Petro Matad, the AIM quoted Mongolian oil explorer, is pleased to provide an operational update for its planned 2018 work programme:

Highlights

• Rig mobilisation has been completed ahead of the drilling of the Snow Leopard-1 well in Block V. The well is expected to spud during the week commencing 9 July 2018
• Permits are in place for the second well, Wild Horse-1 in Block IV. The well will be drilled after operations are completed at Snow Leopard and site preparation is scheduled to start during August with well spud forecast in September 2018
• Negotiations on the rig contract for Block XX drilling are at advanced stage, with drilling on track to commence in late Q3 / early Q4 this year
• Management will be hosting a presentation for investors in the week commencing 9 July 2018, a notice and further details will be issued closer to the time

Drilling 

All permits, including foreign worker visas, are in place for Snow Leopard-1 drilling operations. Well site construction has been completed and an onsite water well has been drilled to supply the rig's operational requirements. The circa 1,100 kilometre rig move is 100% complete and the drilling camp is substantially in place. The rig is approximately 35 per cent rigged-up. Spud of the well is expected during the week commencing 9 July 2018.

Key Company personnel have been on location for several weeks to ensure Company policies in relation to environmental protection and safe working practices are followed during the unloading and rigging-up process. They will remain on location throughout the drilling programme, augmented by the Company's technical and supervisory specialists. 

The Snow Leopard-1 well, which is targeting 90 MMBO, is planned to drill to a total depth of circa 3,350 metres and is expected to take up to 70 days to complete.

Immediately following the drilling of Snow Leopard-1, the rig will be moved circa 300 kilometres West to the Wild Horse-1 well location in Block IV. The Wild Horse-1 well, which is targeting 480 MMBO, has been named by industry specialists Wood Mackenzie as one of the top 20 exploration wells worldwide to watch in 2018. Well-site construction is due to commence in August 2018. Wild Horse-1 is expected to spud in September and to be completed before the end of the 2018 drilling season in late November.

Pending shareholder approval of the recently announced fundraise, being sought at the General Meeting on the 3 July 2018, the Company intends to enter into negotiations with Sinopec to extend the rig contract for drilling of the Fox prospect in Block V. Subject to these negotiations the Company anticipates drilling the Fox-1 well at the start of the drilling season in early Q2 2019. The Fox prospect is a large three-way dip closure against normal faults in a basin with a proven petroleum system and has mean prospective resource potential of 200 MMBO. It has been matured to drillable status based upon interpretation of the high-quality 3D seismic survey acquired in late 2017.

The drilling programme scheduled for Block XX remains on track. Contract negotiations with the preferred bidder to supply and operate a rig are in the final stages. Formal award of the contract is expected by the end of July. The selected rig is in country, is operating close to Block XX and is available from Q3 2018. Permitting for drilling is progressing and the first well, on the Gazelle prospect, is planned to spud in late Q3 or early Q4 2018. The target for the second well will be selected shortly, upon completion of detailed seismic remapping. The Company intends to complete both Block XX wells before the end of the 2018 drilling season, which ends in late November, and to retain the services of the rig to drill the Red Deer prospect in Block XX at the start of the 2019 drilling season. Red Deer has 48 MMBO of prospective resource potential in a basin which the Company believes to be stratigraphically analogous to nearby producing basins in Mongolia and northern China.

The Company is also negotiating a contract with a well testing specialist operating in Mongolia. The contractor has a dedicated service rig and equipment that will allow, where appropriate, the drill stem testing of any zones of interest identified in the wells drilled in Blocks IV, V and XX. 

In parallel with operational efforts, the farm out process has progressed and discussions are continuing with potentially interested parties. There is no certainty that a deal will be completed at this stage and a further update will be provided as appropriate.

Mike Buck, the CEO of Petro Matad said: 
"I would like to thank shareholders for their continuing support.  It has been a long road travelled to get to the point of drilling, which is finally upon us. With the funding the Company secured in January and, pending shareholder approval of the fundraise conducted earlier this month, the next twelve months will see us execute a multi-well, high impact drilling programme utilizing two rigs and targeting prospects in a number of risk independent basins. This campaign will tell us a lot about the potential of our extensive acreage portfolio in Mongolia and we are very keen to get started. It is my intention to hold a meeting/conference call for shareholders in the week commencing 9 July to present details of the programme and to answer questions arising. Details of this event will be announced shortly."