Advantage Announces 2025 Budget and Updated Three-Year Plan

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(TSX: AAV)

CALGARY, AB, Dec. 10, 2024 /CNW/ - Advantage Energy Ltd. ("Advantage" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce its 2025 budget and provide an updated three-year plan.

Advantage's 2025 capital program continues our focus on growing adjusted funds flow ("AFF")a per share via high rate-of-return development drilling. Production is expected to increase by approximately 16% in 2025, reflecting an organic growth rate of 9% plus a full year of incremental production associated with assets acquired mid-2024. Capital efficiencies are expected to be strong due to limited facilities spending, and our reinvestment ratioa is expected to be approximately 65%. All free cash flow ("FCF") from operations will be allocated to debt reduction though a portion of the proceeds from potential non-core divestitures may be used to buy back shares.

Advantage's updated three-year plan reinforces the strength of our business. Production is expected to continue to grow at a long-term average rate of approximately 10% through 2027, complemented by a distinctive free cash flow yield in each year of the plan. Capital spending is expected to average around $300 million per year; these unique capital efficiencies were made possible by our highly productive organic development program and strategic utilization of recently acquired infrastructure.

2025 Budget Highlights

  • AFF per sharea is expected to grow by approximately 65% year-over-year, based on strip pricing dated November 21, 2024.

  • Production is expected to average between 80,000 and 83,000 boe/d and the corporate decline ratea is expected to average approximately 26%.

  • Cash used in investing activities is planned to be between $270 million and $300 million. This program is fully funded even at bottom-decile commodity prices, due to our low-cost structure and strong hedging position.

  • Net debta is expected to approach our target of $450 million (approximately 1.1x net debt to adjusted funds flowa) towards the end of 2025.

  • Approximately 34 net wells are planned with a two-rig program. Montney drilling is expected to include 20 wells (Glacier focused) and Charlie Lake drilling is expected to include 10 operated and 4 non-operated wells.

  • At Progress, construction of a new 75 mmcf/d gas plant has been deferred to 2026, with no impact to forecasted production. Excess processing capacity acquired in 2024 will be utilized instead, while reducing 2025 capital and increasing free cash flowa by approximately $35 million.

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a Specified financial measure which is not a standardized measure under International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IFRS Accounting Standards") and may not be comparable to similar specified financial measures used by other entities. Please see "Specified Financial Measures" for the composition of such specified financial measure, an explanation of how such specified financial measure provides useful information to a reader and the purposes for which Management of Advantage uses the specified financial measure, and where required, a reconciliation of the specified financial measure to the most directly comparable IFRS Accounting Standards measure.

Three-Year Plan Update

  • Advantage will continue to plan for top-line production growth of up to 10% each year. Corporate production is expected to exceed 90,000 boe/d by 2027.

  • Cash used in investing activities is planned to remain at approximately $300 million per year, including any required infrastructure expansions.

  • On average, Advantage plans to drill approximately 35 net wells per year to achieve growth targets. Current tier 1 inventory is 640 wells, with over 1,500 additional economic locations delineated.

  • The expansion of Advantage's processing capacity in Alberta continues, with capacity now exceeding 500 mmcf/d (including third-party service). The only spending allocated to infrastructure expansion in the three-year plan is approximately $40 million in 2026, to complete the partially constructed Progress gas plant, for an incremental 75 mmcf/d of capacity.

  • Production growth will be managed in conjunction with transportation service growth and hedging, with a focus on increasing access to non-AECO markets in 2027 and beyond.

  • Advantage expects it will not be subject to cash income taxes until 2028.