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Zephyr Energy Plc

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FY2020 Annual Report · Zephyr Energy Plc
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Zephyr Energy plc
(formerly Rose Petroleum plc)

Annual Report and Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 December 

Contents
Overview
01 
04 
12 

 Strategic Report

 Directors’ Report

 Chairman’s Statement

Governance
14 
21 
22 

 Corporate Governance Statement

 Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

 Independent Auditor’s Report

 Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

 Consolidated Income Statement

Financial Statements
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 

 Consolidated Balance Sheet

 Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

 Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

 Company Balance Sheet

 Company Statement of Changes in Equity

 Company Cash Flow Statement

 Notes to the Financial Statements

 Important information regarding the Annual General Meeting

Other Information
65 
66  Notice of Annual General Meeting
72  Directors, Advisers and Officers

01

Chairman’s Statement

Overview
During the 2020 financial year and in the period 
since, Zephyr Energy plc (formerly Rose Petroleum 
plc), (“Zephyr”, the “Company” or the “Group”) has 
undergone a wholesale transformation, evolving from 
a single project exploration company to a self-
sustaining oil producing group with a diverse 
portfolio of assets in two established oil producing 
basins in the United States of America (the “U.S.”).

The speed and depth of the Group’s transformation 
is even more remarkable when one considers that it 
was achieved against the turmoil, economic 
uncertainty and restrictive environment stemming 
from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our progress 
during this tumultuous period was largely due to the 
extraordinary effort of the Zephyr team, which 
demonstrated loyalty, professionalism, tenacity and 
skill throughout this very challenging period.

Progress was made across our portfolio, on both 
operated and non-operated assets. Zephyr’s 
operated asset is its flagship project in the Paradox 
Basin, Utah, U.S. (the “Paradox project”). Following 
the successful completion of the State 16-2 “dual-
use” stratigraphic test well (the “State 16-2 well”) 
which also provided an extensive amount of new 
geologic data, the project is poised for significant 
near-term growth as we plan to drill and target first oil 
production in the coming months. Our non-operated 
portfolio of assets now includes producing, near-term 
production and near-term drilling assets in the 
Williston Basin, North Dakota, U.S., one of the 
country’s most prolific oil producing basins, and we 
expect to see substantial cash flows from these over 
the next twelve months.

In short, I am gratified by the growth achieved and 
proud that we are successfully executing on our twin 
core values: to be responsible stewards of our 
investors’ capital, and to be responsible stewards of 
the environment in which we work.

Background
When I wrote my Chairman’s Statement for the 2019 
Annual Report, we had recently completed the first 
phase of the Group’s restructuring, a process which 
involved augmenting the Board, reducing our 
operational cost base by way of an essential cost 

cutting programme, restructuring our Paradox Basin 
joint venture and acreage position, exiting from all 
non-core legacy assets and, finally, implementing a 
new strategy to position the Group for responsible 
growth and profitability. This groundwork paved the 
way for the corporate and operational achievements 
of the last twelve months.

In late 2019, we unveiled the Group’s new strategy 
which, in addition to developing the Paradox project, 
was focused on the acquisition of production and 
development opportunities in the upstream oil and 
gas sector in the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S., 
an area with a significant number of opportunities 
suited to Zephyr’s strengths and size. Our stated goal 
was to produce a cost-effective path to near-term oil 
production and cash flow while simultaneously 
progressing our Paradox project and we have 
successfully delivered on these two key objectives.

Operational Activity
Over the past year, we made substantial headway on 
our operated Paradox project and Zephyr is now on 
the cusp of a drilling programme that will target first 
production after many years of hard work and 
considerable investment in the project. We believe, 
perhaps more now than ever, that the Paradox 
project has the potential to be a project of significant 
scale and profitability.

Having completed the restructuring of the Paradox 
project in late 2019, it was important to make progress 
on (and under) the ground in 2020. I was therefore 
delighted that we were able to secure United States 
dollars (“US$”) 2 million in U.S. Government grant 
funding, which enabled us to proceed with the drilling 
of the State 16-2 well. Securing the funding was a 
fantastic achievement and one that proved to be an 
important catalyst for the future development of the 
project, representing a major step towards realisation 
of the project’s considerable potential while 
minimising the capital risk to the Group. It is rare to 
secure grant funding from the U.S. Government for 
drilling activities of this nature, and this bespoke 
funding is testament to both the potential of our 
Paradox project and the efforts of our project team 
who conceived of, negotiated and delivered this 
funding successfully.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC02

Chairman’s Statement

Once funding was secured, our focus immediately 
turned to well planning and operations. Zephyr’s 
drilling team executed the drilling programme in a 
highly-commendable fashion, through harsh winter 
conditions, to successfully complete the well in 
record time for the basin. Drilling operations were 
safe, effective, conducted in accordance with 
Covid-19-related guidance and restrictions, and 
were completed well within the Group’s forecast 
timeframe. We were also able to gather significant 
amounts of reservoir data which, after several 
months of review and appraisal, gave us the 
confidence to make the subsequent decision to plan 
to drill the sidetrack lateral off the State 16-2 well (the 
“State 16-2LN CC” or “the lateral”) as soon as 
practicable. Following the successful completion of 
our fundraise in April 2021, we are now fully funded 
to initiate this drilling programme.

The lateral will target first production from the Cane 
Creek reservoir and, importantly, will utilise the 
pre-existing roads, pad and wellbore from the State 
16-2 well as a low-cost, low environmental impact 
sidetrack host. We continue to progress the 
permitting, drilling plan, contracting and resource 
evaluation ahead of the drilling programme and we 
remain on track to drill the well in July 2021.

The significant core and log data acquired from the 
State 16-2 Cane Creek reservoir corroborated and 
supported the Board’s long-held view that the 
Paradox has the potential to be a project of 
considerable scale. The drilling of the lateral well, 
which has robust and highly attractive forecast 
economics, has the potential to be a pivotal moment 
for the Group, and comes after seven years of 
substantial effort and investment in the asset.

In parallel with delivering on our strategy for the 
Paradox project, we have also been able to deliver on 
the second of our corporate objectives, by securing 
highly economic existing and near-term production 
through the acquisition of assets in the Williston Basin 
(the “Williston project”) in Q1 2021, and through our 
subsequent acquisition of 11.6 acres in the Williston 
Basin (the “Continental acreage”) in Q2 2021.

The acquired assets are ideal additions to our asset 
portfolio and an excellent complement to our 
Paradox project. Since mid-2019, the Group has 

evaluated a significant number of potential 
acquisitions, and the Board believed the assets 
ultimately acquired to be particularly attractive. We 
negotiated the Williston project acquisition on highly 
favourable economic terms, especially in light of the 
considerable rise in oil prices which occurred during 
the period between the initial agreement on 
purchase terms and the ultimate closing of the 
acquisition. The fact that the first five Williston wells 
acquired had all drilling risk removed was also a 
major bonus, and the resulting cash flows expected 
from the project will enable us to begin to utilise the 
Group’s historical tax losses of more than 
US$16 million.

The substantial cash flows expected to be generated 
from the Williston project and the Continental 
acreage have the potential to be reinvested into the 
development of the Paradox project or into other 
opportunities, again demonstrating the strength of a 
balanced portfolio of project assets.

The Board retains interest in progressing the 
Company’s potential working interest acquisition in 
the McCoy lease in the Denver-Julesburg Basin (“DJ 
Basin”) in Weld County, Colorado, U.S. (the “McCoy 
acquisition”). However, while the potential 
acquisition continues to meet the Company’s key 
acquisition criteria, the timeline for development has 
been put on hold by the current operator of the 
project while an expansion of the project is 
considered. Zephyr will continue to monitor progress 
and will look to make an investment decision once a 
firm development schedule is established and if 
revised terms can be negotiated. In the meantime, 
given the amount of forthcoming activity on the 
Company’s Paradox and Williston projects, the 
Board does not intend to seek to negotiate an 
extension to Zephyr’s existing option on the McCoy 
acquisition beyond the current expiry date of 
30 June 2021. That said, the seller of the McCoy 
asset has confirmed that the Company will be given 
a right of first refusal for participation in the project, 
should the seller seek funding once development 
plans are solidified.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202003

Chairman’s Statement

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
During 2020, we executed a complete rebranding of 
the Group, including the change of the Company’s 
name. Just as importantly, the Board spent significant 
time formulating and agreeing upon the core 
principles and values under which Zephyr will 
operate. In short, Zephyr’s team will always strive to 
be responsible stewards of its investors’ capital and 
responsible stewards of the environment in which we 
work. We believe that good environmental 
performance, together with good governance 
practices, will translate into good business 
performance and therefore are focused on delivering 
strong economic returns in the most environmentally 
responsible manner practical.

Under my Chairmanship, I want to ensure that every 
action and investment decision we make is 
considered against our core values. This includes the 
following points of focus:

•  we will continue to protect the Group, safeguard its 
existing asset base and position it for attractive 
growth opportunities;

•  we will continue to seek creative and beneficial 

funding opportunities in an effort to unlock value 
from our existing asset portfolio, as evidenced by 
the U.S. Government funding we received for our 
recent drilling programme on the Paradox project;

•  we will continue to adopt a disciplined focus on 
growth via the acquisition of producing or near-
term development opportunities in the Rocky 
Mountain region. Even in this unusual economic 
environment, we believe that attractive, value-
additive acquisitions are available and may be 
acquired using non-traditional funding structures;

Outlook
The period under review was one of substantial 
progress for the Group – I am confident that over the 
next few months we will continue to see a flurry of 
corporate and operational activity as we target 
production from the Paradox project and accumulate 
significant cash flows from our non-operated assets 
in the Williston Basin. These are exciting times, and 
we look forward to keeping all our stakeholders 
updated on our progress.

A final word must be said about our team and their 
extraordinary efforts to build value for all 
Shareholders. During the difficult days in late spring 
2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the 
globe, our people and partners showed great loyalty 
in staying committed at a time when we had to 
implement a radical cost-cutting programme to 
ensure the survival of the Company. Our team’s 
tenacity and resilience ensured we kept momentum 
at a crucial time which enabled us all to enjoy the 
operational successes of recent months. I would like 
to thank each and every one of them for their hard 
work, sacrifice and dedication.

Just as importantly, I would like to extend my 
heartfelt gratitude to our Company’s Shareholders 
and advisers for their support during a year which 
contained both unimaginable global turmoil and 
significant corporate growth. You have demonstrated 
great loyalty during this transformative period in the 
Company’s history, and on behalf of the entire 
management team and Board of Directors, I thank 
you.

•  we will continue with our programme of tight financial 
controls and cash preservation which will enable the 
Group to continue trading effectively; and

RL Grant
4 June 2021

•  we will continue to ensure management and the 
Board are aligned with our Shareholders through 
significant ownership of shares – the Board 
currently controls over 14 per cent of the 
Company’s issued Share Capital.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC04

Strategic Report

The Directors present their Strategic Report on the 
Group for the year ended 31 December 2020.

Principal Objectives and Strategies
Zephyr Energy plc is an Oil & Gas (“O&G”) 
exploration and production company. The 
Company’s key objective is to deliver sustainable 
Shareholder growth through the responsible 
development of oil and gas assets in the Rocky 
Mountain region of the U.S.

To achieve this objective, the Group prioritised:

•  the hiring of Board professionals with significant 
experience in the O&G sector, with a particular 
focus on operations, development, governance, 
finance, merger and acquisition and turnaround 
experience;

•  a sharpening of focus – we are wholly focused on 
responsible Exploration and Production (“E&P”) 
investment in the Rocky Mountain region and have 
exited all other legacy sectors and geographies;

•  the acceleration of data acquisition and 

development efforts on our flagship Paradox 
project;

•  the redoubling of ESG efforts, including corporate 

governance compliance and proactive 
engagement with the communities in which we 
operate;

•  the leveraging of partnerships (such as the U.S. 

Department of Energy, experienced operators in 
the Basins in which we operate, and private equity 
investors);

•  the design and build of a technology-led 

acquisition process which can rapidly assess and 
acquire distressed E&P assets in our geographical 
area of focus;

•  the potential addition of further interests through 
acquisition, farm-in agreements or joint venture 
arrangements; and

•  tight financial control and cash conservation.

Review of Operations and Future 
Developments
Background
In the Company’s Interim Results announcement for 
the six months ended 30 June 2020, we stated that 
following the completion of significant restructuring 
efforts, the Company was well positioned as a clean, 

low-overhead, unlevered and value-focused vehicle 
from which to build – with a strategy and value set 
designed to deliver responsible growth for all 
stakeholders. Furthermore, we went on to say that 
“over the coming months we expect to see further 
exciting developments on the Paradox project as 
well as the expansion of our asset portfolio through 
acquisitions or partnerships.”

We are proud to report that, just eight months after 
making these statements, we have been able to 
meet and exceed those objectives. Zephyr is now a 
cash-generating, oil producing Group with significant 
organic growth prospects. We believe our recent 
operational successes have been achieved not just 
by sheer hard work, but by being bold, opportunistic 
and agile in a marketplace experiencing turmoil and 
disruption due to the impacts of the global pandemic.

Paradox project
During the period under review and in the following 
months, the Company made impressive headway on 
the Paradox project where Zephyr has operatorship 
and a 75 per cent working interest in over 25,000 
gross leased acres. We are happy to report that we 
are now on the brink of a drilling programme that will 
target first production on the project, which comes 
after many years of considerable investment in these 
assets. We believe, more than ever, that the Paradox 
project has the potential to be a project of significant 
scale and profitability.

By way of illustration, in their Competent Persons 
Report (“CPR”) prepared for the Group in June 2018, 
Gaffney Cline and Associates (“Gaffney Cline”) 
estimated that on a project-wide 2C basis (50% chance 
of exceedance), the Cane Creek reservoir on the 
Group’s acreage (which includes the proposed State 
16-2LN CC) holds estimated recoverable resources of 
over 12 million barrels of oil equivalent (“mmboe”) and a 
net present value of approximately US$156 million using 
a flat oil price of US$60 per barrel of oil (“bo”) and a ten 
per cent discount rate. This highlights the considerable 
opportunity we have with the project – it is now our 
task to unlock this value.

Background
During the latter part of 2019, the Board completed a 
comprehensive review of the Paradox project and 
elected to pursue a strategy which, in its opinion, 
would optimally position the project for future growth. 
This included the following steps:

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202005

Strategic Report

•  focusing on the most prospective acreage (as 

identified by the 3D seismic acquisition undertaken 
by the Group and from the subsequent verification 
work carried out by Schlumberger);

•  releasing acreage that the Group believed to be 
non-prospective or on too short a lease to merit 
further exploration work and/or expenditure; and

•  actively acquiring further contiguous acreage in 

areas we consider most prospective.

Stakeholders will continue to see a reshaping of the 
Paradox acreage position as we proactively manage 
our leasehold position, and the work to secure longer 
lease terms and contiguous acreage in areas we 
consider most prospective remains ongoing.

This ‘high-grading’ process was absolutely key for 
the future success of the project and enabled us to 
secure the project for the long-term while at the 
same time reducing carrying costs. The Board 
believes that a concentrated focus on the most highly 
prospective acreage not only created a long-term 
sustainable future for the project, but will also make 
the organic development of the acreage more 
economically advantageous.

Having secured the tenure of the most attractive 
project acreage, our next task was to commence 
operations on the ground and begin the process of 
unlocking the considerable potential value of the 
project. We were therefore delighted to announce, in 
September 2020, a partnership to drill a “dual-use” 
research well on our acreage.

State 16-2 well
Following many months of intense effort, negotiation 
and planning, Zephyr was able to secure 
US$2 million of U.S. Government grant funding which 
enabled us to proceed with the drilling of the State 
16-2 well, in conjunction with a project team led by 
the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience 
Institute (“EGI”) with participants including the Utah 
Geological Survey (the “UGS”) and other Utah-based 
partners. The project was sponsored by the U.S. 
Department of Energy and its National Energy 
Technology Laboratory (the “DOE”), and securing the 
funding was a notable achievement for the Group 
and a significant catalyst for accelerated 
development of the project.

The DOE’s ongoing project is entitled “Improving 
Production in Utah’s Emerging Northern Paradox 
Unconventional Oil Play”. Its goal is to assess and 
perform optimisation analyses for more focused, 
efficient and less environmentally-impactful oil 
production strategies in the northern Paradox Basin, 
particularly in the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation’s 
Cane Creek reservoir (the “Cane Creek”) and 
adjacent overlying reservoirs.

As part of this study, the EGI and UGS originally 
planned to drill a vertical stratigraphic test well to 
gather data to improve the understanding of the 
Paradox Basin play. The proposed well would target 
the Cane Creek reservoir and potentially the C18/19 
reservoirs, acquiring both core data and a 
comprehensive well log suite in order to provide 
valuable new basin data.

Over a period of several months, the project team 
analysed multiple potential well locations across the 
Northern Paradox Basin, and we were delighted that 
the EGI and UGS selected Zephyr’s Paradox acreage 
as the location on which to drill the well. Our acreage 
was selected for a number of reasons, including the 
quality of our underlying 3D seismic data (which is 
being tied into the well results to build a stronger 
integrated predictive model) as well as a favourable 
surface location located on a pre-existing pad.

After our acreage was selected as the location for 
the test well, we worked with our project partners to 
design the well in such a way that it could be used 
not only to obtain the data required by the research 
project, but so that it could be re-used as a low-cost, 
low environmental-impact host for a future lateral 
appraisal well.

After a period of intense activity to complete all drill 
planning activities (including site preparation, road 
work, permit approvals and vendor selection) we 
were delighted to announce on 18 December 2020 
that the well had been spud – and 19 days later we 
announced that the well had been successfully 
drilled to a measured depth of 9,745 feet total depth 
(“TD”). Drilling operations were safe and effective, 
conducted in accordance with Covid-19 related 
guidance and restrictions, and were completed well 
within the Group’s forecast timeframe. This was a 
fantastic achievement by everybody involved.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC06

Strategic Report

Our primary objective was to drill and set casing at 
6,450 measured depth (“MD”) in order to provide a 
host wellbore for a future horizontal side track. This 
goal was achieved within thirteen days from spud. As 
mentioned above, we subsequently reached TD 
within nineteen days of spud, a marked improvement 
over historical drilling efforts in this part of the 
Paradox Basin. The reduction in drilling time 
represented a major operational success and 
demonstrated that the cost of future development 
wells could be significantly reduced from earlier 
estimates, thereby improving the overall potential 
value of the Paradox project for Shareholders.

Our secondary objective was to acquire a significant 
amount of new data to improve our understanding of 
our Paradox acreage. We were pleased to report 
that Zephyr’s data acquisition programme secured 
the following:

•  approximately 113 feet of continuous whole core 
across the historically productive Cane Creek 
reservoir interval – the first whole Cane Creek 
core ever to be retrieved in the northern part of 
the Paradox Basin;

•  rotary side wall cores in eleven shallower 

exploration targets; and

•  gamma ray, neutron density, resistivity, formation 

litho scanner and sonic wireline log data across the 
bulk of the Paradox Formation, which secured 
significant additional petrophysical data.

Following the completion of drilling and data 
acquisition operations, the State 16-2 well was 
temporarily plugged at 6,450 feet TD, stable and for 
future re-use as a lateral wellbore host.

Decision to proceed with the State 16-2LN  
CC lateral well
The core and log data acquired from the State 16-2 
Cane Creek reservoir both corroborated and 
supported the Board’s long-held view that the 
Paradox has the potential to be a project of 
considerable scale.

On 15 March 2021, we announced a detailed update 
on the Paradox project, which included confirmation 
of evidence of hydrocarbon saturation across the 
entirety of the continuous core acquired from the 
Cane Creek reservoir. When integrated with the 
recently acquired log data, existing 3D seismic data, 
geologic and regional analogue analysis, the 

resulting analysis gave the Board strong justification 
for advancement to the next phase of project. The 
Board therefore elected to proceed with detailed 
planning for the near-term drilling of the lateral, and 
following the successful completion of a fundraise in 
April 2021, the Company is fully funded to commence 
the drilling of the lateral portion of the well.

The lateral will test the potential productivity and 
target initial production from the Cane Creek 
reservoir natural fracture system, and will utilise the 
pre-existing roads, pad and wellbore from the State 
16-2 as a low-cost, low environmental impact 
sidetrack host. We continue to progress the 
permitting, drilling plan, contracting and resource 
evaluation ahead of the drilling programme and the 
Company remains on track to drill the well in July 
2021. It is estimated that the cost of the lateral well 
will be approximately US$3.8 million, including 
contingency funds.

We have continued to refine the cost and economic 
benefits of the lateral, which is forecast to have 
strong economics based on its 2C estimate, 
including:

•  A single-well net present value of approximately 
US$8.2 million at US$60.00/bo and at a ten per 
cent. discount rate (NPV-10);

•  a cash flow breakeven oil price of US$20.55/bo; 

and

•  a single-well estimated ultimate recovery of 

694,000 boe.

The Board recognises that commercial production 
from the Paradox Formation across the Zephyr lease 
holding has not yet been proven. The State 16-2LN-
CC well will represent another milestone in testing 
this potential and the effectiveness of the Cane 
Creek reservoir and natural fracture system. The well 
has been designed to target a series of 3D seismic 
attributes that are often associated with natural 
fractures. This will test both the reservoir 
effectiveness at the well location and the ability of 
the 3D to predict fracture presence and productivity 
elsewhere within the 3D area. The team is also 
evaluating the potential to hydraulically stimulate the 
well if the natural fracture system is not productive at 
this location. This may be a secondary route to 
delivering a profitable well and greater development.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202007

Strategic Report

The drilling of the State 16-2LN CC well, with its 
robust and highly attractive forecast economics, has 
the potential to be a pivotal moment for the Group, 
and comes on the back of seven years of substantial 
time and investment in the asset. We are excited for 
this next phase of development.

Further upside to Paradox project
In addition to the potential of the Cane Creek 
reservoir, the Board remains encouraged by 
indications that demonstrate the potential for multiple 
stacked overlying reservoirs across our Paradox 
resource base. Initial log analysis from the State 16-2 
well suggested hydrocarbon saturation across the 
bulk of these reservoirs, a result consistent with 
offset wells and which provided compelling evidence 
for the presence of stacked continuous oil and gas 
plays – plays which could potentially be drained 
should viable natural fracture networks be identified 
or should artificial hydraulic stimulation completion 
techniques be applied successfully. Unlike the Cane 
Creek reservoir, these overlying secondary zones 
have not demonstrated historical production and 
therefore require significant additional evaluation 
before a resource base assessment can be 
concluded. We are directing a considerable amount 
of effort to this at present and will keep the market 
updated as the detailed analysis progresses.

A key consideration for the Board was how to 
optimally fund additional development of the 
Paradox project. I was therefore delighted that we 
were able to complete the acquisition of the Williston 
project which has the potential to provide the 
Company with cash flow to fund future additional 
Paradox activity well beyond the near-term drilling of 
the State 16-2LN CC.

Williston Project
In March 2021, the Group completed the purchase of 
the Williston project which is expected to provide the 
Group with low-risk oil production from five already 
drilled wells which are, as mentioned above, 
expected to generate substantial cash flows that can 
be utilised across the Group.

The initial cost of the acquisition was US$350,000 
(payable to the seller of the assets). In addition, 
the Company made a payment of approximately 

US$3.7 million to the project Operator for historical 
capital expenditure (“CAPEX”) obligations on 
the project.

The key details of the project were as follows:

•  acquisition of non-operated working interests in 

five wells (one producing well and four drilled but 
uncompleted wells (a “DUC” or “DUCS”) in 
Mountrail County, North Dakota, U.S.;

•  the working interests on the five wells ranged from 

16.8% to 37.2%;

•  the wells are operated by Whiting Petroleum, an 
active and highly experienced operator in the 
Williston Basin;

•  the Group agreed headline terms with the vendor 

when the oil price was at US$45/bo;

•  the producing well has been on production since 

March 2020 and first revenue payments have now 
been received by Zephyr;

•  the completions on the four DUCs commenced in 
April and production revenues are targeted to be 
received on all four wells by September 2021;

•  2P Reserves acquired were estimated at 449,434 

boe to the Group; and

•  the five wells are spread across three separate 
drilling pads, creating attractive production 
diversification.

The key benefits of the Williston acquisition were as 
follows:

•  a low-risk acquisition with substantial near-term 

cash flow expected;

•  no remaining drilling risk – all five wells were 
already drilled successfully to target depth;

•  excellent complement to (and funding source for 
future development on) the Paradox project; and

•  no federal tax payments payable in the short-term 
as profits can be offset against the Group’s historic 
tax losses.

Zephyr is now responsible for payment of future 
CAPEX obligations related to the Williston project as 
the DUCs are completed and tied in. These costs are 
estimated to be approximately US$4.2 million, and 
will become due after the wells are completed.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC08

Strategic Report

The economics on the Williston project, as calculated 
by the Group, are extremely attractive and the 
acquisition established the Group as an immediate 
oil producer. Once the four DUC wells are online in 
summer 2021, the Group forecasts that the 
acquisition will provide:

•  up to US$8 million of undiscounted cash flow over 
the next 12 months, and a total of US$15 million of 
undiscounted cash flow over the lifetime of the 
project, for Zephyr to deploy into the Paradox 
development or into additional projects (assuming 
an oil price of US$60/bo);

•  2P net present value at NPV-10 of US$4.3 million;

•  a cash flow breakeven oil price of US$36.69/bo 

(inclusive of all CAPEX expended);

•  approximately 720 barrels of oil equivalent per 

day (“boepd”) average production anticipated in 
H2 2021;

•  a one-year cash payback; and

•  the opportunity to shelter U.S. federal tax 

payments by utilising the Group’s historical tax 
losses of more than US$16 million.

Continental acreage
In May 2021, Zephyr announced the acquisition of 
the Continental acreage, which gave the Group a 
working interest in a drilling spacing unit (“DSU”) 
operated by Continental Resources Inc 
(“Continental”), the largest operator in the Williston 
Basin. The Continental acreage is located 
approximately ten miles from the Company’s Williston 
project, in a highly attractive part of the Basin. The 
cost of the acreage acquired by Zephyr was 
approximately US$170,000 and was paid for from the 
Company’s existing cash resources.

Continental has already commenced drilling two 
initial wells on the DSU (“Initial wells”), with up to an 
additional 22 future wells (“Future wells”) forecast to 
be drilled by 2023.

•  Zephyr’s forecast net CAPEX for the initial wells is 
approximately US$135,000 which will be funded 
from existing cash resources.

•  Zephyr’s net CAPEX for the proposed 22 Future 

wells is forecast to be approximately US$710,000, 
which could also be funded from the Group’s 
existing cash resources.

•  CAPEX on the Future wells is discretionary, and 
Zephyr’s Board of Directors will elect whether to 
participate in those wells on a case-by-case basis.

The Continental acreage has, net to Zephyr, Company 
estimated 2P reserves (from all 24 wells) of circa 60,000 
boe which were acquired at a price of approximately 
US$2.83/boe. The 1P reserves on the Continental 
acreage are, net to Zephyr, estimated at circa 41,000 
boe and the 3P reserves at circa 72,000 boe.

This opportunistic acquisition has strong forecast 
economics and provided the Company with further 
exposure to low risk, near-term production. Initial 
revenues from the acquisition are expected to be 
received in the second half of this year.

The acquisition of the Continental acreage, in a DSU 
operated by a first-class Williston Basin participant, is 
a strong example of what can be achieved in the 
current market. The acreage is in an excellent 
location and provides both near-term drilling 
exposure and future drilling optionality. While the 
initial scale of the acquisition is small, for a minimal 
upfront cost Zephyr now has potential to participate 
in up to twenty-four highly economic wells over the 
next two years. Given the continued improvement in 
drilling costs and robust oil price environment, we 
believe this acreage will provide attractive near-term 
cash flow returns and is an excellent addition to our 
asset portfolio.

McCoy update
In November 2019, the Group announced that it had 
entered into a Letter of Intent (“LOI”) with Captiva 
Energy Holdings II, LLC (“CEH”) in respect of the 
proposed McCoy acquisition

The McCoy acquisition would provide the Group with 
near-term, low-risk horizontal development drilling 
exposure in the prolific Niobrara resource play, and on 
acreage contiguous to other major DJ Basin operators 
including Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Great 
Western Operating Company LLC (a subsidiary of 
Great Western Petroleum), and Crestone Peak 
Resources. The DJ Basin is a mature oil and gas basin 
currently undergoing a resurgence as vertical 
production is replaced with successful one-, two-, and 
three-mile horizontal well developments. The McCoy 
lease is located in an active part of the DJ Basin and a 
horizontal redevelopment of the existing productive 
lease is proposed.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202009

Strategic Report

The Board retains interest in progressing the McCoy 
acquisition. However, while the asset continues to 
meet the Company’s key acquisition criteria, the 
timeline for development has been put on hold by 
the current operator of the project while an 
expansion of the project is considered. Zephyr will 
continue to monitor progress and will look to make 
an investment decision once a firm development 
schedule is established and if revised terms can be 
negotiated. In the meantime, given the amount of 
forthcoming activity on the Company’s Paradox and 
Williston projects, the Board does not intend to seek 
to negotiate an extension to Zephyr’s existing option 
on the McCoy acquisition beyond the current expiry 
date of 30 June 2021. That said, the seller of the 
McCoy asset has confirmed that the Company will be 
given a right of first refusal for participation in the 
project, should the seller seek funding once 
development plans are solidified. The Board will 
continue to monitor the situation on the project and 
plans to review the project again once development 
milestones are more clearly defined.

Financial Review
Income Statement
Zephyr reports a net loss after tax from continuing 
operations of US$2.3 million or a loss of 0.66 cents per 
Ordinary Share for the year ended 31 December 2020 
(2019: net loss after tax from continuing operations of 
US$3.0 million or 1.74 cents per Ordinary Share). The 
operating loss for the year was US$2.36 million, which 
was lower than that in the prior year (2019: 
US$2.81 million) primarily due to a reduction in 
administrative expenses as a result of the cost cutting 
programme implemented during the period.

The first production revenues from the Williston 
project will be evident in the interim financial 
statements for the 2021 financial year.

Balance Sheet
Total investment in the Group’s intangible exploration 
and evaluation assets as at 31 December 2020 was 
US$13.9 million (2019: US$13.5 million) reflecting 
continuing investment in the Paradox project. The 
Group’s expenditure on intangible exploration and 
evaluation assets is shown net of US$1.8 million 
funded by the DOE during the year.

Cash and cash equivalents as at 31 December 2020 
were US$3.9 million (2019: US$1.1 million). During the 
period, the Company raised gross proceeds of 

US$2.9 million (2019: US$2.0 million) through the 
placing of new Ordinary Shares in the Company. In 
March 2021 the Company announced that it had raised 
a further US$13.6 million (before expenses) through the 
placing of new Ordinary Shares in the Company.

Key Performance Indicators
The Board monitors the performance of the Group in 
delivering its key corporate and operational 
milestones for a given period. In particular, the Board 
monitors the completion of milestones against 
allocated time, resources and budget in respect of its 
O&G development activities.

As part of Zephyr’s ongoing transition to an oil 
production company, the Board is in the process of 
developing an appropriate set of key performance 
indicators (“KPIs”) against which to benchmark how it 
performs against the operational, health and safety 
and ESG standards that will be put in place by the 
Board. The Board is absolutely committed to 
ensuring that the Group operates to the highest 
standards of sustainability and responsibility.

The Board will communicate its value set and revised 
KPIs once the transition process is complete.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties and  
Risk Management
There are a number of potential risks and 
uncertainties which could have a material impact on 
Zephyr’s long-term performance and could cause 
actual results to differ from expected and historical 
results. The principal risks and uncertainties that we 
face are:

Non-Financial Risks
•  Changes in government law or regulatory policy in 
the U.S. could materially affect the rights and title 
to the interests held by the Group, and the 
operations and financial condition of the Group 
could be adversely affected.

•  Zephyr is dependent on the continued services 
and performances of its core management team. 
The loss of key personnel could have an impact on 
our ability to meet our strategic objectives. The 
Remuneration Committee reviews the employment 
terms for executives and key operational 
management with the aim of attracting, motivating 
and retaining key personnel for the Group.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC10

Strategic Report

Financial Risks
•  There is a risk that the carrying value of the 

Group’s assets will not be recovered through 
future revenues, leading to significant impairment 
losses. The Group manages the recoverability of 
its assets and assesses the economic viability 
throughout the exploration, development and 
production phases.

•  The activities of the Group are subject to 

fluctuations in prices and demand for commodities, 
which are volatile and cannot be controlled. 
Fluctuating commodity prices could have a 
significant impact on the Group’s operations. While 
the Group does not hedge against the risk at 
present, this policy will be continually reviewed by 
the Board as our production and revenues 
increase in future.

•  Funds are maintained by the Group in Great Britain 
Pounds sterling (“GBP”) and US$. There is a risk 
that purchasing power in the U.S. is lost through 
foreign exchange translation. The Group considers 
its foreign exchange risk to be a normal and 
acceptable business exposure and does not 
hedge against the risk at present, although this 
policy may be reviewed in future.

•  There is a risk that there will be insufficient access 
to funding to meet all corporate, development and 
production obligations and activities. The Group 
manages liquidity risk by maintaining adequate 
cash reserves and monitoring forecast and actual 
cash flows. The Board reviews the Group’s cash 
flow projections and forecasts on a monthly basis.

•  The Group has financial and operational 

obligations in order to keep licences, leases and 
permits related to its projects in good standing. If 
the Group does not have sufficient funds to 
develop its portfolio of projects and to keep the 
projects in good standing there is a risk that 
underlying leases, licences and permits may expire 
potentially leading to a loss of the underlying 
assets and a subsequent impairment of the assets 
in the Group’s financial statements.

Corporate and Social Responsibility
Health and Safety
It is the objective of the Group to ensure the health 
and safety of its employees and of any other persons 
who could be affected by its operations. It is the 

Group’s policy to provide working environments 
which are safe and without risk to health and provide 
information, instruction, training and supervision to 
ensure the health and safety of its employees.

The Board is taking all necessary steps to protect its 
people against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Significant Relationships
The Group enjoys good relationships with all of its 
suppliers, professional advisers and operational 
partners.

Statement by the Directors in performance 
of their Statutory Duties in Accordance 
with S172(1) Companies Act 2006
The Board of Directors of Zephyr Energy plc, both 
individually and together, have acted in good faith, in 
a way they consider would be most likely to promote 
the success of the Company for the benefit of its 
members as a whole (having regard to the 
stakeholders and matters set out in S172 of 
Companies Act 2006).

The Board considers its stakeholders to be the 
individuals and organisations that are affected by the 
Group’s operations and with whom the Company 
seeks to proactively engage on a regular basis. The 
Company strives to maintain productive, mutually 
beneficial relationships with each stakeholder group 
by treating all stakeholders with fairness and respect 
and by providing timely and effective responses and 
information. Engaging our stakeholders informs our 
decision-making, including consideration of our 
long-term strategic objectives and the activities that 
support these aims, such as merger and acquisition 
diligence and the management of risk. Further details 
on our stakeholder engagement is set out below.

Stakeholder Engagement
Shareholders
The Board seeks to understand and meet Shareholder 
needs and expectations. It has established a strategy 
and business model which it believes will promote 
long term value to Shareholders. The Company’s 
details are displayed on its website allowing 
Shareholders to contact the Company if they so wish. 
The Board attaches great importance to providing 
Shareholders with clear and transparent information 
on the Group’s activities and strategy. Details of all 

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202011

Strategic Report

Shareholder communications are provided on the 
Company’s website, including historical annual reports 
and governance related material.

The major interests in the Company’s Ordinary 
Shares are set out in the Directors’ report. Key 
metrics for our Shareholders includes the Company’s 
share price and earnings per share. Through our 
regulatory updates and the publication of our half 
and full year financial reports, we inform 
Shareholders regarding the status of their Company. 
Further Shareholder engagement includes the 
Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) (although 
attendance may be affected due to restrictions 
imposed as a result of the pandemic) and discussions 
with investors when questions are asked.

Employees
Our employees are essential to the Group’s success 
and growth. We recognise that we need a skilled and 
committed workforce, with a diverse range of 
experience and perspectives, and we value the 
diversity and the contribution that it affords

The Board believes that the Group’s success is 
reliant on the commitment of our employees. We 
pride ourselves on our friendly and safe working 
environment. Employee feedback is sought through 
formal review processes and via the head of each 
department. Training is provided where necessary.

Governments and regulators
We seek to develop and maintain positive 
relationships and regular dialogue with various 
stakeholder groups within the federal, state and local 
governments in our areas of operation.

Executive and operational management are active in 
their engagement with governments and regulators 
to address legislative, regulatory and operational 
matters important to our business.

Joint operating partners
As an operator of assets, Zephyr works on behalf of 
our industry partners to safely and efficiently manage 
our assets.

We fulfil our duties as operator by carefully managing 
our responsibilities including prompt payment of 
expenses and keeping leases in good standing.

Environment
The Group fully recognises its obligation to minimise 
its impact on the environment and to be responsible 
in all its activities. This is currently achieved by 
complying with the IS014001 quality standard and 
support of certain environmentally focussed 
charities.

More information on how the Company considers 
and discharges its obligations in respect of S172 
Companies Act 2006 in respect of its stakeholders 
can be found in the Corporate Governance section of 
this document (page 14) and in respect of the 
environment at the relevant section above.

Significant decisions made
During the year under review, the Directors secured 
US$2 million in U.S. Government grant funding to 
facilitate the drilling of the State 16-2 well. The 
decisions to proceed with the grant funding and the 
drilling on the State 16-2 well were logical decisions 
to ensure the advancement of the Paradox project 
and were unanimously deemed by Board members 
to be in the best interests of the Company.

In addition, and to facilitate the drilling of the State 
16-2 well, the Company completed an equity 
fundraise through the issue of Ordinary Shares in the 
Company. Details of this fundraise can be found in 
the relevant sections of this Annual Report. In arriving 
at the decision to proceed with the fundraise the 
Directors considered the cash position of the 
Company, the dilution impact that the respective 
fundraises would have on the existing Shareholders 
of the Company and the importance of progressing 
the Paradox project. After due consideration, the 
Directors considered the fundraise to be in the best 
interests of the Company and its Shareholders.

We would like to thank all Shareholders for their 
continued support.

On behalf of the Board

JC Harrington
Chief Executive Officer

4 June 2021

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC12

Directors’ Report

The Directors present the Annual Report and financial statements of the Group for the year ended 
31 December 2020.

Review of Future Developments
A review of future developments is given in the Strategic Report.

Dividends
The Directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend for the year ended 31 December 2020 (2019: 
US$ nil).

Directors
The Directors who held office during the year, and since the year end are as follows:

JC Harrington
RL Grant
TH Reynolds
GB Stein
CJ Eadie

Directors’ interests in Shares and Share Options
The Directors who held office at 31 December 2020 had the following interests, including family interests, in 
the Ordinary Shares of the Company as follows:

CJ Eadie
JC Harrington
TH Reynolds
GB Stein

Number of Ordinary Shares 

31 December 2020

1 January 2020

5,275,095
134,636,364(1)
1,000,000
1,850,000

3,425,095
68,636,364(1)
1,000,000
–

(1)   JC Harrington is indirectly the controlling Shareholder of Origin Creek Energy LLC which is beneficial owner of 134,636,364 shares. 

RL Grant is a 19% Shareholder of Origin Creek Energy LLC.

Since 31 December 2020, the Directors have increased their shareholdings as follows:

Origin Creek Energy LLC (“OCE”) subscribed for 2,500,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company’s placing in April 
2021 giving it an interest in 137,136,364 Ordinary Shares.

JC Harrington subscribed for 750,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company’s placing in April 2021 resulting in a 
total beneficial interest of 138,590,300 Ordinary Shares.

RL Grant subscribed for 1,500,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company’s placing in April 2021, resulting in a total 
beneficial interest of 1,500,000 Ordinary Shares. In addition, Rick Grant has a minority shareholding in OCE 
which also holds Ordinary Shares as noted above.

CJ Eadie subscribed for 1,500,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company’s placing in April 2021, resulting in a total 
beneficial interest of 6,775,095 Ordinary Shares.

GB Stein subscribed for 500,000 Ordinary Shares in the Company’s placing in April 2021, resulting in a total 
beneficial interest of 2,350,000 Ordinary Shares.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202013

Directors’ Report

Directors’ interests in share options of the Company, including family interests, as at 31 December 2020 were 
as follows:

Date of grant

No. of shares 

Exercise price

Option exercise period

CJ Eadie
CJ Eadie
CJ Eadie
CJ Eadie
JC Harrington
TH Reynolds
TH Reynolds
RL Grant
RL Grant
GB Stein
GB Stein

13 Feb 2015
24 Mar 2017
6 April 2018
29 May 2020
29 May 2020
29 May 2020
29 May 2020
29 May 2020
29 May 2020
29 May 2020
29 May 2020

100,000
500,000
1,300,000
6,000,000
12,000,000
2,000,000
818,181
3,000,000
1,353,363
2,000,000
545,455

182.5p
14.0p
3.5p
0.6p
0.6p
0.6p
0.1p
0.6p
0.1p
0.6p
0.1p

13/03/16 to 12/03/25
24/04/17 to 23/04/27
06/04/19 to 05/04/28
29/05/21 to 28/05/31
29/05/21 to 28/05/31
29/05/21 to 28/05/31
29/05/21 to 28/5/27
29/05/21 to 28/05/31
29/05/21 to 28/5/27
29/05/21 to 28/05/31
29/05/21 to 28/5/27

Disclosure of information to the Auditor
The Directors who held office at the date of approval 
of this Directors’ report confirm that, so far as they are 
each aware, there is no relevant audit information of 
which the Company’s auditor is unaware; and each 
Director has taken all the steps that he ought to have 
taken as a Director in order to make himself aware of 
any relevant audit information and to establish that 
the Company’s auditor is aware of that information.

Auditor
The Directors resolved that RSM UK Audit LLP be 
re-appointed as auditor. RSM UK Audit LLP has 
indicated its willingness to continue in office.

On behalf of the Board

CJ Eadie
Finance Director

4 June 2021

Third party Indemnity Provision for 
Directors
The Company currently has in place, and had for the 
year ended 31 December 2020, Directors and 
Officers liability insurance for the benefit of all 
Directors of the Company.

Corporate Governance
Corporate governance matters are set out on pages 14 
to 20.

Substantial Shareholdings
Other than the Directors’ interests shown above, the 
Company has been notified of the following 
substantial interests as at 4 June 2020:

Origin Creek Energy LLC
Tyndall Investment 
Management
Edale Europe Absolute 
Master Fund

Number of 
shares

Percentage 
of issued 
share capital

137,136,634

11.2%

89,364,094

54,000,000

7.3%

4.4%

Post Balance Sheet Events
Events after the balance sheet date have been 
disclosed in note 28 to the financial statements.

Financial Instruments
During the year the Company and its subsidiary 
undertakings applied financial risk management 
policies as disclosed in note 26 to the financial 
statements.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC14

Corporate Governance Statement

Zephyr is committed to achieving the highest 
standards of corporate governance and follows the 
requirements of the QCA Corporate Governance 
Code (the “Code”) published by the Quoted 
Companies Alliance in April 2018, a full version of 
which is available at http://www.theqca.com.

management structure, approval of the Group’s 
financial statements and ensuring maintenance of 
good systems of internal control. Procedures are 
established to ensure that appropriate information is 
communicated to the Board in a timely manner to 
enable it to fulfil its duties.

All members of the Board believe strongly in the 
value and importance of good corporate governance 
and in our accountability to all of Zephyr 
stakeholders, including Shareholders, staff, clients, 
suppliers and the Governments and regulators of the 
countries in which we operate.

There is also an established procedure for all 
Directors to take independent professional advice, if 
necessary, at the Group’s expense. Additionally, all 
Directors have access to the advice of the Group’s 
advisers. The Group maintains Directors’ and officers’ 
liability insurance.

The corporate governance framework which the 
Group operates, including Board leadership and 
effectiveness, Board remuneration, and internal 
control is based upon practices which the Board 
believes are proportional to the size, risks, complexity 
and operations of the business and is reflective of the 
Group’s values.

Following the recent rapid transformation of the 
Group the Board is currently conducting a review of 
all of its corporate governance processes to ensure 
that Zephyr continues to comply with best practice as 
outlined in the Code.

The Code is constructed around ten broad principles 
and a set of disclosures. The Code states what it 
considers to be appropriate arrangements for 
growing companies and asks companies to provide 
an explanation about how they are meeting the 
principles through the prescribed disclosures. We 
have considered how we apply each principle to the 
extent that the Board judges these to be appropriate 
in the circumstances, and we provide an explanation 
of the approach taken in relation to each principle on 
our website and a summary is set out below.

The Board and its Committees
Formal Board meetings are scheduled, on average, 
every four to six weeks with regular contact between 
meetings as required. The meetings are held to 
monitor and implement strategy, to review 
performance (including cash forecasts, ESG 
compliance), potential acquisitions, fundraising 
activity and to approve all communication to the 
London Stock Exchange and Shareholders.

The matters reserved for the Board include, amongst 
others, approval of the Group’s long-term objectives, 
policies and budgets, changes relating to the Group’s 

The Board members are mindful of the need to keep 
skills and experience up to date which is done 
through a combination of training, continuing 
professional development through professional 
bodies, reading and on the job experience.

All Directors are expected to devote such time as is 
necessary for the proper performance of their duties. 
Directors are expected to prioritise and attend Board 
meetings and any additional meetings wherever 
possible.

Details of Directors who served during the year are 
set out in the Directors’ Report. The Board is currently 
comprised of two Executive Directors and three 
Non-Executive Directors, one of whom acts as 
Chairman. There are separate roles for the Chairman 
and the Chief Executive Officer.

The Board has established an Audit Committee, 
which comprises of two Non-Executive Directors. The 
Audit Committee meets two or three times a year and 
the Group’s external auditor is invited to meetings 
where appropriate. The main responsibilities of the 
Audit Committee are to review and report to the 
Board on matters relating to:

•  the integrity of the financial statements of the 

Group, including its annual and interim accounts;

•  the effectiveness of the Group’s internal controls 

and risk management systems;

•  the accounting policies and practices of the Group;

•  audit plans and auditor’s report, including any 

significant concerns the external auditor may have 
arising from their audit work; and

•  the terms of appointment, remuneration and 

independence of the auditor.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202015

Corporate Governance Statement

The Board also has an established Remuneration 
Committee, which comprises the Non-Executive 
Chairman and one Non-Executive Director. The 
Remuneration Committee meets twice a year and 
reviews the performance of the Executive Directors 
and the scale and structure of their remuneration 
having due regard to the interests of our 
Shareholders. The Committee is also responsible for 
awards under the Groups share option plans. No 
Director is involved in any decision relating to his own 
remuneration.

The remuneration of the Non-Executive Directors is 
determined by the Board.

Communication with Shareholders
The Board encourages regular dialogue with the 
Group’s Shareholders. All Shareholders are invited to 
the Annual General Meeting at which Directors are 
available for questioning. The notice of AGM is sent to 
all Shareholders at least 21 clear days before the 
meeting. The number of proxy votes received for and 
against each resolution is disclosed at the AGM and a 
separate resolution is proposed on each item. 
Financial and other information about the Group is 
available on the Group’s website www.zephyrplc.com.

Internal Controls
The Board is responsible for establishing the Group’s 
system of internal controls and for reviewing its 
effectiveness. Reflecting the size of the Group, a key 
control procedure is the close day-to-day supervision 
of the business by the Executive Directors, supported 
by the senior management with responsibility for key 
tasks and operations.

The key procedures that have been established, and 
which are designed to provide effective internal 
control are as follows:

•  each of the Group’s subsidiaries is managed by an 
Executive Director and there is a management 
reporting process in place to enable the Board to 
monitor the performance of the Group on a regular 
basis;

•  an annual cash forecast is prepared and formally 
adopted by the Board. This is reviewed on a 
monthly basis and actual performance against 
forecast is closely monitored;

•  the Board reviews the major business risks faced 
by the Group and determines the appropriate 
course of actions required to manage those risks;

•  the Board approves proposals for the acquisition of 

new businesses and sets guidelines for the 
development of new properties. Capital 
expenditure is regulated and written proposals 
must be submitted to the Board for any 
expenditure above specified levels; and

•  consolidated management information is prepared 

on a regular basis.

The Board reviews the effectiveness of the system of 
internal controls and the control environment. No 
significant control deficiencies were reported during 
the year and no weaknesses in internal controls have 
resulted in any material losses, contingencies or 
uncertainty which would require disclosure as 
recommended by the guidance for Directors on 
reporting on internal controls. The Board has 
reviewed the need for an independent internal audit 
function and has concluded that the Group is not yet 
large enough to warrant this at the present time.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC16

Corporate Governance Statement

As outlined above, the Board adopted the Code in April 2018. An overview of the extent of the Group’s 
compliance with the ten principles that comprise the Code, are set out below.

Extent of 
current 
compliance

Fully 
Compliant

Fully 
Compliant

Principle

Establish a strategy 
and business 
model which 
promote long-term 
value for 
Shareholders

Seek to understand 
and meet 
Shareholder needs 
and expectations

Fully 
Compliant

Fully 
Compliant

Take into account 
wider stakeholder 
and social 
responsibilities and 
their implications 
for long-term 
success

Embed effective 
risk management, 
considering both 
opportunities and 
threats, throughout 
the organisation

Commentary

A summary of the Group’s business model and 
strategy can be found in the Strategic Report 
within this Annual Report.
Key risks and mitigating actions are detailed in 
the Principal risks section of the Strategic Report 
within this Annual Report.

The Group remains committed to listening and 
communicating openly with its Shareholders to 
ensure that its strategy, business model and 
performance are clearly understood. 
Understanding what stakeholders think about the 
Group, and in turn, helping these audiences 
understand our business, is a key part of driving 
our business forward and we actively seek 
dialogue with all stakeholders. We do so via 
investor roadshows, attending investor 
conferences and our regular reporting and at the 
Group’s Annual General Meeting. The Group also 
makes regular operational announcements to 
keep Shareholders and the market updated on 
operational activity and progress. The Group also 
makes available corporate presentations on the 
‘corporate documents’ page on the ‘investors’ 
area on the Group’s website.

Directors and employees adopt a broad view 
during decision making to take meaningful 
account on of the impact of the business on all 
key stakeholder groups. The Board recognises 
that Zephyr’s long-term success is reliant on good 
relationships with its key stakeholders.

The Board operates a comprehensive system of 
internal controls designed (to the extent 
considered appropriate) to safeguard the Group’s 
assets and protect the business from identified 
risks, including reputational risk.
As well as tight oversight exercised by the 
Executive Directors, and appropriately trained 
and qualified staff, the Board engages 
appropriate auditors and consultants to assist in 
identifying and managing risk.

Further disclosure(s)

Strategic Report

www.zephyrplc.com;
Regulatory updates, 
Annual General 
Meeting, Investor 
presentations and full 
contact details on the 
Group’s website.

See section on 
Stakeholder 
engagement in the 
Strategic Report

Principal risk section of 
the Strategic Report 
within the Annual 
Report.
Corporate Governance 
section of the Annual 
Report

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202017

Further disclosure(s)

See Corporate 
Governance section of 
Annual Report for full 
details on the Board 
structure

See Corporate 
Governance section of 
Annual Report for full 
details on the Board 
structure

Corporate Governance Statement

Extent of 
current 
compliance

Fully 
Compliant

Principle

Maintain the Board 
as a well-
functioning, 
balanced team led 
by the Chair

Fully 
Compliant

Ensure that 
between them the 
Directors have the 
necessary up-to-
date experience, 
skills and 
capabilities

Commentary

The Board comprises the Non-Executive 
Chairman, two Executive Directors and two 
Non-Executive Directors. One of the Non-
Executive Directors, Gordon Stein acts as the 
Group’s Senior Independent Director.
The Board is constantly reviewing its make up to 
ensure that it has a sufficient blend between 
independence on the one hand, and knowledge 
of the Group on the other, to enable it to 
discharge its duties and responsibilities 
effectively.
All Directors are encouraged to use their 
independent judgement and to challenge all 
matters, whether strategic or operational. The 
Chairman holds regular update meetings with 
each Director to ensure they are performing as 
they are required. Board meetings take place, on 
average, every 4 to 6 weeks, normally held by 
telephone conference owing to the diverse 
geographic locations of the Board members.

The Board is satisfied that, between the Directors, 
it has an effective and appropriate balance of 
skills and experience, including in the areas of 
exploration, development and production of oil 
and gas facilities. All Directors receive regular 
and timely information on the Group’s operational 
and financial performance. Relevant information is 
circulated to the Directors in advance of 
meetings. All Directors retire by rotation at regular 
intervals in accordance with the Group’s Articles 
of Association.
The Board makes decisions regarding the 
appointment and removal of Directors, and there is a 
formal, rigorous procedure for appointments. The 
Group’s Articles of Association require that one-third 
of the Directors must stand for re-election by 
Shareholders annually in rotation; that all Directors 
must stand for re-election at least once every three 
years; and that any new Directors appointed during 
the year must stand for election at the AGM 
immediately following their appointment.
All Directors are able to take independent 
professional advice in the furtherance of their 
duties, if necessary, at the Group’s expense. In 
addition, the Directors have direct access to the 
advice and services of the Company Secretary 
and Finance Director.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC18

Corporate Governance Statement

(continued)

Extent of 
current 
compliance

Fully 
Compliant

Principle

Evaluate Board 
performance based 
on clear and 
relevant objectives, 
seeking continuous 
improvement

Promote a culture 
that is based on 
ethical values and 
behaviours

Fully 
Compliant

Fully 
Compliant

Maintain 
governance 
structures and 
processes that are 
fit for purpose and 
support good 
decision-making by 
the Board

Further disclosure(s)

Key Performance 
indicators in the 
Strategic Report

Chairman’s Statement,
Strategic Report
Corporate Governance 
Statement

Corporate Governance 
Statement

Commentary

The Chairman continually assesses the 
contribution of each member of the Board to 
ensure that:

•  Their contribution is relevant and effective
•  That they have a commitment to progressing 
the Group’s objectives in order to increase 
Shareholder value

•  Where relevant, they have maintained their 

independence

Over the next few months, as a result of the 
Group’s recent restructuring and expansion, we 
intend to implement a programme to review the 
performance and structure of the team as a unit 
and to ensure that the members of the Board 
collectively function in an efficient and productive 
manner.

The Board aims to lead by example and do what 
is in the best interests of the Group.
Over the last twelve months, the Board spent 
significant time formulating and agreeing on the 
core principles and values under which Zephyr will 
operate. In short, Zephyr’s team will always strive 
to be responsible stewards of its investors’ capital 
and responsible stewards of the environment in 
which we work. We believe that good 
environmental performance, together with good 
governance practices, will translate into good 
business performance and therefore are focused 
on delivering strong economic returns in the most 
environmentally responsible manner practical.

The Board meets regularly for both formal Board 
meetings and for informal discussions.
The Board sets direction for the Group through a 
schedule of matters reserved for its decision. The 
Board and its Committees receive appropriate 
and timely information prior to each meeting; a 
formal agenda is produced for each meeting, and 
Board and Committee papers are distributed 
several days before meetings take place. Any 
Director may challenge Group’s proposals and 
decisions are taken democratically after 
discussion. Any Director who feels that any 
concern remains unresolved after discussion may 
ask for that concern to be noted in the minutes of 
the meeting, which are then circulated to all 
Directors. Any specific actions arising from such 
meetings are agreed by the Board or relevant 
Committee and then followed up by the Group’s 
management.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020Corporate Governance Statement

19

Extent of 
current 
compliance

Commentary

Further disclosure(s)

Principle

Maintain 
governance 
structures and 
processes that are 
fit for purpose and 
support good 
decision-making by 
the Board 
(continued)

Fully 
Compliant

Communicate how 
the Group is 
governed and is 
performing by 
maintaining a 
dialogue with 
Shareholders and 
other relevant 
stakeholders

The Executive Team consists of the Chief 
Executive Officer and the Financial Director with 
input from the other Directors. They are 
responsible for formulation of the proposed 
strategic focus for submission to the Board, the 
day-to-day management of the Group’s 
businesses and its overall trading, operational 
and financial performance in fulfilment of that 
strategy, as well as plans and budgets approved 
by the Board of Directors. It also manages and 
oversees key risks, management development 
and corporate responsibility programmes. The 
Chief Executive Officer reports to the plc Board 
on issues, progress and recommendations for 
change. The controls applied by the Executive 
Team to financial and non-financial matters are 
set out earlier in this document, and the 
effectiveness of these controls is regularly 
reported to the Audit Committee and the Board.
The Board is supported by the Audit and 
Remuneration Committees. Each Committee has 
access to such resources, information and advice 
as it deems necessary, at the cost of the Group, 
to enable the committee to discharge its duties.
The Audit Committee is Chaired by the Senior 
Independent Director, Gordon Stein. The Non-
Executive Director, Tom Reynolds, is the other 
member of the Committee.
The Remuneration Committee is Chaired by the 
Senior Independent Director, Gordon Stein. The 
Non-Executive Chairman, Rick Grant, is the other 
member of the Committee.

The Group communicates with Shareholders 
through the Annual Report and Accounts, full-year 
and half-year announcements, the AGM and 
one-to-one meetings with large existing or 
potential new Shareholders. The Group also keeps 
Shareholders updated on progress and 
developments through its regular market 
announcements. The CEO remains a key part of 
encouraging Shareholder interaction and listening 
to feedback. A range of corporate information 
(including all Group announcements and 
presentations) is also available to Shareholders, 
investors and the public on the Group’s website; 
https://zephyrplc.com.

www.zephyrplc.com

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC20

Corporate Governance Statement

Principle

Communicate how 
the Group is 
governed and is 
performing by 
maintaining a 
dialogue with 
Shareholders and 
other relevant 
stakeholders 
(continued)

Extent of 
current 
compliance

Commentary

Further disclosure(s)

The Board receives regular updates on the views 
of Shareholders through briefings and reports 
from the Chief Executive Officer, Finance Director 
and the Group’s brokers. The Group 
communicates with institutional investors 
frequently through briefings with management. In 
addition, analysts’ notes and brokers’ briefings 
are reviewed to achieve a wide understanding of 
investors’ views.
The Group’s website includes the following:
•  Disclosure of any instances where a significant 
proportion of votes (e.g. 20% of independent 
votes) have been cast against a resolution at 
any general meeting, an explanation of what 
actions the Group intends to take to 
understand the reasons behind that vote 
result, and, where appropriate, any different 
action it has taken, or will take, as a result of 
the vote.

•  Historical annual reports and other governance-
related material, including notices of all general 
meetings over the last five years.

Going Concern
The Directors have prepared cash flow forecasts for the Group for the period to 30 June 2022 based on their 
assessment of both the discretionary and the non-discretionary cash requirements of the Group during this 
period. These cash flow forecasts include its normal operating costs for operations together with all committed 
development expenditure. The forecasts also take account of the Company’s recent fundraise and the near-
term CAPEX requirements for, and the forecast revenues from, the Paradox project, the Williston project and 
the Continental acreage.

The Directors are confident that the Group has, or has access to, sufficient resources to enable it to continue in 
operation for at least the next twelve months.

The Directors therefore continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the consolidated financial 
statements.

JC Harrington
Chief Executive Officer

4 June 2021

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202021

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

in respect of the Strategic Report, the Directors’ Report and the Financial Statements

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report and the financial 
statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare group and company financial statements for each financial 
year. The Directors have elected under company law and the AIM Rules of the London Stock Exchange to 
prepare group financial statements in accordance with International Accounting Standards in conformity with 
the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and have elected under company law to prepare the Company 
financial statements in accordance with International Accounting Standards in conformity with the requirements 
of the Companies Act 2006 and applicable law.

The Group and the Company financial statements are required by law and International Accounting Standards 
in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 to present fairly the financial position of the 
Group and the Company and the financial performance of the Group. The Companies Act 2006 provides in 
relation to such financial statements that references in the relevant part of that Act to financial statements 
giving a true and fair view are references to their achieving a fair presentation.

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 the Company and of the profit or loss of the 
Group for that period.

In preparing each of the Group and Company financial statements, the Directors are required to:

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

 select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

 make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

 state whether they have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standards in 
conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006; and

 prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the 
Group and the Company will continue in business.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain 
the Group’s and the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial 
position of the Group and the Company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with 
the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group and the 
Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other 
irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information 
included on the Zephyr Energy plc website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and 
dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC22

Independent Auditor’s Report

to the members of Zephyr Energy plc (formerly Rose Petroleum plc)

We have audited the financial statements of Zephyr Energy plc (the “Parent company’) and its subsidiaries (the 
“Group”) for the year ended 31 December 2020 which comprise the Consolidated Income Statement, the 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, the Consolidated and Company Balance Sheet, the 
Consolidated and Company Statement of Changes in Equity, the Consolidated and Company Cash Flow 
Statement and the notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial 
reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and International Accounting 
Standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the parent 
company financial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

In our opinion:

•  the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s and of the Parent company’s 

affairs as at 31 December 2020 and of the Group’s loss for the year then ended;

•  the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Accounting 

Standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006;

•  the Parent company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International 
Accounting Standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and as applied in 
accordance with the Companies Act 2006; and

•  the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 

2006.

Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable 
law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the 
audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Group and Parent company 
in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, 
including the FRC’s Ethical Standard as applied to SME listed entities and we have fulfilled our other ethical 
responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained 
is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to Going Concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Directors’ use of the going concern basis of 
accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Our evaluation of the Directors’ 
assessment of the Group’s and Parent company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of 
accounting included obtaining and reviewing management’s latest cash flow forecasts for the period to June 
2022, performing sensitivity analysis on the forecasts and assessing the appropriateness of the disclosures in 
the financial statements.

We have observed that the Group currently has significant cash reserves following the successful US$13.6 million 
fundraise in March 2021. As disclosed in note 28, US$4 million was immediately invested into the Williston 
Project. The Group’s latest forecasts indicate that there are significant near-term capital outflows during the 
remainder of 2021 in the region of US$3.8 million for the proposed Paradox lateral production well and 
US$4.2 million for the Group’s future share of capital expenditure on the Williston Project. Thereafter, the 
forecasts anticipate cash generation from the sale of resources as new production wells come on stream.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or 
conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Group’s or the Parent company’s 
ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements 
are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Directors with respect to going concern are described in the 
relevant sections of this report.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202023

Independent Auditor’s Report

Summary of our Audit Approach

Key audit matters

Materiality

Parent Company
Impairment of intercompany receivables

Group
Overall materiality: US$310,000 (2019: US$219,000)

Performance materiality: US$232,000 (2019: US$164,000)

Parent Company
Overall materiality: US$309,000 (2019: US$82,500)

Performance materiality: US$231,000 (2019: US$61,800)

Scope

Our audit procedures covered 100% of total assets, 100% of net assets and 
100% of loss before tax.

Key Audit Matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of 
the Group and Parent company financial statements of the current period and include the most significant 
assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) we identified, 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 Group and Parent 
company financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a 
separate opinion on these matters.

Impairment of intercompany receivables (Parent company only)

Key audit matter 
description

The Parent company has receivable balances from subsidiary undertakings that are 
currently loss making. The receivables are repayable on demand and the subsidiary 
undertakings do not have sufficient liquid assets to make repayment should the parent 
company call in the receivable balance.

One of the most significant matters in the current year audit of the Parent company is 
the extent to which these receivable balances are impaired and management are 
required to calculate an expected credit loss (“ECL”) provision in accordance with 
IFRS9 Financial Instruments. The calculation of ECL’s involves a significant degree of 
judgement as management have to make assumptions about future cash generation 
and consider multiple scenarios through which the balances may be recovered.

Given the magnitude of these receivable balances and the potential for impairment 
we considered this matter to be one of the matters of most significance in the current 
year audit.

At the 31 December 2020, the carrying value of amounts due from Group undertakings 
amounted to US$16.9 million after recording a cumulative ECL provision of US$32.1 million 
(see note 4).

We obtained management’s calculation of the ECL and the underlying calculations 
prepared to support the carrying value of the balance and performed work as follows:

Assessed the reasonableness of the scenarios considered by management and the 
probabilities assigned to each.

Considered the appropriateness of the financial outcome for each scenario.

Recalculated the computation of the ECL.

How the matter  
was addressed in 
the audit

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC24

Independent Auditor’s Report

Our Application of Materiality
When establishing our overall audit strategy, we set certain thresholds which help us to determine the nature, 
timing and extent of our audit procedures. When evaluating whether the effects of misstatements, both 
individually and on the financial statements as a whole, could reasonably influence the economic decisions of 
the users we take into account the qualitative nature and the size of the misstatements. Based on our 
professional judgement, we determined materiality as follows:

Overall materiality

US$310,000 (2019: US$219,000)

US$309,000 (2019: US$82,500)

Group

Parent company

Basis for determining 
overall materiality

Rationale for benchmark 
applied

2% of net assets

2% of net assets

Net assets are considered to be the 
appropriate benchmark for a pre-
revenue exploration business.

Net assets are considered to be 
appropriate as the Parent company is 
purely a holding company and no 
income statement is presented.

Performance materiality

US$232,000 (2019: US$164,000)

US$231,000 (2019: US$61,800)

Basis for determining 
performance materiality

Reporting of misstatements 
to the Audit Committee

75% of overall materiality

75% of overall materiality

Misstatements in excess of US$15,500 
and misstatements below that 
threshold that, in our view, warranted 
reporting on qualitative grounds. 

Misstatements in excess of US$15,500 
and misstatements below that 
threshold that, in our view, warranted 
reporting on qualitative grounds. 

An Overview of the Scope of our Audit
The Group consists of 5 components, located in the following countries; United Kingdom, U.S. and Mexico. The 
coverage achieved by our audit procedures was:

Full scope audit

Total

Number of 
components

4

4

Total 
assets

100%

100%

Net 
assets

100%

100%

Loss before 
tax

100%

100%

Analytical procedures at group level were performed for the remaining component.

Other Information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial 
statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The Directors are responsible for the other information contained 
within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, 
except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance 
conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is 
materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or 
otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material 
misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial 
statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material 
misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202025

Independent Auditor’s Report

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

•  the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the 

financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

•  the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal 

requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Group and the Parent company and their environment 
obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Strategic Report or the 
Directors’ Report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 
requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

•  adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit 

have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

•  the parent company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

•  certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

•  we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of Directors
As explained more fully in the Directors’ responsibilities statement, the DIrectors are responsible for the 
preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such 
internal control as the Directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Directors are responsible for assessing the Group’s and the Parent 
company’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 the Directors either intend to liquidate the Group or 
the Parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements
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 an auditor’s report that includes our 
opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a 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 the aggregate, they could reasonably be 
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

The extent to which the Audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities  
including Fraud
Irregularities are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. The objectives of our audit are to 
obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding compliance with laws and regulations that have a direct 
effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, to perform audit 
procedures to help identify instances of non-compliance with other laws and regulations that may have a 
material effect on the financial statements, and to respond appropriately to identified or suspected non-
compliance with laws and regulations identified during the audit.

In relation to fraud, the objectives of our audit are to identify and assess the risk of material misstatement of the 
financial statements due to fraud, to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks 
of material misstatement due to fraud through designing and implementing appropriate responses and to 
respond appropriately to fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC26

Independent Auditor’s Report

However, it is the primary responsibility of management, with the oversight of those charged with governance, 
to ensure that the entity’s operations are conducted in accordance with the provisions of laws and regulations 
and for the prevention and detection of fraud.

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud, the 
Group audit engagement team:

•  obtained an understanding of the nature of the industry and sector, including the legal and regulatory 

frameworks that the Group and Parent company operate in and how the Group and Parent company are 
complying with the legal and regulatory frameworks;

•  inquired of management, and those charged with governance, about their own identification and 

assessment of the risks of irregularities, including any known actual, suspected or alleged instances of fraud;

•  discussed matters about non-compliance with laws and regulations and how fraud might occur including 

assessment of how and where the financial statements may be susceptible to fraud.

The most significant laws and regulations were determined as follows:

Legislation/Regulation

Additional audit procedures performed by the audit engagement team included:

IFRS and Companies  
Act 2006

Review of the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation;

Completion of disclosure checklists to identify areas of non-compliance.

The areas that we identified as being susceptible to material misstatement due to fraud were:

Risk

Audit procedures performed by the audit engagement team:

Management override  
of controls

Testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments;

Assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are 
indicative of a potential bias; and

Evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or 
outside the normal course of business.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial 
Reporting Council’s website at: http://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our 
auditor’s report.

Use of our Report
This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of 
the Companies Act 2006. 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.

Michael Thornton (Senior Statutory Auditor)
For and on behalf of RSM UK Audit LLP, Statutory Auditor
Chartered Accountants
Central Square, 5th Floor
29 Wellington Street
Leeds
LS1 4DL

4 June 2021

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202027

Consolidated Income Statement

For the year ended 31 December 2020

Continuing operations 
Administrative expenses
Development expenses
Foreign exchange losses 

Operating loss

Impairment of financial assets
Other income

Loss on ordinary activities before taxation
Taxation charge

Loss for the year from continuing operations

Discontinued operations 
Profit from discontinued operations, net of tax

Loss for the year attributable to owners of the parent company

Loss per Ordinary Share
From continuing operations
Basic and diluted, cents per share
From continuing and discontinued operations
Basic and diluted, cents per share

Notes

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

(1,517)
(135)
(705)
(2,357)

–
13
(2,344)
–
(2,344)

–

(2,344)

(1,785)
(206)
(819)
(2,810)

(201)
–
(3,011)
–
(3,011)

1,987

(1,024)

(0.66)

(1.74)

(0.66)

(0.59)

6

7

8

11

12

12

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC28

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the year ended 31 December 2020

Loss for the year attributable to owners of the parent company

Other comprehensive income
Items that may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss, net of tax
Foreign currency translation differences on foreign operations

Total comprehensive loss for the year attributable to owners  
of the parent company

2020
US$’000

(2,344)

2019
US$’000

(1,024)

(1,277)

(1,669)

(3,621)

(2,693)

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020Consolidated Balance Sheet

As at 31 December 2020  

Company No 04573663

29

Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment

Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Lease liabilities

Non-current liabilities
Lease liabilities
Provisions

Total liabilities

Net assets

Equity 
Share capital
Share premium account
Warrant reserve
Share-based payment reserve
Cumulative translation reserve
Retained deficit

Equity attributable to owners of the parent company

Notes

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

13

14

16

17

18

19

19

21

22

24

23

24

24

24

13,914
28

13,942

135
3,940

4,075

18,017

(2,464)
(8)

(2,472)

–
(7)

(7)

(2,479)

15,538

41,221
39,638
227
3,762
(9,225)
(60,085)

15,538

13,549
77

13,626

112
1,084

1,196

14,822

(442)
(45)

(487)

(8)
(57)

(65)

(552)

14,270

40,688
37,975
568
3,748
(9,972)
(58,737)

14,270

The financial statements on pages 27 to 34 were approved by the Directors and authorised for issue on 4 June 
2021 and are signed on its behalf by:

CJ Eadie
Finance Director

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC 
 
 
30

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

For the year ended 31 December 2020

As at 1 January 2019
Transactions with owners in their 
capacity as owners:
Issue of equity shares
Expenses of issue of equity shares
Transfer to warrant reserve
Share-based payments
Transfer to retained deficit in respect  
of lapsed warrants
Effect of foreign exchange rates

Total transactions with owners in  
their capacity as owner
Loss for the year
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation differences

Total other comprehensive income  
for the year

Total comprehensive income for  
the year
Currency translation differences on 
equity at historical rates
Recycled foreign currency translation 
differences on discontinued operations

Share 
capital
US$’000

Share 
premium 
account
US$’000

Warrant 
reserve
US$’000

Share-
based 
payment
reserve
US$’000

Cumulative
translation 
reserve
US$’000

Retained 
deficit
US$’000

Total
US$’000

40,504

36,472

341

3,645

(8,909)

(57,764)

14,289

184
–
–
–

–
–

1,851
(121)
(227)
–

–
–

–
–
227
–

–
–

–
46
–
100

(51)
8

184

1,503

227

103

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–
–

–

–

(1,669)

(1,669)

–
–
–
–

51
–

51

(1,024)

–

–

2,035
(75)
–
100

–
8

2,068

(1,024)

(1,669)

(1,669)

(1,669)

(1,024)

(2,693)

2,515

(1,909)

–

–

2,515

(1,909)

As at 31 December 2019

40,688

37,975

568

3,748

(9,972)

(58,737)

14,270

Transactions with owners in their 
capacity as owners:
Issue of equity shares
Expenses of issue of equity shares
Transfer in respect of lapsed warrants
Share-based payments
Transfer to retained deficit in respect  
of lapsed options
Effect of foreign exchange rates

Total transactions with owners in their 
capacity as owner

Loss for the year

Other comprehensive income:

Currency translation differences

Total other comprehensive income  
for the year

Total comprehensive income  
for the year

Currency translation differences  
on equity at historical rates

533
–
–
–

–
–

2,401
(738)
–
–

–
–

–
–
(341)
–

–
–

–
594
(251)
79

(404)
(4)

533

1,663

(341)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

14

–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–
–

–

–

–
–
592
–

404
–

2,934
(144)
–
79

–
(4)

996

2,865

(2,344)

(2,344)

(1,277)

(1,277)

–

–

(1,277)

(1,277)

(1,277)

(2,344)

(3,621)

2,024

–

2,024

As at 31 December 2020

41,221

39,638

227

3,762

(9,225)

(60,085)

15,538

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202031

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

(2,344)
–
(2,344)

–

49
–
–
–
79
739
(1,477)
(20)
147
(1,350)
–

(1,350)

(355)
1,800
–
–
–

1,445

2,934
(144)
(45)

2,745

2,840
1,084
16

3,940

(3,011)
1,987
(1,024)

(27)

35
(5)
(122)
201
100
(1,076)
(1,918)
119
142
(1,657)
–

(1,657)

(428)
–
5
122
502

201

2,035
(75)
(38)

1,922

466
616
2

1,084

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

For the year ended 31 December 2020

Operating activities
Loss before taxation from continuing operations
Profit before taxation from discontinued operations

Fair value gain on investments

Adjustments for:
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Gain on disposal intangible exploration and evaluation assets
Impairment of financial assets
Share-based payments
Unrealised foreign exchange loss/(gain)
Operating outflow before movements in working capital
(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables
Increase in trade and other payables
Cash used in operations
Income tax recovered

Net cash used in operating activities

Investing activities
Purchase of intangible exploration and evaluation assets
Grant funds received
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Proceeds on disposal of intangible exploration and evaluation assets
Proceeds on disposal of investments

Net cash generated from investing activities

Financing activities
Proceeds from issue of shares
Expenses of issue of shares
Repayment of lease liabilities

Net cash generated from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC32

Company Balance Sheet

As at 31 December 2020  

Non-current assets
Investments 
Property, plant and equipment

Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Lease liabilities

Non-current liabilities
Lease liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

Equity 
Share capital
Share premium account
Warrant reserve
Share-based payment reserve
Cumulative translation reserve
Retained deficit

Total equity 

Company No 04573663

Notes

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

15

14

16

17

18

19

19

22

24

23

24

24

24

16,923
28

16,951

35
2,245

2,280

19,231

(316)
(8)

(324)

–

(324)

18,907

41,221
39,638
227
3,762
(7,743)
(58,198)

18,907

15,201
67

15,268

89
1,070

1,159

16,427

(213)
(35)

(248)

(8)

(256)

16,171

40,688
37,975
568
3,748
(8,344)
(58,464)

16,171

As permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the Parent Company’s Income Statement and 
Statement of Other Comprehensive Income have not been included in these financial statements.

The loss for the Company for the year ended 31 December 2020 is US$326,000 (2019: US$840,000).

The financial statements on pages 27 to 34 were approved by the Directors and authorised for issue on 4 June 
2021 and are signed on its behalf by:

CJ Eadie
Finance Director

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020Company Statement of Changes in Equity

For the year ended 31 December 2020

33

As at 1 January 2019
Transactions with owners in their 
capacity as owners:
Issue of equity shares
Expenses of issue of equity shares
Transfer to warrant reserve
Share-based payments
Transfer to retained deficit in respect  
of lapsed warrants
Effect of foreign exchange rates

Total transactions with owners in  
their capacity as owner
Loss for the year
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation differences

Total other comprehensive income  
for the year

Total comprehensive income for  
the year

Currency translation differences  
on equity at historical rates

Share 
capital
US$’000

Share 
premium 
account
US$’000

Warrant 
reserve
US$’000

Share-
based 
payment
reserve
US$’000

Cumulative
translation 
reserve
US$’000

Retained 
deficit
US$’000

Total
US$’000

40,504

36,472

341

3,645

(8,957)

(57,675)

14,330

184
–
–
–

–
–

1,851
(121)
(227)
–

–
–

–
–
227
–

–
–

–
46
–
100

(51)
8

184

1,503

227

103

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–
–

–

–

(1,902)

(1,902)

–
–
–
–

51
–

51

(840)

–

–

2,035
(75)
–
100

–
8

2,068

(840)

(1,902)

(1,902)

(1,902)

(840)

(2,742)

2,515

–

As at 31 December 2019

40,688

37,975

568

3,748

(8,344)

(58,464)

Transactions with owners in their 
capacity as owners:
Issue of equity shares
Expenses of issue of equity shares
Transfer to warrant reserve
Share-based payments
Transfer to capital contribution in 
respect of lapsed options
Effect of foreign exchange rates

Total transactions with owners in  
their capacity as owner
Loss for the year
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation differences

Total other comprehensive income  
for the year

Total comprehensive income for  
the year

Currency translation differences on 
equity at historical rates

533
–
–
–

–
–

2,401
(738)
–
–

–
–

–
–
(341)
–

–
–

533

1,663

(341)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–
594
(251)
79

(404)
(4)

14

–

–

–

–

–

2,515

16,171

2,934
(144)
–
79

(404)
(4)

2,461

(326)

(1,439)

(1,439)

–
–
–
–

–
–

–

–

(1,439)

(1,439)

–
–
592
–

–
–

592

(326)

–

–

(1,439)

(326)

(1,765)

2,040

–

2,040

As at 31 December 2020

41,221

39,638

227

3,762

(7,743)

(58,198)

18,907

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC34

Company Cash Flow Statement

For the year ended 31 December 2020

Operating activities
Loss before taxation
Finance income
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Impairment of investments in subsidiary undertakings
Impairment of financial assets
Share-based payments

Unrealised foreign exchange
Operating cash outflow before movements in working capital

Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables
Increase in trade and other payables

Net cash used in operating activities

Investing activities
Loans to subsidiary undertakings
Proceeds on disposal of investments

Net cash used in investing activities

Financing activities
Proceeds from the issue of shares
Expenses of issue of shares
Repayment of lease liabilities

Net cash generated from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

(326)
(273)

39
–
–
85

113
(362)

54
102

(206)

(1,390)
–

(1,390)

2,934
(144)
(35)

2,755

1,159

1,070

16

2,245

(840)
(356)

10
152
201
83

79
(671)

(31)
65

(637)

(1,040)
200

(840)

2,035
(75)
(13)

1,947

470

598

2

1,070

The notes on pages 35 to 64 form part of the financial statements.

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202035

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 December 2020

1.  Corporate Information
On 3 August 2020, the Company, formerly known as Rose Petroleum plc, changed its name to Zephyr Energy plc.

Zephyr Energy plc (the “Company” and, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) is domiciled and 
incorporated in the United Kingdom under the Companies Act 2006 and is limited by shares. The address 
of the registered office is 20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU.

The nature of the Group’s operations and its principal activity is the exploration and development of 
O&G resources.

2.  Adoption of New and Revised Standards
Standards adopted during the year
The Group has adopted all of the new or amended Accounting Standards and interpretations issued by the 
International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) that are mandatory and relevant to the Group’s activities for 
the current reporting period.

The following new and revised Standards have been adopted but have not had any material impact on the 
amounts reported in these financial statements:

•  Amendments to IFRS 3 – Definition of a business

•  Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 – Definition of material

•  Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39 and IFRS 7 – Interest rate benchmark reform

•  Amendments to references to the conceptual framework in IFRS standards

Standards issued but not yet effective
Any new or amended Accounting Standards or interpretations that are not yet mandatory (and in some cases, 
had not yet been adopted by the EU) have not been early adopted by the Group for the year ended 
31 December 2020. They are as follows:

•  Amendments to IAS 1 – Classification of liabilities as current or non-current

•  Amendments to IFRS 17 – Insurance contracts

•  Amendments to IFRS 3 – Reference to the conceptual framework

•  Amendments to IAS 16 – Property, plant and equipment – proceeds before intended use

•  Amendments to IAS 37 – Onerous contracts – cost of fulfilling a contract

•  Amendment to IFRS 16 – Covid-19 related rent concessions

•  Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39, IFRS 7, IFRS 4 and IFRS 16 – Interest rate benchmark reform phase 2

•  Amendments to IAS 1 and IFRS practice statement 2 – Disclosure of accounting policies

•  Amendments to IAS 8 – Definition of accounting estimates

•  Annual improvements to IFRS standards 2018-2020

The Directors do not expect that the adoption of these Standards or Interpretations in future periods will have 
a material impact on the financial statements of the Company or the Group.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC36

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with International 
Accounting Standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, other than certain financial assets 
and liabilities which are stated at their fair value. Historical cost is generally based on the fair value of the 
consideration given in exchange for assets.

The financial statements are presented in United States dollars (“US$”) as the Group’s business is influenced 
by pricing in international commodity markets which are primarily US$ based. All amounts have been rounded 
to the nearest thousand, unless otherwise indicated.

As described below, the Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the consolidated 
financial statements.

The accounting policies set out below have, unless otherwise stated, been applied consistently to all periods 
presented in these financial statements.

Judgements made by the Directors in the application of these accounting policies that have significant impact 
on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the next year, are 
discussed in note 4.

Going concern
The Directors have prepared cash flow forecasts for the Group for the period to June 2022 based on their 
assessment of both the discretionary and the non-discretionary cash requirements of the Group during this 
period. These cash flow forecasts include its normal operating costs for operations together with all committed 
development expenditure. The forecasts also take account of the Company’s recent fundraise and the near-
term CAPEX requirements for, and the forecast revenues from, the Paradox project, the Williston project and 
the Continental acreage, and they indicate that the Group currently has sufficient cash resources to service 
these costs over the forecast period.

The Group has no bank facilities and has been meeting its working capital requirements from cash resources. 
At the year end, the Group had cash and cash equivalents amounting to US$3.9 million (2019: US$1.1 million).

The Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the consolidated financial statements.

Basis of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiary 
undertakings (together, “the Group”) made up to 31 December each year.

Subsidiary undertakings are those entities controlled directly or indirectly by the Company. Control is achieved 
when the Company is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has 
the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity.

The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the year are included in the consolidated income 
statement from the date on which control is transferred to the Group or, up to the date that control ceases, as 
appropriate. Where necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring 
accounting policies used into line with those used by the Group.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202037

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
The Group applies the acquisition method to account for business combinations. The consideration for each 
acquisition is measured at the aggregate of the fair values (at the date of exchange) of assets given, liabilities 
incurred or assumed, and equity instruments issued by the Group in exchange for control of the acquire.

All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation.

Investments in subsidiary undertakings
Long term investments representing interests in subsidiary undertakings are stated at cost less any provision 
for impairment in the value of the non-current investment.

Intangible exploration and evaluation assets
The Group applies the full cost method of accounting for Exploration and Evaluation (“E&E”) costs, having 
regard to the requirements of IFRS 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources. Under the full cost 
method of accounting, costs of exploring for and evaluating mineral resources are accumulated by reference to 
appropriate cost centres being the appropriate licence area but are tested for impairment on a cost pool basis 
as described below.

E&E assets comprise costs of (i) E&E activities that are on-going at the balance sheet date, pending 
determination of whether or not commercial reserves exist and (ii) costs of E&E that, whilst representing part of 
the E&E activities associated with adding to the commercial reserves of an established cost pool, did not result 
in the discovery of commercial reserves.

Costs incurred prior to having obtained the legal rights to explore an area are expensed directly to the income 
statement as they are incurred.

Exploration and evaluation costs
All costs of E&E are initially capitalised as E&E assets. Payments to acquire the legal right to explore, costs of 
technical services and studies, seismic acquisition, exploratory drilling and testing are capitalised as intangible 
E&E assets.

Intangible costs include directly attributable overheads together with the cost of other materials consumed 
during the exploration and evaluation phases.

Treatment of E&E assets at conclusion of appraisal activities
Intangible E&E assets related to each exploration licence/project are carried forward until the existence (or 
otherwise) of commercial reserves has been determined. If commercial reserves have been discovered, the 
related E&E asset are assessed for impairment on a cost pool basis as set out below and any impairment is 
recognised in the income statement. The carrying value, after any impairment loss, of the relevant E&E assets 
is then reclassified as development and production assets.

Intangible E&E assets that related to E&E activities that are determined not to have resulted in the discovery of 
commercial reserves remain capitalised as intangible E&E assets at cost less accumulated amortisation, 
subject to meeting a pool-wide impairment test in accordance with the accounting policy for impairment of E&E 
assets set out below. Such E&E assets are amortised on a unit-of-production basis over the life of the 
commercial reserves of the pool to which they relate.

Impairment of intangible exploration and evaluation assets
E&E assets are assessed for impairment when facts and circumstances suggest that the carrying amount may 
exceed its recoverable amount. Such indicators include, but are not limited to, those situations outlined in 
paragraph 20 of IFRS 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources and include the point at which a 
determination is made as to whether or not commercial reserves exist.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC38

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Where there are indications of impairment, the E&E assets concerned are tested for impairment. Where the 
E&E assets concerned fall within the scope of an established full cost pool, the E&E assets are tested for 
impairment together with all development and production assets associated with that cost pool, as a single 
cash generating unit.

The aggregate carrying value is compared against the expected recoverable amount of the pool, generally by 
reference to the present value of the future net cash flow expected to be derived from production of commercial 
reserves. Where the E&E assets to be tested fall outside the scope of any established cost pool, there will 
generally be no commercial reserves and the E&E assets concerned will generally be written off in full.

If the recoverable amount of a cash-generating unit is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the 
carrying amount of the cash-generating unit is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is 
recognised immediately in profit or loss.

When an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the cash-generating unit is increased 
to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed 
the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the 
cash-generating unit in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

The Group considers each area of oil and gas exploration, on a geographical basis to be a separate cost pool 
and therefore aggregates all specific assets for the purposes of determining whether impairment of E&E assets 
has occurred.

Grant income
Government grants are recognised only when there is a reasonable assurance that the Group will comply with 
any conditions attached to the grant, and that the grant will be received.

The Group presents grants receivable by deducting the funds received from the carrying value of the Group’s 
intangible exploration and evaluation assets.

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment 
losses. The cost of an item of property, plant and equipment comprises its purchase price and any costs 
directly attributable to bringing the asset into use.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost of assets less their residual values over their useful lives 
at the following rates:

Plant and machinery straight-line over 5 years

Right-of-use assets

straight-line over the shorter of the lease term and the useful life of the underlying asset

The estimated useful lives, residual value and depreciation method are reviewed at the end of each reporting 
period, with the effect of any changes in estimate accounted for on a prospective basis.

An item of property, plant and equipment is derecognised upon disposal or when no future economic benefits 
are expected to arise from the continued use of the asset. Any gain or loss arising on the disposal or 
retirement of an item of property, plant and equipment is determined as the difference between the sales 
proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognised in profit or loss.

Joint arrangements
The Company is party to a joint arrangement when there is a contractual agreement that sets out the terms of 
the relationship over the relevant activities of the Company and at least one other party.

Management has a legal degree of control over these joint operating arrangements through Joint Operating 
Agreements.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202039

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
The Company classifies its interests in joint arrangements as joint operations where the Company has both the 
right to assets and obligations for the liabilities of the joint arrangement. It accounts for its interests in joint 
operations by recognising its share of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses in accordance with its 
contractually conferred rights and obligations.

The Company accounts for its own assets, liabilities and cash flows measured in accordance with the terms of 
the Joint Operating agreement and the accounting treatment reflects the agreement’s commercial effect.

Where the percentage ownership in joint arrangements changes during a reporting period, the arrangement is 
reassessed to ensure it is still appropriately classified, and the Company’s share of income and expenses is 
adjusted prospectively from the date of change.

Leases
The Group assesses whether a contract is or contains a lease, at inception of the contract. The Group 
recognises a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability with respect to all lease agreements in 
which it is the lessee, except for short-term leases (defined as leases with a lease term of 12 months or less) 
and leases of low value assets. For these leases, the Group recognises the lease payments as an operating 
expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

The lease liability is presented as a separate line in the Balance Sheet and is subsequently measured by 
reducing the carrying amount to reflect the lease payments made.

The right-of-use assets comprise the initial measurement of the corresponding lease liability, lease payments 
made at or before the commencement day and any initial direct costs. They are subsequently measured at 
cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.

Right-of-use assets are depreciated over the shorter of the period of the lease term and the useful life of the 
underlying asset.

The right-of-use assets are presented within property, plant and equipment in the consolidated and company 
Balance Sheet.

The Group applies IAS 36 Impairment of assets to determine whether a right-of-use asset is impaired.

Foreign currencies
For the purpose of the consolidated financial statements, the results and financial position are expressed in 
United States dollar, which is the presentation currency for both company and consolidated financial 
statements.

In preparing the financial statements of the individual companies, transactions in currencies other than the 
functional currency of each group company (“foreign currencies”) are translated into the functional currency at 
the rates of exchange prevailing on the dates of the transactions. At each reporting date, monetary assets and 
liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated into the functional currency at the rates 
prevailing on the reporting date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities carried at fair value that are denominated 
in foreign currencies are translated at the rates prevailing at the date when the fair value was determined. 
Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are not retranslated.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC40

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Foreign exchange differences are recognised in the profit or loss in the period in which they arise, except for 
foreign exchange differences on monetary items receivable from or payable to a foreign operation for which 
settlement is neither planned nor likely to occur and which, therefore, form part of the net investment in the 
foreign operation. Foreign exchange differences arising on the translation of the Group’s net investment in 
foreign operations are recognised as a separate component of Shareholders’ equity via the statement of other 
comprehensive income. On disposal of foreign operations and foreign entities, the cumulative translation 
differences are recognised in the income statement as part of the gain or loss on disposal.

For the purpose of presenting company and consolidated financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the 
Company, and the Group’s operations which have a functional currency other than United States dollar, are 
translated using exchange rates prevailing at the end of each reporting period. Income and expense items are 
translated at the average exchange rates for the period, unless exchange rates fluctuate significantly during 
that period, in which case the exchange rates at the date of transactions are used. Foreign exchange 
differences arising, if any, are recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity. Equity 
items are translated at the exchange rates at the date of transactions and foreign exchange differences arising, 
if any, are accumulated directly in equity.

On the disposal of a foreign operation (i.e. a disposal of the Group’s entire interest in a foreign operation, a 
disposal involving loss of control over a subsidiary that includes a foreign operation or loss of joint control over 
a jointly controlled entity that includes a foreign operation), all of the accumulated exchange differences in 
respect of that operation attributable to the Group are reclassified to profit or loss. Where there is no change in 
the proportionate percentage interest in an entity then there has been no disposal or partial disposal and 
accumulated exchange differences attributable to the Group are not reclassified to profit or loss.

Fair value adjustments arising on the acquisition of a foreign operation are treated as assets and liabilities of 
the foreign operation and translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the end of each reporting period. 
Exchange differences arising are recognised in equity.

Retirement benefits
The Group makes contributions to the personal pension schemes for some of its employees and Directors. 
Payments to these schemes are charged as an expense in the income statement in respect of pension costs 
payable in the year.

Taxation
The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable for the year and deferred tax.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from profit as reported in 
the consolidated income statement because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or 
deductible in other years and items that are never taxable or deductible. The Group’s liability for current tax is 
calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting date.

Deferred tax is recognised on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in 
the consolidated financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable 
profit. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences and deferred tax 
assets are generally recognised for all deductible temporary differences to the extent that it is probable that 
taxable profits will be available against which those deductible temporary differences can be utilised. Such 
deferred tax assets and liabilities are not recognised if the temporary difference arises from goodwill or from 
the initial recognition (other than in a business combination) of other assets and liabilities in a transaction which 
affects neither the taxable profit nor the accounting profit.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202041

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable temporary differences associated with investments in 
subsidiaries and interests in joint ventures, except where the Group is able to control the reversal of the 
temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future. 
Deferred tax assets arising from deductible temporary differences associated with such investments and interest 
are only recognised to the extent that it is probable that there will be sufficient taxable profits against which to 
utilise the benefits of the temporary differences and they are expected to reverse in the foreseeable future.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each reporting date and reduced to the extent that it is 
no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the assets to be recovered.

Deferred tax liabilities and assets are measured at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in 
which the liability is settled or the asset realised, based on tax rates that have been enacted or substantively 
enacted at the reporting date.

Current and deferred tax are recognised in profit or loss, except when they relate to items that are recognised 
in other comprehensive income or directly in equity, in which case, the current and deferred tax are also 
recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity respectively. Where current tax or deferred tax 
arises from the initial accounting for a business combination, the tax effect is included in the accounting for the 
business combination.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to set off current tax 
assets against current tax liabilities and when they relate to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority 
and the Group intends to settle its current tax assets and liabilities on a net basis.

Investments and other financial instruments
Recognition of financial assets and financial liabilities
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised on the Group’s Balance Sheet when the Group 
becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument, and are initially measured at fair value. 
Transaction costs are included as part of the initial measurement, except for financial assets at fair value 
through profit or loss.

Investments and other financial assets are subsequently measured at either amortised cost or fair value 
depending on their classification. Classification is determined based on both the business model within which 
such assets are held and the contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial asset unless an accounting 
mismatch is being avoided.

Financial liabilities are subsequently measured at either amortised cost or fair value.

Derecognition of financial assets and financial liabilities
The Group derecognises a financial asset only when the contractual rights to cash flows from the asset expire, 
or it transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset to another 
entity. If the Group neither transfers nor retains substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership and 
continues to control the transferred asset, the Group recognises its retained interest in the asset and an 
associated liability for the amount it may have to pay. If the Group retains substantially all the risks and rewards 
of ownership of a transferred financial asset, the Group continues to recognise the financial asset and also 
recognises a collateralised borrowing for the proceeds received.

On derecognition of a financial asset and financial liability a gain or loss is recognised in profit or loss.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC42

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Impairment of financial assets
The Group recognises a loss allowance for expected credit losses on financial assets which are measured at 
amortised cost. The measurement of the loss allowance depends upon the Group’s assessment at the end of each 
reporting period as to whether the financial instrument’s credit risk has increased significantly since initial recognition, 
based on reasonable and supportable information that is available without undue cost or effort to obtain.

Where there has not been a significant increase in exposure to credit risk since initial recognition, a 12-month 
expected credit loss allowance is estimated. This represents a portion of the asset’s lifetime expected credit 
losses that is attributable to a default event that is possible within the next 12 months. Where a financial asset 
has become credit impaired or where it is determined that credit risk has increased significantly, the loss 
allowance is based on the asset’s lifetime expected credit losses. The amount of expected credit loss 
recognised is measured on the basis of the probability weighted present value of anticipated cash shortfalls 
over the life of the instrument discounted at the original effective interest rate.

For financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income, the loss allowance is recognised 
within other comprehensive income. In all other cases, the loss allowance is recognised in profit or loss.

Trade and other receivables
Trade and other receivables are measured at initial recognition at fair value, and are subsequently measured at 
amortised cost using the effective interest method, less any allowance for expected credit losses.

The Group has applied the simplified approach to measuring expected credit losses which uses a lifetime 
expected loss allowance. To measure the expected credit losses, trade receivables are grouped on the basis 
of days overdue.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash-in-hand and on-demand deposits.

Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables are initially measured at their fair value, and are subsequently measured at 
amortised cost using the effective interest rate method.

Equity instruments
An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the Group after 
deducting all of its liabilities. Equity instruments issued by the Group are recognised at the proceeds received, 
net of direct issue costs.

The costs of an equity transaction are accounted for as a deduction from equity to the extent they are 
incremental costs directly attributable to the equity transaction that would otherwise have been avoided.

Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a legal or constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for 
which it is probable that an outflow of economic resources will result and that outflow can be reliably measured.

The amount recognised as a provision is the best estimate of the consideration required to settle the present 
obligation at the end of the reporting period, considering the risks and uncertainties surrounding the 
obligation. When a provision is measured using the cash flow estimated to settle the present obligation, its 
carrying amount is the present value of those cash flows.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202043

Notes to the Financial Statements

3.  Significant Accounting Policies (continued)
Decommissioning
Provision for decommissioning is recognised in full when the related assets are installed. The decommissioning 
provision is calculated as the net present value of the Group’s share of the expenditure expected to be 
incurred at the end of the life of the asset. The cost of recognising the decommissioning provision is included 
as part of the cost of the relevant asset and is thus charged to the income statement in accordance with the 
Group’s policy for depreciation of property, plant and equipment or for impairment of intangible exploration 
and evaluation assets, depending upon the stage of the assets at the time of retirement. Periodic charges for 
changes in the net present value of the decommissioning provision arising from discounting are included in 
finance costs.

Share-based payments
The Group has applied the requirements of IFRS 2 Share-based Payment for all grants of equity instruments.

The Group operates an equity-settled share option plan and a share-based compensation plan in respect of 
certain Directors, employees and consultants. Equity-settled share-based payments are measured at fair value 
(excluding the effect of non-market based vesting conditions) at the date of grant. The fair value of the service 
received in exchange for the grant of options and equity is recognised as an expense. The fair value 
determined at the grant date of equity-settled share-based payment is expensed on a straight-line basis over 
the vesting period, based on the Group’s estimate of shares that will eventually vest and adjusted for the effect 
of non-market based vesting conditions.

Fair value of option grants is measured by use of the Black Scholes model for non-performance-based 
options. The expected life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management’s best estimate, for 
the effect of non-transferability, exercise restrictions and behavioural considerations.

The grant by the Company of options and share-based compensation plans over its equity instruments to the 
employees of subsidiary undertakings in the Group is treated as a capital contribution. The fair value of 
employee services received, measured by reference to the grant date fair value, is recognised over the vesting 
period as an increase to investment in subsidiary undertakings, with a corresponding credit to equity in the 
parent entity accounts.

Development expenses
Costs incurred by the Group in respect of the assessment and pursuit of potential new projects are expensed 
directly to the income statement and included as development expenses. Material expenses relating to a 
specific project are disclosed on a separate line in the income statement.

Segmental reporting
Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the chief 
operating decision maker. The chief operating decision maker, who is responsible for allocating resources and 
assessing performance of the operating segments and making strategic decisions, has been identified as the 
Board of Directors.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC44

Notes to the Financial Statements

4.  Critical Accounting Judgements and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty
In the application of the Group’s accounting policies, which are described in note 3, the Directors are required 
to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities that 
are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical 
experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an on-going basis. Revisions to accounting 
estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or 
in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both the current and future periods.

The following are the critical judgements and estimations that the Directors have made in the process of 
applying the Group’s and Company’s accounting policies and that have the most significant effect on the 
amounts recognised in the financial statements:

Recoverability of intangible exploration and evaluation assets – Group
Determining whether an exploration and evaluation asset is impaired requires an assessment of whether there 
are any indicators of impairment, including by reference to specific impairment indicators prescribed in IFRS 6 
Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources. If there is any indication of potential impairment, an 
impairment test is required based on the recoverable amount of the asset. The value in use calculation 
requires the entity to estimate the future cash flows expected to arise from the cash-generating unit and a 
suitable discount rate in order to calculate present value.

During the year ended 31 December 2020, the Group completed its restructure of the Paradox project and is 
now focused on a core acreage position of circa 25,000 acres, whilst also recognising further exploration 
potential in eleven shallower reservoir targets which could add even further value to the project over time. At 
31 December 2020, the Group had drilled its first vertical well which was designed to facilitate a reuse which 
will allow the potential for future drilling of a horizontal appraisal lateral from the wellbore at significantly 
reduced cost to the Group. The Board believes that the restructured project is a highly attractive investment 
opportunity and ensures that the project will remain a central part of the Group’s future focus and activity.

At 31 December 2020, the Directors considered the indicators of impairment as set out in IFRS 6 and have 
satisfied themselves that there was no requirement to perform an impairment test.

The carrying amount of intangible exploration and evaluation assets at the balance sheet date was 
US$13.9 million (2019: US$13.5 million) and the Directors did not consider that it was appropriate to make a 
provision for impairment in respect of these assets at 31 December 2020.

Recoverability of loans to subsidiary undertakings – Company only
The Company has outstanding loans from its directly held subsidiaries which have then made a number of 
loans to indirectly held subsidiaries as the primary method of financing the activity of those subsidiaries. The 
principal loans are shown in the Company balance sheet on the basis that the loans incur interest at a 
commercial rate according to the Group’s inter-company loan policy, which is being rolled up until such time as 
the subsidiaries are in a position to settle. However, there is a risk that the indirectly held subsidiaries will not 
commence revenue-generating activities and that the carrying amount of the Company’s investment will, 
therefore, exceed the recoverable amount.

In accordance with IFRS 9 Financial instruments, as the subsidiary undertakings cannot repay the loans at the 
reporting date, the Board has made an assessment of expected credit losses (“ECL”). Having considered 
multiple scenarios on the manner, timing, quantum and probability of recovery of the receivables, the Board do 
not consider that any further provision is required and, therefore, subject to the recognition of exchange 
differences, a cumulative lifetime ECL of US$32.1 million has been recognised at 31 December 2020 (2019: 
US$31.2 million).

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202045

Notes to the Financial Statements

4.  Critical Accounting Judgements and Key Sources of Estimation Uncertainty (continued)
The calculation of the allowance for lifetime ECL requires a significant degree of estimation and judgement, in 
particular in determining the probability weighted likely outcome for each scenario considered. The Directors 
assessment of ECL included repayment through future cash flows over time (which are inherently difficult to 
forecast for the Group at its current stage of development), the amount that could be realised through an 
immediate sale of the subsidiary undertakings or its underlying assets and the loss that would arise should 
commercial extraction not occur. The Directors’ assessment of repayment through future cash flows included a 
scenario where the loan was not recovered in full. The Directors’ allocated a probability weighting of 65% to 
scenarios where recovery would be repayment over time, 10% to the scenario where immediate sale of the 
subsidiary undertaking or its underlying assets was contemplated, and 25% to the scenario where no 
extraction would occur.

At 31 December 2020, the Company has total loans in its directly held subsidiaries of US$49.0 million (2019: 
US$46.4 million). See note 15.

The outcome of any assessment is materially sensitive to the key assumptions inherent in the calculation and 
any downside in these estimates would result in an additional impairment of the underlying loans.

5.  Segmental Information
The Group has one main operating segment, the exploration and development of O&G resources, which is 
primarily based in U.S. As a result, no segmental information is presented.

6.  Development Expenses

U.S.

2020
US$’000

135

2019
US$’000

206

Development expenses represent material expenditure incurred by the Group in respect of the assessment 
and pursuit of specific projects.

7.  Other Income

COVID-19 business rates grant

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

13

–

The Group was in receipt of the business rates grant introduced by the UK government to provide financial support 
to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. No further support was received or required by the Group.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC46

Notes to the Financial Statements

8.  Loss Before Taxation 
The loss before taxation for the year has been arrived at after charging/(crediting):

Other income
Impairment of receivables
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
Depreciation of right-of-use assets
Staff costs excluding share-based payments
Share-based payments
Expense relating to short-term leases
Net foreign exchange losses

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

(13)
–
5
44
649
79
–
705

–
201
5
30
747
100
19
819

9.  Auditor’s Remuneration
Amounts payable to the external auditors and their associates in respect of both audit and non-audit services:

Audit of these financial statements

Amounts receivable by the Company’s auditor and its associates in respect of:
Audit of financial statements of subsidiaries of the Company
Taxation services – compliance

10.  Staff Costs
The average monthly number of employees (including Executive Directors) was:

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

49

5
3

57

46

5
11

62

Office and management
Operations

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
Share-based payments

(1) A proportion of staff costs were deferred during the year. See note 27.

Group

Company

2020
Number

2019
Number

2020
Number

2019
Number

2
1

3

2
1

3

1
1

2

2
1

3

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

673
42
30
51
796(1)

688
73
30
62
853(1)

317
36
15
33

401

553
64
30
62

709

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202047

Notes to the Financial Statements

10.  Staff Costs (continued)
Included within Group wages and salaries is US$0.1 million (2019: US$0.04 million) capitalised to intangible 
exploration and evaluation assets.

Included within Company wages and salaries is US$0.2 million (2019: US$0.2 million) which was recharged to 
other Group entities.

Included within both Group and Company wages and salaries for the year ended 31 December 2019 were the 
sums of US$0.06 million in respect of pay in lieu of notice and US$0.03 million in respect of an ex-gratia 
payment made to a former Director.

The remuneration of certain Company Directors is paid through a subsidiary entity and is therefore not 
included in the Company only aggregate remuneration.

Refer to note 27 for details regarding the remuneration of the highest paid Director.

11.  Taxation

Current tax:
Current year

Deferred tax:
Origination and reversal of temporary differences

Tax charge on loss for the year

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

–

–

–

–

–

–

The charge for the year can be reconciled to the loss per the income statement as follows:

Loss before tax

Loss multiplied by the rate of corporation tax for  
UK companies of 19% (2019: 19%)

Effects of:
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes 
Share-based payments 
Unrelieved tax losses carried forward 

Tax charge on loss for the year

2020
US$’000

(2,344)

2019
US$’000

(3,011)

(445)

(572)

–
15
430

–

38
19
515

–

There has been no impact due to changes in UK taxation rates during the years reported.

Unrelieved tax losses carried forward, as detailed in note 20, have not been recognised as a deferred tax 
asset as there is currently insufficient evidence that the asset will be recoverable in the foreseeable future. 
The losses must be utilised in relation to the same operations.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC48

Notes to the Financial Statements

12.  Loss Per Ordinary Share
Basic loss per Ordinary Share is calculated by dividing the net loss for the year attributable to owners of the 
parent company by the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue during the year. The calculation 
of the basic and diluted loss per Ordinary Share is based on the following data:

Losses
Losses for the purpose of basic loss per Ordinary Share being  
net loss attributable to owners of the parent company

Number of shares
Weighted average number of shares for the purpose  
of basic loss per Ordinary Share

Loss per Ordinary Share
Basic and diluted, cents per share

Continuing 
and 
discontinued 
operations

2019
US$’000

Continuing 
operations

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

(2,344)

(3,011)

(1,024)

Number
‘000

Number
’000

Number
’000

357,951

172,550

172,550

(0.66)

(1.74)

(0.59)

Due to the losses incurred from continuing operations in the years reported, there is no dilutive effect from the 
existing share options, share based compensation plan or warrants.

13.  Intangible Assets

Cost 
At 1 January 2019
Additions
Disposals – discontinued operations
At 1 January 2020
Additions
Grant funds received

At 31 December 2020

Impairment
At 1 January 2019
Disposals – discontinued operations

At 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020

Carrying amount
At 31 December 2020

At 31 December 2019

At 1 January 2019

Exploration
and
evaluation
assets
US$’000

18,918
401
(5,770)
13,549
2,165
(1,800)

13,914

5,770
(5,770)

–

13,914
13,549

13,148

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202049

Notes to the Financial Statements

13.  Intangible Assets (continued)
Joint Operation
Rockies Standard Agreement
In March 2014, the Group signed an agreement under which its subsidiary, Rose Petroleum (Utah) LLC (“Rose 
Utah”), acquired the right to commence earning into a 75 per cent working interest of certain oil, gas and 
hydrocarbon leases in Grand and Emery Counties, Utah, from Rockies Standard Oil Company LLC (“RSOC”), 
which retained the remaining 25 per cent working interest.

In October 2019, the Group signed a new agreement with RSOC which gave it an immediate 75 per cent working 
interest and operatorship of key acreage. This agreement replaced the earn-in structure of the original 
agreement and gave the Group immediate ownership of the highest potential 12,920 lease acres. The Group 
terminated its remaining farm-in rights over less prospective acreage and reassigned those rights back to RSOC.

In February 2020, the Group announced that a sub-set of leases, located within the project core, had been 
extended for a further two years and added back into the Group’s portfolio of leases with the result that the 
Group has been granted regulatory approval by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) for two-year 
lease extensions on circa 11,300 acres within the core of its project area. The Group is now focused on a core 
acreage position of circa 25,000 acres, within the Paradox basin.

The Group retains its obligations under the original earn-in agreement to carry RSOC for a 25 per cent working 
interest on the first well drilled on the project and has also agreed to carry RSOC for a 25 per cent working 
interest for the acquisition of specified targeted leases in and around the core acreage area, in aggregate, up 
to a total of US$0.5 million. It is the current view of both the Group and RSOC that the final figure will be 
considerably lower and any payments would be incurred over an extended period of time.

The project is not conducted within a separate legal entity and the Group is required to operate within the 
terms of the agreement. Therefore, costs incurred by the Group under the RSOC agreement have been 
accounted for as a joint operation, in accordance with the requirements of IFRS 11 Joint arrangements. 
Accordingly, the intangible exploration and evaluation assets presented above represents the Group’s own 
asset in respect of the project and comprises costs capitalised in accordance with the Group’s accounting 
policy on intangible exploration and evaluation assets.

U.S. Department of Energy Funding
During 2020, the Group worked with a project team led by the EGI on a project sponsored by the DOE. In 
September 2020, the Group announced that the EGI had selected the Group’s acreage in the Paradox Basin 
on which to drill a vertical stratigraphic research well, the purpose of which, was to gather data to improve the 
understanding of the Paradox Basin play.

On 5 October 2020, the Group entered into an agreement with the EGI under which the EGI would fund 
US$2.0 million towards the planned stratigraphic research well. The well, State 16-2, was designed to facilitate 
re-use which will allow the potential for future drilling of a horizontal appraisal lateral from the wellbore and, 
given the commercial benefits of potential well re-use for the Group, the Group agreed to fund up to 
US$1.0 million of incremental costs, should the total cost of the well go above the EGI’s US$2.0 million 
committed funding.

On 2 December 2020, the Group announced that it had received the regulatory approvals required to proceed 
with the spud of the State 16-2 and this was completed by 31 December 2020.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Group is the operator of the vertical well and is responsible for all 
planning and drilling activity. The Group and its 25 per cent partner RSOC continue to be the sole working 
interest owners in the leasehold and of the vertical well.

During the year, the Group had received US$1.8 million of funding from the EGI as described above. In accordance 
with IAS 20, the carrying value of the Group’s intangible exploration and evaluation assets have been presented net 
of the funds received. The remaining grant funding of US$0.2 million was received in February 2021.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC50

Notes to the Financial Statements

14.  Property, Plant and Equipment

Group

Company

Plant and 
machinery
US$’000

Right-of-use
assets
US$’000

Total
US$’000

Plant and 
machinery
US$’000

Right-of-use
assets
US$’000

Total
US$’000 

Cost
At 1 January 2019
Recognition of right-of-use 
assets on initial application  
of IFRS 16
Additions – right-of-use assets
At 1 January 2020 
Disposal
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2020

Accumulated depreciation
At 1 January 2019
Charge for the year 
At 1 January 2020
Charge for the year 
Disposal
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2020

Carrying amount
At 31 December 2020

At 31 December 2019

At 1 January 2019

159

–

159

–
–
159
(39)
9

129

137
5
142
5
(39)
9

117

12
17

22

35
55
90
(34)
1

57

–
30
30
44
(34)
1

41

16
60

–

35
55
249
(73)
10

186

137
35
172
49
(73)
10

158

28
77

22

22

–
–
22
–
1

23

–
5
5
5
–
1

11

12
17

22

–

–
55
55
–
2

57

–
5
5
34
–
2

41

16
50

–

22

–
55
77
–
3

80

–
10
10
39
–
3

52

28
67

22

The Group depreciation charge has been allocated to the income statement as follows: 

Administrative expenses

2020
US$’000

49

2019
US$’000

35

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202051

Total
US$’000

48,373
1,397
(200)
–
–
18
1,943
51,531
1,663
(411)
1,514

Notes to the Financial Statements

15.  Investments

Cost
At 1 January 2019
Additions
Disposals – continuing operations
Disposals – discontinued operations
Change in fair value
Capital contribution
Exchange differences
At 1 January 2020
Additions
Reversal of capital contribution 
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2020

Impairment
At 1 January 2019
Impairment charge/(reversal)
Exchange differences

At 1 January 2020
Exchange differences

At 31 December 2020

Carrying amount
At 31 December 2020

At 31 December 2019

Group

Company

Investment
carried at 
fair value
US$’000

Investment
carried at 
fair value
US$’000

Shares in
subsidiary
undertakings
US$’000

Loans to
subsidiary
undertakings
US$’000

464
–
(200)
(302)
27
–
11
–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–

–
–

–

–
–

200
–
(200)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–

–
–

–

–
–

4,962
–
–
–
–
–
199
5,161
–
–
148

43,211
1,397
–
–
–
18
1,744
46,370
1,663
(411)
1,366

5,309

48,988

54,297

4,592
370
198

5,160
149

5,309

30,187
(218)
1,201

31,170
895

32,065

34,779
152
1,399

36,330
1,044

37,374

–
–

16,923
15,201

16,923
15,201

Company
The Company has outstanding loans made to its subsidiaries which incur interest at a commercial rate, 
according to the Group’s inter-company loan policy. The loans are due for repayment once the subsidiaries 
commence revenue-generating activities which is not anticipated within the next twelve months and, therefore 
the loans are presented within non-current assets. The Board has assessed the recoverability of the loans and 
investments based on the expected future cash flows arising to the Company from its subsidiary entities and 
consider that no additional provision (2019: US$0.15 million) should be recognised in the period.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC52

Notes to the Financial Statements

15.  Investments (continued)
The Company had investments in the following subsidiary undertakings as at 31 December 2020:

Place of incorporation 
(or registration) and 
operation

Proportion of 
ownership 
interest

Proportion
 of voting 
power held

Principal activity

Directly owned:
VANE Minerals (UK) Limited
Rose Petroleum (UK) Limited

Indirectly owned:
Minerales VANE S.A. de C.V.
Rose Petroleum (US) LLC
Rose Petroleum (Utah) LLC

UK
UK

Mexico
U.S.
U.S.

100%
100%

100%
100%
100%

100%
100%

Holding company
Holding company

100%
100%
100%

Dormant 
Holding company
Exploration

Since the year end a new company, Zephyr Bakken LLC was incorporated in the U.S.. This is an exploration 
company through which the Williston Basin project will be accounted for.

The registered office address of all companies incorporated in the United Kingdom is 20-22 Wenlock Road, 
London, N1 7GU.

The registered office address for Minerales VANE S.A. de C.V. is Humboldt No. 121, Colonia del Valle, C.P. 
78200, San Luis Potosi, S.L.P.

The registered office address for Rose Petroleum (US) LLC and Rose Petroleum (Utah) LLC is 1 Shipwright 
Street, Annapolis, MD 21401.

16.  Trade and Other Receivables

VAT recoverable
Other receivables
Prepayments 

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

28
60
47

135

29
2
81

112

22
–
13

35

29
–
60

89

The Group has an outstanding amount due for US$0.2million in respect of a loan made to Magellan to facilitate 
completion of the sale of the Group’s Mexico assets. The loan is non-interest bearing and due for repayment 
when Magellan recovers indirect tax incurred in Mexico upon acquisition of the Group’s ore processing mill in 
the year ended 31 December 2017. In accordance with IFRS 9 Financial instruments, whilst the Board intends to 
pursue repayment of the loan in full, it has assessed expected credit losses (“ECL”) and, having considered the 
current trading position of Magellan within Mexico, a cumulative lifetime ECL of US$ 0.2 million continues to be 
recognised at 31 December 2020 (2019: US$0.2 million).

The Directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other receivables approximates to their fair value, 
and represents the Group’s maximum exposure to credit risk.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202053

Notes to the Financial Statements

17.  Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents held by the Group and the Company as at 31 December 2020 were US$3.9 million 
and US$2.2 million respectively (2019: US$1.1 million, US$1.1 million). The Directors consider that the carrying 
amount of these assets approximate to their fair value.

18.  Trade and Other Payables

Trade payables
Taxes and social security
Other payables
Accruals 

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

1,949
16
124
375

2,464

84
17
115
226

442

55
16
–
245

316

73
17
1
122

213

Trade payables and accruals principally comprise amounts outstanding for trade purchases and on-going costs.

Other payables primarily represent the potential liability due to the German licencing authorities in respect of 
the relinquished hydrocarbon licences in south-western Germany. The Group has continued to recognise the 
remaining potential liability although it continues to negotiate further reductions with the German licencing 
authorities.

No interest is generally charged on balances outstanding.

The Group has financial risk management policies to ensure that all payables are paid within the credit 
time frame.

The Directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other payables approximates to their fair value.

19.  Lease Liabilities

Current
Non-current

Maturity analysis
Amounts due within one year 
Amounts due in 2-5 years 

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

8
–

8

45
8

53

8
–

8

35
8

43

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

8
–

8

45
8

53

8
–

8

35
8

43

The Group does not face a significant liquidity risk with regard to lease liabilities.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC54

Notes to the Financial Statements

20. Deferred Tax
There are unrecognised deferred tax assets in relation to:

UK tax losses 
U.S. tax losses
Mexican tax losses

2020
US$’000

5,622
9,120
397

15,139

2019
US$’000

5,372
7,173
337

12,882

Reductions to the UK corporation tax rates were substantively enacted as part of the Finance Bill 2016 on 
6 September 2016 which would reduce the main rate to 17% from 1 April 2020. However, in a pre-election 
manifesto Boris Johnson pledged to put the reduction from 19% to 17% on hold if the Conservatives won the 
election and having done so, the freeze in rate was substantively enacted during the 2020 Budget. A deferred 
tax asset has not been provided in respect of these losses as there is currently insufficient evidence that the 
asset will be recoverable in the foreseeable future.

21.  Provisions 

At 1 January 
Provision utilised
Additional provision

At 31 December

Non-current provision

Group Decommissioning 

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

57
(57)
7

7

7

–
–
57

57

57

In accordance with the Group’s environmental policy and applicable legal requirements, the Group expects to 
restore sites where it has carried on activities, following final conclusion of those activities.

Decommissioning of the State 16-42 well was completed in November 2020 and no further obligations are 
expected in relation to this well.

The Group has provided for decommissioning of the State 16-2 well which is not expected to take place within 
the next twelve months.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202055

Notes to the Financial Statements

22.  Share Capital

Authorised
Ordinary Shares of 0.1p each
Deferred Shares of 9.9p each

Allotted, issued and fully paid
Ordinary Shares of 0.1p each
Deferred Shares of 9.9p each

Group and Company

2020

Number
‘000

US$’000

2019

Number
‘000

7,779,297
227,753

10,620
30,781

7,779,297
227,753

8,007,050

41,401

8,007,050

696,202
227,753

923,955

916
40,305

41,221

287,112
227,753

514,865

US$’000

10,323
29,921

40,244

383
40,305

40,688

The Deferred Shares are not listed on AIM, do not give the holders any right to receive notice of, or to attend 
or vote at, any general meetings, have no entitlement to receive a dividend or other distribution or any 
entitlement to receive a repayment of nominal amount paid up on a return of assets on a winding up nor to 
receive or participate in any property or assets of the Company. The Company may, at its option, at any time 
redeem all of the Deferred Shares then in issue at a price not exceeding £0.01 from all Shareholders upon 
giving not less than 28 days’ notice in writing.

Due to the difference in functional and presentation currencies, foreign exchange differences can arise 
between the authorised share capital which is restated at each period end, and the allotted, issued and fully 
paid share capital which is presented at historical rates of exchange.

Issued Ordinary Share Capital
On 23 October 2020, the Company issued 200,000,000 Ordinary Shares of 0.1p each at a price of 0.55p per 
share, raising gross proceeds of US$1.4 million (£1.1 million).

On 3 November 2020, the Company issued 209,090,909 Ordinary Shares of 0.1p each at a price of 0.55p per 
share, raising gross proceeds of US$1.5 million (£1.15 million).

At 1 January 2019
Allotment of shares
At 1 January 2020
Allotment of shares 

At 31 December 2020

Ordinary 
Shares
Number
‘000

143,414
143,698
287,112
409,090

Deferred 
Shares
Number
‘000

227,753
–
227,753
–

696,202

227,753

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC56

Notes to the Financial Statements

23.  Warrant Reserve
In November 2019, the Company undertook a fundraise which resulted in the issue of 113,636,364 Ordinary 
Shares of 0.1 pence each. Subscribers were issued warrants to subscribe for 56,818,182 new Ordinary Shares, 
representing one warrant for every two placing shares. The warrants are exercisable at a price of 2 pence per 
Ordinary Share for a period of two years from the date of issue. 

At 1 January 2019
Granted
At 1 January 2020
Lapsed

At 31 December 2020

Warrants
Number
‘000

34,341
56,818
91,159
(34,341)

56,818

The fair value of the warrants granted to subscribers during the year was US$ nil (2019: US$0.2 million), and 
the fair value of warrants which lapsed during the year was US$0.3 million (2019: US$ nil) and this has been 
recognised as a movement between equity reserves.

24.  Reserves
The share premium account represents the sum paid, in excess of the nominal value, of shares allotted, net of 
the costs of issue.

The warrant reserve represents accumulated charges made in respect of the issue of warrants to Shareholders. 
See note 23.

The share-based payment reserve represents accumulated charges made under IFRS 2 in respect of share-
based payments.

The cumulative translation reserve represents foreign exchange differences arising on the translation of foreign 
operations and any net gain/(loss) on the hedge of net investment in foreign subsidiaries. The cumulative 
translation reserve also represents the net effect of the fact that the functional currency of the parent undertaking 
is GBP, whilst its reporting currency is US$, resulting in exchange differences on translation of the parent 
undertakings equity.

The retained deficit includes all current and prior period retained losses.

25.  Share-Based Payments
Equity Settled Share Option Plan
The Company has a Share Option Plan, 2013 Share Option Plan Part A (employees) and 2013 Share Option 
Plan Part B (non-employees), under which options to subscribe for the Company’s shares have been granted to 
certain Directors and to selected employees and consultants.

On 29 May 2020, the Company issued 32 million share options with an exercise price of 0.6 pence per Ordinary 
Share, which vest in three equal tranches on 29 May 2021, 2022 and 2023. The options have no service or 
performance conditions attached and can be exercised up until the tenth anniversary of the grant date.

On 29 May 2020, the Company issued 2,717,000 nil-cost options to its Non-Executive Directors to compensate them 
for salaries deferred in the year ended December 2019. The options are exercisable at the Ordinary Share’s nominal 
value of 0.1 pence and the number of options issued was based upon the emoluments deferred, divided by 1.1 pence, 
being the price at which Ordinary Shares were issued in the Company’s placing in November 2019. The options can 
be exercised for a period of seven years from the date of issue. If a Non-Executive Director leaves the Company, the 
options can be exercised within three years of the date of leaving unless otherwise agreed with the Company.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202057

Notes to the Financial Statements

25.  Share-Based Payments (continued)
At 31 December 2020, 45.4 million share options had been granted under the terms of the Share Option Plans 
and not exercised.

The Company has no legal or constructive obligation to repurchase or settle the options in cash. The latest 
date for exercise of the options is 28 May 2030 and, unless otherwise agreed, the options are forfeited if the 
employee or consultant leaves the Group before the options vest, or if those options which have vested are 
not exercised within three months of leaving.

Details of the share options outstanding at the end of the year were as follow:

Outstanding at 1 January
Granted
Forfeited 
Outstanding at 31 December
Exercisable at 31 December

2020

2019

Number of 
options
‘000

11,267
34,717
(550)
45,434
10,800

Weighted 
average 
exercise 
price

25.75p
0.56p
0.73p
5.93
22.32p

Number of 
options
‘000

11,267
–
–
11,267
5,300

Weighted 
average
exercise 
price

25.75p
–
–
25.75p
49.4p

The options outstanding at 31 December 2020 had an estimated weighted average remaining contractual life 
of 9 years (2019: 8 years), with an exercise price ranging between 0.1p and 342.5p.

The fair value of the options issued during the year has been calculated using the Black-Scholes model. The 
significant inputs into the model for the IFRS 2 valuation were as follows:

Exercise price (pence)
Expected volatility (%)
Expected life (years)
Risk free rates (%)
Expected dividends
Performance condition

Exercise price (pence)
Expected volatility (%)
Expected life (years)
Risk free rates (%)
Expected dividends
Performance condition

Grants in year
32,000,000
Share options

0.6p
87-95
5.5-6.5
-1.84-1.06
–
None

Grants in year
2,717,000
Nil-cost 
share options

0.1p
77
3.5
-3.98
–
None

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC58

Notes to the Financial Statements

25.  Share-Based Payments (continued)
Expected volatility was calculated considering Zephyr Energy plc share price movements over a period 
commensurate with the expected term immediately prior to the grant date.

The fair value of the options granted during the year was US$137,000 (2019: US$ nil) in respect of the share 
options and US$17,000 (2019: US$ nil) in respect of the nil-cost options.

In the year ended 31 December 2020, the Company recognised a total expense of US$79,000 (2019: 
US$100,000) in respect of share options, being US$62,000 (2019: US$100,000) in respect of the Share Option 
Plan and US$17,000 (2019: nil) in respect of the nil-cost options.

Warrants
On 22 November 2019, the Company issued 2,727,273 warrants to Turner Pope Investments (“TPI”), in respect 
of broker services provided by them in relation to the placing of the Company’s Ordinary Shares. The warrants 
permit the holder to subscribe for one new Ordinary Share at a price of 1.32 pence per share and are 
exercisable at any time until 22 November 2022. No warrants had been exercised at 31 December 2020.

On 3 November 2020, the Company issued 70,201,873 warrants to TPI, in respect of broker services provided 
by them in relation to the placing of the Company’s Ordinary Shares. 19,868,455 of the warrants permit the 
holder to subscribe for one new Ordinary Share at a price of 0.55 pence per Ordinary Share, the remaining 
50,333,418 warrants permit the holder to subscribe for one Ordinary Share at a price of 0.6875 pence per 
share and all warrants are exercisable at any time for a period of two years from issue.

The fair value of the services provided to the Company can be measured directly and, therefore, the fair value 
of the warrants issued during the year to TPI has been made with reference to the terms of the agreement 
which stated that the number of warrants issued should be based on a percentage of the equity proceeds 
raised by TPI. 19,868,455 warrants were issued on the basis of 6 per cent of the equity proceeds raised by TPI 
and 50,333,418 were issued on the basis of 19 per cent of the equity proceeds raised by TPI.

The fair value of the warrants issued during the year was US$0.6 million (2019: US$ 0.05 million).

During the year, 5,163,461 warrants issued in previous years lapsed without being exercised. The fair value of 
the warrants previously recognised was US$0.25 million and this has been recognised as a transfer between 
equity reserves.

In accordance with the Group’s accounting policy, the costs of an equity transaction are accounted for as a 
deduction from equity to the extent that they are incremental costs directly attributable to the equity 
transaction that would otherwise have been avoided. As a result, there is no impact on the Group’s income 
statement during the year ended 31 December 2020.

Details of the warrants included in share-based payments and outstanding at the end of the year were as follow:

At 1 January 2019
Granted
Lapsed
At 1 January 2020
Granted
Lapsed

At 31 December 2020

Warrants
Number
‘000

5,592
2,727
(428)
7,891
70,202
(5,164)

72,929

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202059

Notes to the Financial Statements

26.  Financial Instruments
Financial Risk Management Objectives
Management provides services to the business, co-ordinates access to domestic and international financial 
markets and monitors and manages the financial risks relating to the operations of the Group. These risks 
include foreign currency risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and cash flow interest rate risk.

The policies for managing these risks are regularly reviewed and agreed by the Board.

The Group does not enter into or trade financial instruments, including derivative financial instruments, for 
speculative purposes.

Capital Risk Management
The Group manages its capital to ensure that entities in the Group will be able to continue as going concerns, 
while maximising the return to Shareholders through the optimisation of the debt and equity balance. The 
Group’s overall strategy remains unchanged from 2019.

The capital structure of the Group consists of cash and cash equivalents and equity attributable to equity 
holders of the parent, comprising issued capital, reserves and retained earnings.

The Group is not subject to externally imposed capital requirements.

The Group plans its capital requirements on a regular basis and as part of this review the Directors consider 
the cost of capital and the risks associated with each class of capital.

Significant Accounting Policies
Details of the significant accounting policies and methods adopted, including the criteria for recognition, the 
basis of measurement, the basis on which income and expenses are recognised, in respect of each class of 
financial asset, financial liability and equity instrument are disclosed in note 3.

Categories of Financial Instruments

Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Cash and cash equivalents
Other receivables
Loans to subsidiary undertakings

Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
Trade payables
Other payables
Accruals
Lease liabilities

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

3,940
60
–

4,000

1,084
2
–

1,086

2,245
–
16,923

19,168

1,070
–
15,201

16,271

Group

Company

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

2020
US$’000

2019
US$’000

1,949
124
375
8

2,456

84
115
226
53

478

55
–
245
8

308

73
1
122
43

239

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC60

Notes to the Financial Statements

26.  Financial Instruments (continued)
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Directors consider that the carrying amount of its financial instruments approximates to their fair value.

Foreign Exchange Risk and Foreign Currency Risk Management
The Group undertakes certain transactions denominated in foreign currencies, with the result that exposure to 
exchange rate fluctuations arise.

The Group does not normally hedge against the effects of movements in exchange rates. The Group policy is 
not to repatriate any currency where there is the requirement or obligation to spend in the same denomination. 
When foreign exchange is required the Group purchases using the best spot rate available. As a result, there is 
limited currency risk within the Group other than cash and cash equivalents whose functional currency is 
different to presentation currency.

The carrying amounts of the Group’s foreign currency denominated monetary assets and monetary liabilities at 
the reporting date are as follows:

GBP

Liabilities

Assets

2020
US$’000

124

2019
US$’000

114

2020
US$’000

189

2019
US$’000

535

Foreign currency sensitivity analysis
The functional currencies of the Group are GBP and US$. The financial statements of the Group’s foreign 
subsidiaries are denominated in foreign currencies.

The Group is exposed primarily to movements in US$ in respect of foreign currency risk arising from 
recognised assets.

Sensitivity analysis has been performed to indicate how the profit or loss would have been affected by 
changes in the exchange rate between GBP and US$. The analysis is based on the weakening and 
strengthening of US$ by five per cent. A movement of five per cent reflects a reasonably positive sensitivity 
when compared to historical movements over a three to five-year timeframe. The sensitivity analysis includes 
only outstanding foreign currency denominated monetary items and adjusts their translation at the period end 
for a five per cent change in foreign currency rates.

The table below details the Group’s sensitivity to a five per cent decrease in US$ against GBP. A positive number 
below indicates an increase in profit where US$ strengthens five per cent against GBP. For a five per cent 
weakening of US$ there would be an equal and opposite impact on the profit, and the balance below would be 
negative. The sensitivity calculated below is primarily attributable to of the restatement of GBP denominated 
intercompany loans in the Group’s U.S, subsidiaries.

Income statement

2020
US$’000

(1,246)

2019
US$’000

(1,090)

Interest Rate Risk Management
The Group’s policy on interest rate management is agreed at Board level and is reviewed on an on-going basis.

The Group has no substantial exposure to fluctuating interest rates on its liabilities. The Group has no liabilities 
which attract interest charges at 31 December 2020.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202061

Notes to the Financial Statements

26.  Financial Instruments (continued)
Liquidity Risk Management
Ultimate responsibility for liquidity risk management rests with the Board of Directors, which has built an 
appropriate liquidity risk management framework for the management of the Group’s short, medium and 
long-term funding and liquidity management requirements. The Group manages liquidity risk by maintaining 
adequate cash reserves and by continuously monitoring forecast and actual cash flow.

Credit Risk Management
Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial 
loss to the Group. The Group does not have any significant credit risk exposure on trade and other 
receivables.

The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date to recognised financial assets is the carrying 
amount, net of any provisions for impairment of those assets. The Group does not hold any collateral.

Generally, financial assets are written off when there is no reasonable expectation of recovery.

The credit risk on liquid funds (cash) is considered to be limited because the counterparties are financial 
institutions with high and good credit ratings assigned by international credit-rating agencies.

27.  Related Party Transactions
Amounts Due From Subsidiaries
Group
Balances and transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries which are related parties, have been 
eliminated on consolidation and are not disclosed in this note.

Company
The Company has entered into a number of unsecured related party transactions with subsidiary undertakings. 
The most significant transactions carried out between the Company and their subsidiary undertakings are 
management charges for services provided to the subsidiary company and long-term financing. Details of 
these transactions are as follows:

Loans 
Management charges
Interest (1.75%)
Capital contribution

2020

2019

Transactions
in the year
US$’000

Amounts
owing
US$’000

Transactions
in the year
US$’000

1,061
309
273
(396)

36,720
5,613
6,009
646

386
630
356
18

Amounts
owing
US$’000

34,662
5,137
5,558
1,013

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC62

Notes to the Financial Statements

27.  Related Party Transactions (continued)
Remuneration of Key Management Personnel
The remuneration of key management personnel of the Group is set out below in aggregate for each of the 
categories specified in IAS 24 Related Party Disclosures. 

Short-term employee benefits
Ex-gratia payment
Consultancy payments
Post-employment benefits
Share-based payments

2020

2019

Purchase of
services
US$’000

Amounts
owing
US$’000

Purchase of 
services
US$’000

Amounts
owing
US$’000

657
–
–
28
60

745

148
–
–
13
–

161

622
32
20
26
59

759

125
–
–
9
–

134

The amounts outstanding are unsecured and will be settled in cash. No guarantees have been given or received.

All transactions with related parties have been conducted on an arm’s length basis.

Directors’ Emoluments
Remuneration paid to Directors during the year was as follows:

Executive Directors
JC Harrington
CJ Eadie
Non-Executive Directors
RL Grant
TH Reynolds
GB Stein

(1) Salaries include benefits-in-kind

2020

Salaries(1)
taken
US$’000

Salaries(1)

not taken
US$’000

Pension
US$’000

Total
US$’000

282
120

51
35
35

523

74
30

15
11
11

141

15
13

–
–
–

28

371
163

66
46
46

692

On 29 May 2020, the Company issued nil-cost options to its Non-Executive Directors to compensate them for 
salaries deferred in the year ended 31 December 2019. The Company issued 2,717,000 options which are 
exercisable at the Ordinary Share’s nominal value of 0.1 pence and were calculated based on the emoluments 
deferred, divided by 1.1 pence, being the price at which Ordinary Shares were issued in the Company’s placing 
in November 2019. The options can be exercised for a period of seven years from the date of issue. If a 
Non-Executive Director leaves the Company, the options can be exercised within three years of the date of 
leaving unless otherwise agreed with the Company. No options had been exercised at 31 December 2020. 
See note 25.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020Notes to the Financial Statements

27.  Related Party Transactions (continued)
The options were issued as follows:

RL Grant
TH Reynolds
GB Stein

63

 Options
Number
‘000

1,353
818
546

2,717

It is the Company’s intention to issue further nil-cost options to its Non-Executive Directors in H1 2021 to 
compensate them for salaries deferred in the year ended 31 December 2020. 

Executive Directors
JC Harrington
MC Idiens
CJ Eadie
KB Scott
Non-Executive Directors
PE Jeffcock
RL Grant
TH Reynolds
GB Stein

Salaries(1)
taken
US$’000

Salaries(1)

not taken
US$’000

Consultancy
US$’000

Ex-gratia
US$’000

Pension
US$’000

Total
US$’000

2019

54(2)
197(3)
137

17(5)
11(6)
20(7)
8(8)

444

80(2)
–
–
–

–
19(6)
12(7)
7(8)

118

–
–
–
4(4)

–
–
–
–

4

–
32
–
–

–
–
–
–

32

–
13
13
–

–
–
–
–

26

134
242
150
4

17
30
32
15

624

(1)  Salaries include benefits-in-kind

(2)  Salary from the date of appointment on 24 May 2019. Salary not taken was paid in 2020 and 2021

(3)  Salary to the date of resignation on 30 August 2019, including pay in lieu of notice

(4)  Salary to the date of resignation on 23 April 2019

(5)  Salary to the date of resignation on 11 April 2019

(6)  Salary from the date of appointment on 27 June 2019. The salary not taken was settled by the issue of nil-cost options in 2020

(7)  Salary from the date of appointment on 23 April 2019. The salary not taken was settled by the issue of nil-cost options in 2020

(8)  Salary from the date of appointment on 3 September 2019. The salary not taken was settled by the issue of nil-cost options in 2020

The remuneration of Directors and key executives is decided by the remuneration committee having regard to 
comparable market statistics.

Directors’ share options are detailed in the Directors Report.

Directors’ pensions 

The number of Directors to whom retirement benefits  
are accruing under money purchase schemes was

2020
No

1

2019
No

2

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC64

Notes to the Financial Statements

27.  Related Party Transactions (continued)
Directors’ participation in Fundraise
On 16 October 2020, the Company announced a Placing to raise £2.25 million by the issue, in two tranches, of 
409,090,909 new Ordinary Shares of 0.1p each at a price of 0.55p per Ordinary Share (“Placing Price”). 
Several Directors participated in the Placing as follows:

•  OCE subscribed for 66,000,000 new Ordinary Shares, equivalent to £363,000 at the Placing Price. Rick 

Grant and Colin Harrington are both Shareholders and Directors of OCE, and Colin Harrington is indirectly 
the controlling Shareholder of OCE.

•  Chris Eadie and Gordon Stein also each subscribed for 1,850,000 new Ordinary Shares, equivalent to a total 

of £20,350 at the Placing Price.

28.  Post Balance Sheet Events
Equity Fundraise
In March 2021, the Company raised gross proceeds of US$13.6 million (£10 million) by way of a placing of 
500 million Ordinary Shares of 0.1p each at a price of 2 pence per Ordinary Share.

Williston Project
In March 2021, the Group completed the purchase of the Williston project at an initial cost of US$350,000. In 
addition, the Company made a payment of approximately US$3.7 million to the project Operator for historical 
CAPEX obligations on the project.

The purchase resulted in the acquisition of non-operated working interests, ranging from 16.8% to 37.2% in five 
wells (one producing well and four drilled but uncompleted wells), in Mountrail County, North Dakota, U.S. The 
wells are operated by Whiting Petroleum, an active and highly experienced operator in the Williston Basin.

The project provides the Group with low-risk oil production from five already drilled wells which are expected 
to generate substantial cash flows that can be utilised across the Group.

Zephyr is now responsible for payment of future CAPEX obligations related to the Williston project as the 
DUCS are completed and tied in. These costs are estimated to be approximately US$4.2 million.

Continental acreage
In May 2021, the Group announced the acquisition of the Continental acreage, which gave the Group a working 
interest in a drilling spacing unit operated by Continental Resources Inc., the largest operator in the Williston 
Basin. The Continental acreage is located approximately ten miles from the Group’s Williston project, in a highly 
attractive part of the Basin. The cost of the acreage acquired by Zephyr was approximately US$170,000 and was 
paid for from the Group’s existing cash resources. Zephyr is now responsible for payment of future CAPEX 
obligations in respect of the first two wells. These costs are estimated to be approximately US$140,000.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020Important information regarding  
the Annual General Meeting

65

THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any doubt as to 
what action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own financial advice from your stockbroker or 
other independent adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended). If you 
have recently sold or transferred all of your shares in Zephyr Energy Plc, please forward this document, together 
with the accompanying documents, as soon as possible either to the purchaser or transferee or to the person 
who arranged the sale or transfer, so they can pass these documents to the person who now holds the shares.

In the lead up to the annual general meeting, we are closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 virus in the 
United Kingdom.

Our preference is to welcome Shareholders in person to our 2021 Annual General Meeting, particularly given 
the constraints we faced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with consideration to the 
Government’s current response to the COVID-19 pandemic and given the uncertainty around potentially tighter 
restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could change at short notice, it cannot be known with 
certainty whether (or how many) Shareholders will be able to attend the Annual General Meeting. We are 
committed to protecting the health and well-being of our Shareholders and of the general public and therefore, 
we strongly encourage all Shareholders to appoint the chairman of the Annual General Meeting as their proxy. 
This will ensure that your vote will be counted if ultimately you (or any other proxy you might otherwise appoint) 
are not able to attend the Annual General Meeting. Shareholders are encouraged to submit a form of proxy 
(“Form of Proxy”) by following the instructions in the Notes to the Annual General Meeting notice. Proxy votes 
must be received by Link Group not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting. 
Shareholders are urged to appoint the Chair of the meeting as his or her proxy.

You will not receive a hard copy form of proxy for the 2021 AGM in the post. Instead, you will be able to vote 
electronically using the link www.signalshares.com. You will need to log into your account or register if you 
have not previously done so. To register you will need your investor code, which is detailed on your share 
certificate or available from our registrar, Link Group.

If you need help with voting online, please contact our Registrar, Link Group, on 0371 664 0391 if calling from 
the United Kingdom, or +44 (0) 371 664 0391 if calling from outside of the United Kingdom or email Link at 
shareholdderenquiries@linkgroup.co.uk. Calls will be charged at local rates. Calls made outside the United 
Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. The lines are open between 09:00 and 17:30 
Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

The Board understands that beyond voting on the formal business of the meeting, the Annual General Meeting 
also serves as a forum for Shareholders to raise questions and comments to the Board. Therefore, if 
Shareholders do have any questions or comments relating to the business of the meeting that they would like 
to ask the Board then they are asked to submit those questions in writing via email to chris.eadie@zephyrplc.
com no later than 11.00 a.m. on Monday 28 June 2021. The Board will publish a summary of any questions 
received which are of common interest, together with a written response on the Company’s website as soon 
as practicable after the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting. Only questions from registered 
Shareholders of the Company will be accepted.

OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC66

Notice of Annual General Meeting

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders of the Company will be held 
at the offices of Memery Crystal LLP, 165 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2DY on 30 June 2021 at 11.00 a.m. for the 
purpose of considering and, if thought fit, passing the following resolutions, of which Resolutions 1 to 5 will be 
proposed as ordinary resolutions and Resolutions 6 will be proposed as a special resolution:

Ordinary Resolutions
1. 

 To receive and adopt the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020, together 
with the reports of the Directors and the auditor thereon.

2. 

 To re-appoint RSM UK Audit LLP as auditor to act as such until the conclusion of the next annual general 
meeting of the Company at which the requirements of section 437 of the Companies Act 2006 (“CA 2006”) 
are complied with and to authorise the Directors of the Company to fix its remuneration.

3. 

 To re-elect John Colin Harrington, who retires by rotation, as a Director.

4. 

 To re-elect Thomas Hamilton Reynolds who retires by rotation, as a Director.

5. 

 That the Directors be generally and unconditionally authorised in accordance with section 551 of the CA 
2006 to issue and allot Ordinary Shares of £0.001 each in the share capital of the Company (“Ordinary 
Shares”) or grant rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares in the Company (together 
“Rights”) up to a maximum nominal amount of £404,083.49 (representing approximately 33 per cent. of the 
issued share capital of the Company), to such persons at such times and on such terms as they think 
proper, provided that this authority shall, unless renewed, varied or revoked by the Company, expire on 
the date falling 15 months from the date of the passing of this Resolution, or if earlier, at the conclusion of 
the annual general meeting of the Company to be held in 2022, save that the Company may at any time 
before such expiry make an offer or agreement which might require Ordinary Shares to be allotted or 
Rights to be granted after such expiry and the Directors may allot Ordinary Shares or grant Rights in 
pursuance of such offer or agreement notwithstanding that the authority hereby conferred has expired.

 This authority revokes and replaces all unexercised authorities previously granted to the Directors but 
without prejudice to any allotment of shares or grant of Rights already made or offered or agreed to be 
made pursuant to such authorities.

Special Resolutions
6. 

 THAT, subject to the passing of Resolution 5 above, the Directors be generally empowered pursuant to 
section 570 of the Act to allot equity securities (as defined in section 560 of the Act) for cash as if section 
561(1) of the CA 2006 did not apply to any such allotment pursuant to the general authority conferred on 
them by Resolution 5 above (as varied from time to time by the Company in general meeting) PROVIDED 
THAT such power shall be limited to:

a. 

 the allotment of equity securities in connection with a rights issue or any other offer to:

i. 

ii. 

 holders of Ordinary Shares in proportion (as nearly as may be practicable) to their respective 
holdings; and

 to holders of other equity securities as required by the rights of those securities or as the 
Directors otherwise consider necessary,

 but subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or 
expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates, legal or practical 
problems in or under the laws of any territory or the requirements of any regulatory body or stock 
exchange; and

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
67

Notice of Annual General Meeting

b. 

c. 

 the allotment of equity securities pursuant to the terms of any share schemed for Directors and 
employees of the Company or any of the subsidiaries;

 the allotment otherwise than pursuant to sub paragraph (a) to (b) (inclusive) above of equity securities 
up to an aggregate nominal amount of £122,449.54 representing approximately 10 per cent. of the 
issued share capital of the Company,

 and the power hereby conferred shall operate in substitution for and to the exclusion of any previous 
power given to the Directors pursuant to section 570 of the CA 2006 and shall expire on whichever is the 
earlier of the conclusion of the annual general meeting of the Company to be held in 2022 or the date 
falling 15 months from the date of the passing of this Resolution (unless renewed varied or revoked by the 
Company prior to or on that date) save that the Company may before such expiry make an offer or 
agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the 
Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of such offer or agreement notwithstanding that the 
power conferred by this Resolution has expired.

By order of the Board

CJ Eadie
Company Secretary

Registered office:
20-22 Wenlock Road
London
England
N1 7GU

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC 
 
 
68

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Notes to the Notice of Annual General Meeting
Effect of COVID-19 regulations on the Annual General Meeting
1. 

 The Board continues closely to monitor the coronavirus pandemic and our priority at this time remains the 
health, safety and well-being of all of our stakeholders. As part of its monitoring, the Board has noted, in 
particular, the gradual easing of public health restrictions across England in line with the government’s 
“COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021 (Roadmap)” published in February 2021.

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

 Based on that roadmap and associated guidance, it is currently anticipated that attendance in person at 
the meeting will not be unlawful. As such, we are keen to welcome Shareholders in person to our Annual 
General Meeting this year, particularly given the constraints we faced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 
pandemic. We are therefore proposing to welcome the maximum number of Shareholders we are able 
within safety constraints and in accordance with government guidelines.

 Shareholders intending to attend the Annual General Meeting, should this be possible, are asked to 
register their intention to attend as soon as practicable by emailing chris.eadie@zephyrplc.com.

 Given the uncertainty around potentially tighter restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could 
change at short notice, it cannot be known with certainty whether (or how many) Shareholders will be able 
to attend the Annual General Meeting

 We strongly encourage all Shareholders to appoint the chairman of the Annual General Meeting as their 
proxy. This will ensure that your vote will be counted if ultimately you (or any other proxy you might 
otherwise appoint) are not able to attend the Annual General Meeting.

 Voting on the resolutions will be by way of a poll rather than a show of hands. A poll ensures that the votes 
of Shareholders who are unable to attend the Annual General Meeting, but who have appointed proxies, 
are taken into account in the final voting results.

 Should Shareholders wish to ask any questions in relation to the resolutions, which they may otherwise 
have asked at the Annual General Meeting had they been in attendance, they are encouraged to contact 
the Company prior to the Annual General Meeting by email to chris.eadie@zephyrplc.com.

Appointment of proxies
8. 

 A Shareholder is ordinarily entitled to appoint another person as his or her proxy to exercise all or any of 
his or her rights to attend and to speak and vote at the meeting. A proxy need not be a member of the 
Company. However, Shareholders are urged to appoint the Chair of the meeting as his or her proxy.

9. 

 You can vote either:

• 

• 

 by logging on to www.signalshares.com and following the instructions;

 You may request a hard copy form of proxy directly from the registrars, Link Asset Services on Tel: 
0371 664 0391 if calling from the United Kingdom, or +44 (0) 371 664 0391 if calling from outside of the 
United Kingdom, or email Link at enquiries@linkgroup.co.uk. Calls will be charged at local rate. Calls 
outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. The lines are open 
between 9.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

• 

 In the case of CREST members, by utilising the CREST electronic proxy appointment service in 
accordance with the procedures set out below.

 In each case the appointment of a proxy must be received by Link Asset Services at PXS 1, Link Group, 
10th Floor, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL by 11.00 a.m. on 28 June 2021.

10. 

 A vote withheld is not a vote in law which means that the vote will not be counted in the calculation of 
votes for or against the Resolution. If no voting indication is given, your proxy will vote or abstain from 
voting at his or her discretion. Your proxy will vote (or abstain from voting) as he or she thinks fit in relation 
to any other matter which is put before the annual general meeting.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020 
69

Notice of Annual General Meeting

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

 To be valid any form of proxy and power of attorney or other authority under which it is signed or a 
notarially certified or office copy of such power of authority must be lodged with the Company’s 
Registrars:, PXS1, Link Group, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL so as to be received 
not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting or any adjourned meeting.

 Under the Company’s articles of association, the return of a form of proxy or any CREST Proxy Instruction 
(as described in note 13 below) will not preclude a member from attending and voting at the meeting in 
person if he/she wishes to do so. However, in light of the COVID-19 virus situation, Shareholders and their 
proxies may not be allowed to enter the meeting. Shareholders are urged to appoint the Chair of the 
meeting as his or her proxy.

 CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies by utilising the CREST electronic proxy 
appointment service may do so for the annual general meeting and any adjournment(s) thereof by utilising 
the procedures described in the CREST manual. CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored 
members, and those CREST members who have appointed a voting service provider(s), should refer to their 
CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf.

 In order for a proxy appointment made by means of CREST to be valid, the appropriate CREST message (a 
CREST Proxy Instruction) must be properly authenticated in accordance with Euroclear UK & Ireland 
Limited’s (EUI) specifications and must contain the information required for such instructions, as described 
in the CREST manual. The message must be transmitted so as to be received by the issuer’s agent (Link 
Asset Services, ID RA10) not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting. For this 
purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied to the 
message by the CREST applications host) from which the issuer’s agent is able to retrieve the message by 
enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST.

 CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should note 
that EUI does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. Normal 
system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of CREST proxy instructions. It is 
the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the CREST member is a CREST personal 
member or sponsored member or has appointed a voting service provider(s), to procure that his CREST 
sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s)) such action as shall be necessary to ensure that a message 
is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any particular time. In this connection, CREST members 
and, where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers are referred, in particular, to 
those sections of the CREST manual concerning practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.

16. 

 The Company may treat as invalid a CREST proxy instruction in the circumstances set out in Regulation 
35(5)(a) of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001.

17. 

 In the case of joint holders, where more than one of the joint holders purports to appoint a proxy, only the 
appointment submitted by the most senior holder will be accepted. Seniority is determined by the order in 
which the names of the joint holders appear in the Company’s register of members in respect of the joint 
holding (the first-named being the most senior).

Changing proxy instructions
18. 

 To change your proxy instructions simply submit a new proxy appointment using the methods set out above. 
Note that the cut-off time for receipt of proxy appointments (see above) will also apply in relation to amended 
instructions; any amended proxy appointment received after the relevant cut-off time will be disregarded.

19. 

 Where you have appointed a proxy using the hard-copy proxy form and would like to change the 
instructions using another hard-copy proxy form, please contact Link Group on 0371 664 0300 in the UK 
(calls are charged at standard geographic rate and will vary by provider). If calling from overseas please 
call +44 (0) 371 664 0300 between 9.00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in 
England and Wales. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC70

Notice of Annual General Meeting

20.   If you submit more than one valid proxy appointment, the appointment received last before the latest time 

for the receipt of proxies will take precedence.

Termination of proxy appointments
21. 

 In order to revoke a proxy instruction, you will need to inform the Company by sending a signed hard copy 
notice clearly stating your intention to revoke your proxy appointment to, Link Group, Central Square, 
29 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL. In the case of a member which is a company, the revocation notice 
must be executed under its common seal or signed on its behalf by an officer of the Company or an 
attorney for the Company. Any power of attorney or any other authority under which the revocation notice 
is signed (or a duly certified copy of such power or authority) must be included with the revocation notice. 
The revocation notice must be received by, Link Group, Central Square, 29 Wellington Street, Leeds, 
LS1 4DL no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting.

22.   If you attempt to revoke your proxy appointment but the revocation is received after the time specified 

then, subject to the paragraph directly below, your proxy appointment will remain valid.

23.   Appointment of a proxy does not preclude you from attending the annual general meeting and voting in 
person. If you have appointed a proxy and attend the annual general meeting in person, your proxy 
appointment will automatically be terminated.

Corporate representatives
24.   A corporation which is a member can appoint one or more corporate representatives who may exercise, 
on its behalf, all its powers as a member provided that no more than one corporate representative 
exercises powers over the same share.

Issued shares and total voting rights
25.   As at 6:00 p.m. on 4 June 2021, the Company’s issued share capital comprised 1,224,495,445 Ordinary 
Shares of £0.001 each. Each Ordinary Share carries the right to one vote at a general meeting of the 
Company and, therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company as at 6:00 p.m. on 4 June 2021 
is 1,224,495,445 Ordinary Shares of £0.001 each. Each Ordinary Share carries the right to one vote at a 
general meeting of the Company and, therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company as at 
6:00 p.m. on 4 June 2021 is 1,224,495,445.

Communication
26.   Except as provided above, members who have general queries about the annual general meeting should 

contact the Company Secretary at Zephyr Energy Plc, 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU or on 
+44 (0) 207 225 4590 (no other methods of communication will be accepted). You may not use any 
electronic address provided either:

• 

in this notice of annual general meeting; or

•  any related documents (including the Chairman’s letter and proxy form), 

to communicate with the Company for any purposes other than those expressly stated.

(continued)ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 202071

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Explanatory Notes To The Notice Of Annual General Meeting

The notes on the following pages give an explanation of the proposed Resolutions.

Resolutions 1 to 5 are proposed as ordinary resolutions. This means that for each of those Resolutions to be 
passed, more than half of the votes cast in person or by proxy must be in favour of the Resolution. Resolutions 
6 is proposed as a special resolution. This means that for this Resolution to be passed, at least three-quarters 
of the votes cast must be in favour of the Resolution.

Resolution 1
This Resolution is to receive and adopt the Directors’ reports and accounts for the year ended 31 December 
2020, which accompany this document.

Resolutions 2 to 3
Mr John Colin Harrington is retiring as a Director by rotation at the annual general meeting in accordance with 
the provisions of the Company’s articles of association and is standing for re-appointment.

Mr Thomas Hamilton Reynolds is retiring as a Director by rotation at the annual general meeting in accordance 
with the provisions of the Company’s articles of association and is standing for re-appointment.

If each of these Resolutions are separately passed, the respective individual will be re-appointed as a Director 
of the Company.

Resolution 4
This is a Resolution to appoint RSM UK Audit LLP as auditor of the Company for the financial year ending 
31 December 2021 and to authorise the Directors to fix their remuneration.

Resolution 5
This Resolution, if passed, would authorise the Directors to allot Ordinary Shares or grant Rights to subscribe 
for or convert any securities into Ordinary Shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of £404,083.49 
representing approximately 33 per cent. of the current issued share capital.

The authority being sought in Resolution 5 replaces the authority granted on 16 April 2021.

The authority will expire on the earlier of 15 months from the date the Resolution is passed or the conclusion of 
the Company’s annual general meeting in 2022.

Resolution 6
This Resolution, which is conditional upon Resolution 5 being passed, would give the Directors the authority to 
allot Ordinary Shares (or sell any Ordinary Shares which the Company elects to hold in treasury) for cash 
without first offering them to existing Shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholding.

This authority would be limited to an aggregate nominal amount of £122,449.54 (representing approximately  
10 per cent. of the issued Ordinary Share capital of the Company as at 4 June 2021, being the latest practical 
date prior to the publication of the notice of the annual general meeting).

As with Resolution 5, the authority being sought pursuant to Resolution 6, replaces the authority granted on 
16 April 2021.

The authority and power pursuant to Resolution 6 will expire on the earlier of 15 months from the date of 
Resolution 6 being passed or the conclusion of the Company’s annual general meeting in 2022.

(continued)OverviewGovernanceFinancial StatementsOther InformationANNUAL REPORT 2020 ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC72

Directors, Advisers and Officers

Non-Executive Chairman

Directors
RL Grant 
TH Reynolds   Non-Executive Director
GB Stein  
Non-Executive Director
JC Harrington  Chief Executive Officer
CJ Eadie  

Finance Director

Secretary
CJ Eadie

Registered Office
20-22 Wenlock Road
London
N1 7GU

Auditor 
RSM UK Audit LLP 
Central Square, 5th Floor 
29 Wellington Street 
Leeds 
LS1 4DL

Registrar 
Link Asset Services 
29 Wellington Street 
Leeds 
LS1 4DL 

Bankers 
Barclays Bank Plc 
Level 27 
1 Churchill Place 
London 
E14 5HP 

Solicitors
Memery Crystal LLP
165 Fleet Street
London
EC4A 2DY

Nominated Adviser
Allenby Capital Limited
5 St Helen’s Place
London
EC3A 6AB

Broker
Turner Pope Investments Ltd
3rd Floor
8 Fredericks Place
London
EC2R 8AB

ZEPHYR ENERGY PLC ANNUAL REPORT 2020Registered Office:
20-22 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7GU

www.zephyrplc.com