969

116

1,085

 2018
$000

865

104

969

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 201923. CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

Following the completion of the corporate transition to UK and Oslo Børs delisting, a number of shareholders 
exercised certain Dissent Rights under Canadian law which may require the Company to buy back their 
equity holdings at fair value. The Company received Dissent Rights notices over a total of 2,329,326 shares 
with an anticipated fair value of $768k. As the process has yet to be finalised and fair values agreed, the 
buy-back remains contingent at the balance sheet date.

24. SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

Share based compensation recognised in the 
statement of Comprehensive loss

2019
$000

63

 2018
$000

98

Movement in the total number of share options outstanding and their related weighted average exercise 
prices are summarised as follows:

2019

Weighted 
average exercise 
price (US$) 

0.49

-

0.29

0.62

0.57

Number of 
options

12,560,301

495,422

(5,020,226)

(1,650,000)

6,385,497

2018

Weighted average 
exercise price 
(US$) 

0.52

0.49

0.49

-

0.49

Number of 
options

10,600,000

3,560,301

(1,600,000)

-

12,560,301

Outstanding at 1 January 

Granted

Forfeited

Lapsed

Outstanding at 31 December

The following table summarises share options outstanding and exercisable at 31 December 2019:

Outstanding

Exercisable

Exercise price 
(NOK)

Exercise price 
(US$)1

Number 
of options

Weighted average 
remaining life (years)

-

3.85

3.60

4.08

5.18

5.18

5.57

-

0.44

0.41

0.46

0.59

0.59

0.63

1,385,497

750,000

1,600,000

250,000

200,000

1,700,000

500,000

6,385,497

9.4

6.0

0.8

3.3

4.4

4.2

1.3

Number 
of options

-

750,000

1,600,000

250,000

200,000

1,700,000

500,000

5,000,000

1  The US Dollar to Norwegian Kroner exchange rate used for determining the exercise price at 31 December 2019 is 0.113891.

105

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following table summarises share options outstanding and exercisable at 31 December 2018:

Outstanding

Exercisable

Exercise price 
(NOK)

Exercise price 
(US$)

Number 
of options

Weighted average 
remaining life (years)

3.15

3.52

3.60

3.85

4.08

4.70

4.90

5.18

5.55

-

0.36

0.40

0.41

0.44

0.47

0.54

0.56

0.59

0.66

-

1,000,000

500,000

1,800,000

1,850,000

250,000

200,000

100,000

2,800,000

500,000

3,560,301

12,560,301

1.8

3.0

1.8

7.0

4.3

5.4

3.3

4.8

2.3

9.9

5.2

Number 
of options

1,000,000

500,000

1,800,000

1,850,000

250,000

200,000

100,000

2,800,000

500,000

-

9,000,000

25. SHARE CAPITAL AND RESERVE

Authorised, called up, allotted and fully paid

186,488,465 (2018: 186,488,465) ordinary shares 

416,426

416,426

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared from time to time and are 
entitled to one vote per share at meetings of the Company.

 2019
$000

 2018
$000

Reserve

Balance at 1 January

Share base compensation charges

LTIP charges

Balance at 31 December

106

2019
$000

26,588

-

63

26,651

2018
$000

26,490

61

37

26,588

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 201926. EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic and diluted eps

Net loss for the period

2019
$000

2,366

Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding

186,488,465

Dilutive weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding

186,488,465

Net profit/(loss) per ordinary share 

0.01

2018
$000

(75,224)

186,488,465

186,488,465

(0.40)

During the year-ended 31 December 2019 11,285,497 (2018: 13,460,075) options were excluded from the 
dilutive weighted average number of shares outstanding because they were anti-dilutive.

27. DIVIDENDS

The following dividends were declared and paid by the Company during the year.

0.45 pence (US$ 0.00583; NOK 0.0514) per ordinary share 
(2018: nil) 

2019
$000

1,033

2018
$000

-

On 3 September 2019, the Company announced a maiden interim dividend of 0.45 pence per share, being 
a total interim distribution of US$1.0 million.

The interim dividend payment timetable was:

•	 Ex-dividend date: 12 September 2019.
•	 Record Date: 13 September 2019.
•	 UK Payment Date (for shareholders who hold shares on the UK Register): 11 October 2019.
•	 VPS Payment Date (for shareholders who hold shares on the VPS Register): 22 October 2019.

107

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

28. INCOME TAXES 

The Company’s income tax expense for the year-end 31 December is as follows:

Profit/(loss) before income taxes

Expected income tax (recovery) expense at combined Tanzanian rate 
of 30% (2018: 30%)

Rate differentials

Share based compensation 

2014- 2015 Tanzania tax reassessments 

Tanzania cost gas excluded from taxable income

Derecognition of Mozambique and Canada tax pools

Movement in deferred tax assets not previously recognised and other

Income tax expense/(recovery)

 2019
$000

987

296

541

12

-

(3,367)

-

1,139

(1,379)

 2018
$000

(48,447)

(14,236)

1,396

29

8,096

(2,015)

13,236

20,271

26,777

The Company operates in multiple jurisdictions with complex tax laws and regulations, which are evolving 
over time. The Company has taken certain tax positions in its tax filings and these filings are subject to 
audit and potential reassessment after the lapse of considerable time. Accordingly, the actual income tax 
impact may differ significantly from that estimated and recorded by management. 

The Company has unrecognised deductible temporary differences that results in unrecognised deferred 
income tax assets of:

Non-capital losses

Property and equipment

Accounts receivables and others

 2019
$000

20,262

(263)

16

20,015

 2018
$000

19,675

-

1,470

21,145

The total non-capital losses of the Company are $163.6 million (2018: $164.4 million) of which $163.6 million 
(2018: $163.6 million) are in Tanzania and $6.6 million (2018: $800k) are in the UK.

108

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019A  deferred  tax  asset  is  recognised  to  the  extent  that  it  is  probable  that  taxable  profit will  be  available 
against which deductible temporary differences and the loss carry forwards can be utilised. A deferred 
tax  asset  of  $5.5  million  as  at  31  December  2019  (2018:  $4.0  million)  is  attributable  to  the  accumulated 
tax  loss  carry-forward  of  the  Company’s Tanzanian  subsidiary, which  are  expected  to  be  offset  against 
future taxable income. Recognition of the tax asset is supported by the proven and probable reserves as 
determined by a third-party external reserves engineer, RPS Canada.

Balance at 1 January

Deferred income tax assets recognised in profit or loss:

 Non-capital losses

 Asset retirement obligations

Deferred income tax liabilities recognised in profit or loss:

 PP&E

 Receivables

Balance at 31 December

29. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

 2019
$000

4,036

820

(50)

1,200

(458)

5,548

 2018
$000

30,751

(27,300)

124

1,002

(541)

4,036

The Company’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks: credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk 
(currency  fluctuations,  interest  rates  and  commodity  prices).  The  Company’s  overall  risk  management 
programme focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to minimise potential adverse 
effects on the Company’s financial performance. A full description of the risks and key risks affecting the 
business is noted in the Business Risks section of the Strategic Report.

Credit risk
Wentworth’s  credit  risk  exposure  is  equal  to  the  carrying value  of  its  cash  and  cash  equivalents,  trade, 
other and long-term receivables. 

Trade  and  other  receivables  are  comprised  predominantly  of  amounts  due  from  government  owned 
entities in Tanzania and VAT in Tanzania and Mozambique. 

The  Group’s  ongoing  exposure  to  trade  receivables  from TANESCO,  the  state  power  company,  relates 
to  the  gas  sales  from  the  Mnazi  Bay  Concession  to  a  TANESCO  owned  18-megawatt  gas-fired  power 
plant located in Mtwara, Tanzania. At 31 December 2019, the Mnazi Bay Concession partners were owed 
eight months of invoices for gas sales made to TANESCO, with $789k owing to Wentworth (2018: $491k). 
Subsequent to year-end, TANESCO has paid $293k net to Wentworth. The receivable from TANESCO was 
not discounted at year-end (2018: $nil) as the receivable consisted of less than twelve months of invoices. 
The Company continues to be engaged in ongoing discussions with TANESCO to accelerate payment of 
amounts past due.

109

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

During 2015, the Group commenced gas sales to TPDC under a long-term gas sales agreement, the operator 
of  the  new  transnational  gas  pipeline  in  Tanzania.  Credit  risk  relating  to  sales  to  TPDC  is  substantially 
mitigated through a two-part payment guarantee structure. The first part relates to a prepayment amount 
of approximately three to four months of gas deliveries at current sales volumes which has been received 
and is held by the Operator of the Mnazi Bay Concession. The second part is a one-month replenishable 
letter of credit which is not yet executed but expected to be executed during 2020. At 31 December 2019, 
the Mnazi Bay Concession partners were owed two months gas sales invoices, with $4.0 million owing 
to Wentworth (2018: $5.7 million). Subsequent to year-end, TPDC has paid $6.7 million net to Wentworth. 

At 31 December 2019, an undiscounted long-term receivable of $6.5 million (2018: $6.5 million) related 
to  the  Group’s  disposal  of  transmission  and  distribution  assets,  and  the  costs  associated with  the  MEP 
incurred in prior years by a wholly owned subsidiary of Wentworth (see note 14). On 6 February 2012, the 
Group, TANESCO, TPDC and MEM reached an agreement that the Group’s cost of historical operations in 
respect of the MEP should be reimbursed. 

During 2017, the Government initiated its first review of the costs to verify the balance owing by it. On 8 
February 2018 the Government issued the results which differed from the previously audited and approved 
gross receivable of $6.5 million, which the Group maintains was accurate and correct.

The  Government  is  conducting  a  second  review  and  due  to  the  age  and  uncertainty  surrounding  the 
receivable  and  its  recoverability  the  Group  made  a  provision  in-full  during  2018  against  the  carrying 
amount without prejudice to the ongoing commercial discussions with the Government; the Group has 
reviewed this at the year-end and continues to feel the provision is appropriate.

The Group’s cash and cash equivalents are held at recognised international financial institutions.

The exposure to credit risk as at:

Trade and other receivables

TPDC receivable (Note 13)

Cash and cash equivalents 

 2019
$000

6,075

-

13,487

19,562

 2018
 (Restated) 1 $000

7,553

5,238

9,403

22,194

1  Restated amounts relate to the presentation adjustment net-off of $2.5 million cash and cash equivalents within current assets 
against  $2.5  million  credit  overdraft  facility  within  current  liabilities  with  respect  to  the  undrawn  overdraft  credit  facility  at  31 
December 2018 (note 19).

110

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Aged trade and other receivables

Balance at 31 December 2019

Trade receivables

Other receivables

Balance at 31 December 2018

Trade receivables

Other receivables

Current
 1-30 days
$000

1,720

448

2,168

3,007

1,376

4,383

31-60
 days
$000

1,736

-

1,736

1,507

-

1,507

61-90
 days
$000

94

-

94

1,420

-

1,420

>90
 days
$000

1,254

823

2,077

243

-

243

Total 
$000

4,804

1,271

6,075

6,177

1,376

7,553

Liquidity risk
Liquidity  risk  is  the  risk  that  the  Company  will  not  have  sufficient  funds  to  meet  its  liabilities  as  they 
become payable. Other than routine trade and other payables, incurred in the normal course of business, 
the Company also has an undrawn $2.5 million overdraft credit facility.

The table below summarises the maturity profile of the Company’s financial liabilities based on contractual 
undiscounted payments including future interest payments on long-term loans.

Balance at 31 December 2019

Trade and other payables

Long-term loans, including interest 1

Balance at 31 December 2018

Trade and other payables

Contingent PTTEP liability 

Long-term loans, including interest 1

Less than 1 year
$000

1 to 2 years
$000

2 to 5 years
$000

2,125

1,732

3,857

3,062

848

7,548

11,458

-

-

-

-

-

1,732

1,732

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1  Includes future interest expense at the rate in effect at 31 December.

Total
$000

2,125

1,732

3,857

3,062

848

9,280

13,190

111

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019 
 
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The fair value of the Company’s trade and other payables approximates their carrying values due to the short-
term nature of these instruments. The fair value of the long-term loans approximates their carrying amounts as 
they bear market rates of interest. The fair value of the other liability approximates its carrying amount.

The Company has a working capital surplus at 31 December 2019 and generated positive cash flow from 
operations in 2019. The Company plans to pay its financial liabilities in the normal course of operations 
and  fund  future  operating  and  capital  requirements  through  operating  cash  flows,  bank  debt,  bank 
overdraft credit facility and equity raises, when deemed appropriate. Operating cash flow of the Company 
is dependent upon the purchasers of natural gas, TPDC and TANESCO, continuing to meet their payment 
obligations  on  a  timely  manner. Any  delays  in  collecting  funds  from  these  purchasers  for  an  extended 
period  of  time  could  negatively  impact  the  Company’s  ability  to  pay  its  financial  liabilities  in  a  timely 
manner in the normal course of business (see also Capital management section).

Market risk
Market risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because 
of changes in market prices. Market risk is comprised of foreign currency risk, interest rate risk and other 
price risk (e.g. commodity price risk). The objective of market risk management is to manage and control 
market price exposures within acceptable limits, while maximising returns.

Commodity price risk
Commodity price risk is the risk that the Company suffers financial loss as a result of fluctuations in oil or 
natural gas prices. The Company’s exposure to commodity price risk is mitigated as the sale prices for gas 
sold by the Company is fixed under the existing gas sale and purchase agreements. An increase of 1% in 
the gas production would result in an increase of $57k (2018: $49k) in revenue.

Interest rate risk
Interest rate risk is the risk that future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes 
in market interest rates. The Company had a $20.0 million credit facility with a floating interest rate of six-
month  LIBOR  plus  7.5  percentage  points with  a  minimum  8.5%  and with  no  maximum  interest  rate  per 
annum. The Company’s objective is to minimise its interest rate risk on its cash balances by investing for 
short periods of time (less than 1 year) and only in term deposits. An increase of 1% in the six-month LIBOR 
rate would result in an increase of $17k (2018: $102k) in interest expense on an annualised basis.

Foreign exchange risk
Foreign exchange rate risk is the risk that the Company suffers financial loss as a result of changes in the 
value of an asset or liability or in the value of future cash flows due to movements in foreign currency 
exchange rates. Wentworth operates internationally and is exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from 
various currency exposures, primarily with respect to the Tanzanian Shilling and Pound Sterling against its 
functional currency of its operating entities, the US dollar. The Company’s objective is to minimise its risk by 
borrowing funds in US dollars as revenues are paid (or indexed) to the US dollar. In addition, the Company 
holds substantially all its cash and cash equivalents in US dollars and converts to other currencies only 
when cash requirements demand such conversion. 

112

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Current receivables and liabilities denominated in various currency:

Pound 
Sterling
$000

Tanzanian 
Shilling
$000

Other 
Currency
$000

United States
Dollar
$000

Balance at 31 December 2019

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Trade and other payables

1,442

105

(62)

1,485

47

1,000

(52)

995

120

92

(10)

202

11,878

4,878

(2,027)

14,729

17,411

Pound 
Sterling
$000

Tanzanian 
Shilling
$000

Other 
Currency
$000

United States
Dollar
$000

Balance at 31 December 2018

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Trade and other payables

56

43

(232)

(133)

37

106

(246)

(103)

29

152

(58)

123

9,281

7,252

(2,671)

(3,207)

13,862

13,749

Total
$000 

13,487

6,075

(2,151)

Total
$000 

9,403

7,553

A 10% increase/decrease of the Pound Sterling against US dollar would result in a change in profit or loss 
before tax of $28k (2018: $11k). In addition, a 10% increase/decrease of the Tanzanian shilling against the 
US dollar would result in a change in profit or loss before tax of approximately $5k (2018: $5k).

Financial instrument classification and measurement
The Company classifies the fair value of financial instruments according to the following hierarchy based 
on the amount of observable inputs used to value the instrument:

•	 Level 1 – Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting 
date.  Active  markets  are  those  in  which  transactions  occur  in  sufficient  frequency  and  volume  to 
provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. 

•	 Level  2  –  Pricing  inputs  are  other  than  quoted  prices  in  active  markets  included  in  Level  1.  Prices 
in Level 2 are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Level 2 valuations are 
based on inputs, including expected interest rates, share prices, and volatility factors, which can be 
substantially observed or corroborated in the marketplace. 

•	 Level 3 – Valuation in this level are those with inputs for the asset or liabilities that are not based on 

observable market data. 

The Company does not have any fair value measurements considered as Level 1. The Company’s long-
term receivables, long-term loans, and other liability are considered Level 2 and Level 3 measurements.

113

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Capital management
The Company’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Company’s ability to continue as 
a going concern, in order to develop its oil and gas properties and maintain a flexible capital structure for 
its projects for the benefit of its stakeholders. In the management of capital, the Company includes the 
components of shareholders’ equity as well as cash and long-term liabilities. 

The Company manages the capital structure and adjusts it in light of changes in economic conditions and 
the risk characteristics of the underlying assets. As part of its capital management process, the Company 
prepares budgets and forecasts, which are used by management and the Board of Directors to direct and 
monitor the strategy, ongoing operations and liquidity of the Company. Budgets and forecasts are subject to 
judgement and estimates such as those relating to future gas demand and ultimate timing of collectability 
of trade receivables for gas sales. These factors may not be within the control of the Company, which may 
create near term risks that may impact the need to alter the capital structure. The Company continues to 
effectively manage its relationships with its gas purchasers to ensure timely collection and with external 
lenders  such  that  lending  facilities  are  available  to  the  Company  as  and  when  needed. The  Company 
may attempt to issue new shares, enter into joint arrangements or acquire or dispose of assets in order to 
maintain or adjust the capital structure. Management reviews the capital structure on a regular basis to 
ensure that the above-noted objectives are met. The Company’s overall strategy remains unchanged from 
the prior year.

30. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Transactions with key management personnel
Details of Directors’ remuneration, which comprise key management personnel, are provided below:

 Short-term employee benefits

 Share based compensation

 2019
$000

1,815

43

1,858

 2018
$000

1,167

52

1,219

114

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 201931. SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

Change in non-cash working capital:

Net change in non-cash working capital related to 
operating activities:

Trade and other receivables

Prepayments and deposits

Trade and other payables

 2019
$000

1,376

101

(1,067)

410

 2018
$000

3,381

(300)

(1,505)

1,576

Cash movements from investing activities in the Statements of Cash Flows consists of the following:

Year-ended 31 December 2019

Total additions/(reductions)

Change in non-cash investing activities

Cash additions/(reductions)

Year-ended 31 December 2018

Total additions/(reductions)

Change in non-cash investing activities

Change in non-cash working capital

Cash additions/(reductions)

Exploration and 
evaluation
$000 

Property, plant and 
equipment
$000

TPDC 
receivable
$000

-

-

-

1,806

-

-

1,806

20

-

20

1,262

-

706

1,968

(9,161)

3,923

(5,238)

(18,254)

2,877

-

(15,377)

115

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Closing balance of liabilities arising from financing liabilities:

Balance as at 1 January 2019

Changes from financing cash flows

Principal term loan repayments

Contingent liability payment

Total changes from financing cash flows

Other changes

Interest expense

Interest paid

Finance cost accretion

Total liabilities related to other charges

Balance as at 31 December 2019

Balance as at 1 January 2018

Changes from financing cash flows

Principal term loan repayments

Contingent liability payment

Total changes from financing cash flows

Other changes

Interest expense

Interest paid

Finance cost accretion

Transitional adjustment

Total liabilities related to other charges

Balance as at 31 December 2018

Long-term 
Loan
$000

8,779

(6,661)

-

(6,661)

474

(593)

(285)

(404)

1,714

15,661

(6,996)

-

(6,996)

1,178

(1,544)

(266)

746

114

8,779

Contingent 
liability
$000

848

-

(848)

(848)

-

-

-

-

-

2,189

-

(1,341)

(1,341)

-

-

-

-

-

848

Total 
liability
$000

9,627

(6,661)

(848)

(7,509)

474

(593)

(285)

(404)

1,714

17,850

(6,996)

(1,341)

(8,337)

1,178

(1,544)

(266)

746

114

9,627

116

GROUP ACCOUNTSYear-ended 31 December 2019Finance costs/(income), net:

Finance income

Interest income

Accretion – TPDC receivable (Note 13)

Accretion – Tanzanian Government receivable (Note 14)

Finance costs

Accretion – decommissioning provision 

Change in estimates – Tanzanian Government receivable (Note 14)

Interest expense and other finance costs

Foreign exchange loss

Finance costs/(income), net

32. COMMITMENTS

 2019
$000

21

-

-

21

(116)

-

(208)

(129)

(453)

(432)

 2018
$000

-

2,188

471

2,659

(104)

(471)

(980)

(61)

(1,616)

1,043

Lease payments
The Company has office locations in Reading, UK and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The future minimum lease 
payments associated with these office premises as at 31 December 2019 is $61k committed for year 2019.

33. SUBSEQUENT EVENT

On  2 January  2020,  the  Company  announced  an  LTIP  award  of  2,485,621  to  Katherine  Roe  subject  to  a 
three-year performance period and certain other provisions.

On 3 February 2020, the Company announced the publication of its 2019 CPR Reserves Report.

On 24 April 2020, the Company announced that the Directors had declared a second interim dividend of 
$2.0 million, bringing a total distribution of $3.0 million for 2019.

117

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019GLOSSARY OF TERMS

$ or US Dollar

United States Dollar

£ 

2D

2P 

3D

AIM

AGM

Articles

Bscf

Boe

Board

Capex

CGU

CMBL

COD

UK Pound Sterling

Two Dimensional

1P (proven reserves) + probable reserves, hence “proved AND probable”

Three Dimensional

AIM, a SME Growth market of the London Stock Exchange

Annual General Meeting

The Articles of Association of the Company

Billion standard cubic feet

Barrel of oil equivalent, a measure of the gas component converted into its 
equivalence in barrels of oil

The Board of Directors of the Company

Capital expenditure

Cash Generating Units

Cyprus Mnazi Bay Limited

Commercial Operations Date

Company

Wentworth Resources plc

Companies (Jersey) Law

The Companies (Jersey) Law 1991

CSR

Directors

Dissent Rights

E&E

E&P

EBITDAX

Corporate Social Responsibility

The Directors of the Company

Alberta Business Corporations Act Dissent Right in compliance with Section 191 
of that Act entitling shareholders compensation for the fair value of the common 
shares determined as of the close of business on the last business day (in Alberta) 
before the day on which the Continuance is approved by the Shareholders.

Exploration and Evaluation assets

Exploration and Production

(Adjusted) earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, depletion and 
amortisation, impairment, share-based payments, provisions, and pre-licence 
expenditure

EIR

Effective Interest Rate

118

APPENDICESEITI

ENH

EPS

ESG

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos

Earnings Per Share 

Environmental, social and governance

EWURA

Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority 

FCA

FEED

G&A

GPF

GSA

Group

HSSE

IAS

IASB

IFRS

JOA

JV

K

Km

km2

KPIs

Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom

Front End Engineering Design

General and Administrative

Gas Production Facility

Gas Sales Agreement 

The Company and its subsidiary undertakings

Health, Safety, Security and Environment

International Accounting Standards

International Accounting Standards Board

International Financial Reporting Standards

Joint Operating Agreement

Joint Venture

Thousands

Kilometre(s)

Square kilometre(s)

Key Performance Indicators

London Stock Exchange or LSE

London Stock Exchange plc

LTI 

LTIP

M&A

MEM

MEP

Lost Time Incident

Long-Term Incentive Plan adopted in 2018

Mergers and Acquisitions

Ministry of Energy and Minerals

Mtwara Energy Project

119

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019GLOSSARY OF TERMS

MMboe

Mscf

Million barrels of oil equivalent

Thousand standard cubic feet of gas 

MMscf/day

Million standard cubic feet per day of gas

MW

NGO

NPV

NNGI

OCI

Megawatt

Non-Government Organisation

Net Present Value (at a specified discount rate and specified discount date)

National Natural Gas Infrastructure (Pipeline)

Other comprehensive income

Ordinary Shares

Ordinary share capital (no par value)

P90

P50

P10

Pmean

The value on a probabilistic distribution which is exceeded by 90% of the 
outcomes

The value on a probabilistic distribution which is exceeded by 50% of the 
outcomes. The P50 is also the median value of the distribution

The value on a probabilistic distribution which is exceeded by 10% of the 
outcomes

The average of the values in the probabilistic distribution between defined 
‘boundary conditions’. Universally regarded as the best single value to quote or 
communicate for any uncertain distribution of outcomes involved in repeated 
trial investigations

Petroleum

Oil, gas, condensate and natural gas liquids

Property Plant and Equipment

Production Sharing Agreement

PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited is a national 
petroleum exploration and production company based in Thailand

Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority

Corporate Governance Code for Small and Mid-Size Quoted Companies 2012

Reserves are those quantities of petroleum anticipated to be commercially 
recoverable by application of development projects to known accumulations 
from a given date forward under defined conditions. Reserves must satisfy 
four criteria; they must be discovered, recoverable, commercial and remaining 
based on the development projects applied. Reserves are further categorised 
in accordance with the level of certainty associated with the estimates and 
may be sub-classified based on project maturity and/or characterised by 
development and production status

PP&E

PSA

PTTEP

PURA

QCA Code

Reserves

120

APPENDICESReservoir

Seismic

A porous and permeable rock capable of containing fluids

Data, obtained using a sound source and receiver, that is processed to provide 
a representation of a vertical cross-section through the subsurface layers

Shares

Ordinary shares

Shareholders

Ordinary shareholders in the Company

Subsidiary

TANESCO

TEITI

Tembo

TPDC

TRA

VAT

VETA

WAF

WGL

A subsidiary undertaking as defined in the 2006 Act

The Tanzania Electric Supply Company

Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

The Tembo Block Appraisal Licence, Mozambique (85% Wentworth, 15% ENH)

Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation

Tanzanian Revenue Authority

Value Added Tax

Vocational Training Institution (Tanzania)

Wentworth Africa Foundation

Wentworth Gas Limited

Working Interest or WI

A company’s equity interest in a project before reduction for royalties or 
production share owed to others under the applicable fiscal terms Working 
interest attributable to Wentworth

121

Strategic ReportCorporate GovernanceGroup AccountsAppendicesWentworth Resources plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2019REGISTERED OFFICE:
4th Floor, St Paul’s Gate
22 – 24 New Street
St Helier
Jersey 
JE1 4TR

JOINT BROKER:
Peel Hunt LLP
Moor House
120 London Wall
London 
EC2Y 5ET

REGISTRARS:
Link Market Services (Jersey) Ltd
12 Castle Street
St. Helier
JE2 3RT

PUBLIC RELATIONS: 
FTI Consulting
200 Aldersgate
Aldersgate Street
London
EC1A 4HD

Joelson Law
30 Portland Place
London
W1B 1LZ

PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS

HEAD OFFICE:
Thames Tower
2nd Floor
Station Road
Reading
RG1 1LX

NOMINATED ADVISER AND 
JOINT BROKER:
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Ltd
150 Cheapside
London
EC2V 6ET

AUDITORS:
KPMG LLP
15 Canada Square
London
E14 5GL

CORPORATE BANKERS: 
Santander Bank plc
Customer Service Centre
Bootle
Merseyside
L30 4GB

SOLICITORS:
Pinsent Mason
30 Crown Place
Earl Street
London
EC2A 4ES

Designed and produced by

blueasterisk design

Tel: +44 (0)1883 340341 | www.blueasterisk.co.uk

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APPENDICESWentworth Resources plc 
Thames Tower 
2nd Floor 
Station Road 
Reading 
RG1 1LX

Phone: +44 (0) 118 206 2982

Email: info@wentplc.com

www.wentplc.com