UNITED STATES
Form 10-K
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(Mark One)
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þ
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR
15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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| For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 | ||
| or | ||
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o
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| For the transition period from to | ||
Commission File Number 333-106586
El Paso Production Holding Company
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Delaware
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76-0659544 | |
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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El Paso Building 1001 Louisiana Street Houston, Texas |
77002 (Zip Code) |
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| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | ||
Telephone Number: (713) 420-2600
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o.
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No þ.
State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant: None
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrants classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Common Stock, par value $1 per share. Shares outstanding on March 31, 2005: 1,000
EL PASO PRODUCTION HOLDING COMPANY MEETS THE CONDITIONS OF GENERAL INSTRUCTION I(1)(a) AND (b) TO FORM 10-K AND IS THEREFORE FILING THIS REPORT WITH A REDUCED DISCLOSURE FORMAT AS PERMITTED BY SUCH INSTRUCTION.
Documents Incorporated by Reference: None
EL PASO PRODUCTION HOLDING COMPANY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Caption | Page | |||||||
| Part I | ||||||||
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Business
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1 | |||||||
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Properties
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6 | |||||||
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Legal Proceedings
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6 | |||||||
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Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security
Holders
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* | |||||||
| Part II | ||||||||
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Market for Registrants Common Equity,
Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity
Securities
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6 | |||||||
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Selected Financial Data
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* | |||||||
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Managements Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations
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7 | |||||||
| 15 | ||||||||
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Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk
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23 | |||||||
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Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
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24 | |||||||
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Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on
Accounting and Financial Disclosure
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51 | |||||||
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Controls and Procedures
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51 | |||||||
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Other Information
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52 | |||||||
| Part III | ||||||||
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Item 10.
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Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
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* | ||||||
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Item 11.
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Executive Compensation
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* | ||||||
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Item 12.
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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners
and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
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* | ||||||
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Item 13.
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
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* | ||||||
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Principal Accountant Fees and Services
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52 | |||||||
| Part IV | ||||||||
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Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
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52 | |||||||
| 55 | ||||||||
| Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 302 | ||||||||
| Certification of CFO Pursuant to Section 302 | ||||||||
| Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 906 | ||||||||
| Certification of CFO Pursuant to Section 906 | ||||||||
| * | We have not included a response to this item in this document since no response is required pursuant to the reduced disclosure format permitted by General Instruction I to Form 10-K. |
Below is a list of terms that are common to our industry and used throughout this document:
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/d
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= | per day | ||
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Bbl
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= | barrels | ||
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BBtu
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= | billion British thermal units | ||
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Bcf
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= | billion cubic feet | ||
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Bcfe
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= | billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalents | ||
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MBbls
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= | thousand barrels | ||
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Mcf
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= | thousand cubic feet | ||
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Mcfe
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= | thousand cubic feet of natural gas equivalents | ||
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MMBbls
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= | million barrels | ||
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MMBtu
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= | million British thermal units | ||
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MMcf
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= | million cubic feet | ||
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MMcfe
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= | million cubic feet of natural gas equivalents | ||
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TBtu
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= | trillion British thermal units | ||
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Tcfe
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= | trillion cubic feet of natural gas equivalents |
When we refer to natural gas and oil in equivalents, we are doing so to compare quantities of oil with quantities of natural gas or to express these different commodities in a common unit. In calculating equivalents, we use a generally recognized standard in which one Bbl of oil is equal to six Mcf of natural gas. Also, when we refer to cubic feet measurements, all measurements are at a pressure of 14.73 pounds per square inch.
When we refer to us, we, our, ours, or El Paso Production, we are describing El Paso Production Holding Company and/or our subsidiaries.
i
PART I
| ITEM 1. | BUSINESS |
General
We are a Delaware corporation formed in 1999 as a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of El Paso Corporation (El Paso). We are engaged in the exploration for, and the acquisition, development and production of natural gas, oil, condensate and natural gas liquids. We operate primarily in Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. During 2004, daily production averaged 456 MMcfe/d, and our proved reserves at December 31, 2004, were approximately 1.3 Tcfe.
We focus on developing production opportunities around our asset base, which is solely in the United States. This plan emphasizes strict capital discipline designed to improve capital efficiency through the use of standardized risk analysis and a heightened focus on cost control. We also implemented a more rigorous process for booking proved natural gas and oil reserves. Our plan is to stabilize production by improving the production mix across our operating areas and to generate more predictable returns. We intend to improve our production mix by allocating more capital to long-life, slower decline projects and to development projects in longer reserve life areas. This is being accomplished through our more rigorous capital review process and a more balanced allocation of our capital to development and exploration projects, supplemented by acquisition activities with low-risk development locations that provide operating synergies with our existing operations. In January 2005, we announced two acquisitions in east Texas and south Texas for $211 million. In March 2005, we purchased the interest held by one of the parties under a net profits interest agreement for approximately $40 million. These acquisitions added properties with approximately 131 Bcfe of existing proved reserves and 48 MMcfe/d of current production. More importantly, the Texas acquisitions offered additional exploration upside in two of our key operating areas.
Our operations are divided into the following areas:
| Area | Operating Regions | Major Fields | ||
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Onshore
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Central (primarily in north Louisiana) | Holly, Bear Creek, Shangaloo and Ada/ Sibbley/ West Bryceland | ||
| Black Warrior Basin in Alabama | White Oak Creek, Short Creek, Blue Creek West, and Brookwood | |||
| Arkoma Basin in Oklahoma | Oklahoma | |||
| Raton Basin in New Mexico | Vermejo Park Ranch | |||
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Texas Gulf Coast
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South Texas | North Monte Christo and Samano | ||
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Offshore and south Louisiana
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Gulf of Mexico (Texas and Louisiana) South Louisiana |
South Timbalier 189/204, Ewing Bank 1003, East Cameron 81/84, Jim Bob Mountain and Mound Point, West Delta 137, and West Cameron 46/47 |
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| Natural Gas and Oil Reserves |
The tables below detail our proved reserves at December 31, 2004. Information in these tables is based on our internal reserve report. Ryder Scott Company, an independent petroleum engineering firm, prepared an estimate of our natural gas and oil reserves for 92 percent of our properties by volume. The total estimate of proved reserves prepared by Ryder Scott was within five percent of our internally prepared estimates presented in these tables. This information is consistent with estimates of reserves filed with other federal agencies except for differences of less than five percent resulting from actual production, acquisitions, property sales, necessary reserve revisions and additions to reflect actual experience. Ryder Scott was retained by and reports to the Audit Committee of El Pasos Board of Directors. The properties reviewed by Ryder Scott represented 90 percent of our proved properties based on value.
1
Our estimated proved reserves at December 31, 2004, and our 2004 production are as follows:
| Net Proved Reserves(1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Natural | Oil/ | Natural Gas | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gas | Condensate | Liquids (NGL) | Total | Production | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (MMcf) | (MBbls) | (MBbls) | (MMcfe) | (Percent) | (MMcfe) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Onshore
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1,065,421 | 1,926 | 1,233 | 1,084,375 | 84 | 78,708 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Texas Gulf Coast
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54,991 | 338 | 1,505 | 66,049 | 5 | 17,476 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Offshore and south Louisiana
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91,895 | 5,708 | 1,864 | 137,322 | 11 | 70,714 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Total
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1,212,307 | 7,972 | 4,602 | 1,287,746 | 100 | 166,898 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Net proved reserves exclude royalties and interests owned by others and reflect contractual arrangements and royalty obligations in effect at the time of the estimate. |
The table below summarizes our estimated proved producing reserves, proved non-producing reserves, and proved undeveloped reserves at December 31, 2004:
| Net Proved Reserves(1) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Oil/ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Gas | Condensate | NGL | Total | ||||||||||||||||||
| (MMcf) | (MBbls) | (MBbls) | (MMcfe) | (Percent) | |||||||||||||||||
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Producing
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758,858 | 3,895 | 3,278 | 801,896 | 62 | ||||||||||||||||
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Non-Producing
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109,499 | 1,774 | 981 | 126,023 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
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Undeveloped
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343,950 | 2,303 | 343 | 359,827 | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
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Total proved
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1,212,307 | 7,972 | 4,602 | 1,287,746 | 100 | ||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Net proved reserves exclude royalties and interests owned by others and reflect contractual arrangements and royalty obligations in effect at the time of the estimate. |
Recovery of proved undeveloped reserves requires significant capital expenditures and successful drilling operations. The reserve data assumes that we can and will make these expenditures and conduct these operations successfully, but future events, including commodity price changes, may cause these assumptions to change. In addition, estimates of proved undeveloped reserves and proved non-producing reserves are subject to greater uncertainties than estimates of proved producing reserves.
There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of proved reserves, projecting future rates of production and projecting the timing of development expenditures, including many factors beyond our control. The reserve data represents only estimates. Reservoir engineering is a subjective process of estimating underground accumulations of natural gas and oil that cannot be measured in an exact manner. The accuracy of any reserve estimate is a function of the quality of available data and of engineering and geological interpretations and judgment. All estimates of proved reserves are determined according to the rules prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These rules indicate that the standard of reasonable certainty be applied to proved reserve estimates. This concept of reasonable certainty implies that as more technical data becomes available, a positive, or upward, revision is more likely than a negative, or downward, revision. Estimates are subject to revision based upon a number of factors, including reservoir performance, prices, economic conditions and government restrictions. In addition, results of drilling, testing and production subsequent to the date of an estimate may justify revision of that estimate. Reserve estimates are often different from the quantities of natural gas and oil that are ultimately recovered. The meaningfulness of reserve estimates is highly dependent on the accuracy of the assumptions on which they were based. In general, the volume of production from natural gas and oil properties we own declines as reserves are depleted. Except to the extent we conduct successful exploration and development activities or acquire additional properties containing proved reserves, or both, our proved reserves will decline as reserves are produced. For a further discussion of our reserves, see Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, under the heading Supplemental Natural Gas and Oil Operations.
2
| Acreage and Wells |
The following table details our gross and net interest in developed and undeveloped acreage at December 31, 2004. Any acreage in which our interest is limited to owned royalty, overriding royalty and other similar interests is excluded.
| Developed | Undeveloped | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross(1) | Net(2) | Gross(1) | Net(2) | Gross(1) | Net(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Onshore
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408,087 | 281,057 | 1,199,686 | 1,019,526 | 1,607,773 | 1,300,583 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Texas Gulf Coast
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83,159 | 6,657 | 36,419 | 9,104 | 119,578 | 15,761 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Offshore and south Louisiana
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346,982 | 251,959 | 649,520 | 610,554 | 996,502 | 862,513 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Total
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838,228 | 539,673 | 1,885,625 | 1,639,184 | 2,723,853 | 2,178,857 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Gross interest reflects the total acreage we participated in, regardless of our ownership interests in the acreage. |
| (2) | Net interest is the aggregate of the fractional working interest that we have in our gross acreage. |
Our net developed acreage is concentrated primarily in the Gulf of Mexico (47 percent), Oklahoma (14 percent), Louisiana (12 percent), New Mexico (11 percent), and Alabama (9 percent). Our net undeveloped acreage is concentrated primarily in New Mexico (31 percent), the Gulf of Mexico (23 percent), Louisiana (16 percent) and Indiana (11 percent). Approximately 20 percent, 7 percent and 13 percent of our total net undeveloped acreage is held under leases that have remaining primary terms expiring in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The following table details our working interests in natural gas and oil wells at December 31, 2004:
| Productive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Gas | Productive Oil | Total Productive | Number of Wells | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wells | Wells | Wells | Being Drilled | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross(1) | Net(2) | Gross(1) | Net(2) | Gross(1) | Net(2) | Gross(1) | Net(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Onshore
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2,829 | 2,082 | 5 | 3 | 2,834 | 2,085 | 59 | 48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Texas Gulf Coast
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97 | 89 | | | 97 | 89 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Offshore and south Louisiana
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132 | 74 | 41 | 14 | 173 | 88 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Total
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3,058 | 2,245 | 46 | 17 | 3,104 | 2,262 | 61 | 49 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Gross interest reflects the total number of wells we participated in, regardless of our ownership interests in the wells. |
| (2) | Net interest is the aggregate of the fractional working interest that we have in our gross wells. |
At December 31, 2004, we operated 2,028 of the 2,262 net productive wells.
The following table details our net exploratory and development wells drilled during the years 2002 through 2004:
| Net Exploratory | Net Development | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wells Drilled(1) | Wells Drilled(1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Productive
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1 | 35 | 9 | 288 | 219 | 334 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Dry
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7 | 13 | 6 | 2 | | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Total
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8 | 48 | 15 | 290 | 219 | 338 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Net interest is the aggregate of the fractional working interest that we have in our gross wells drilled. |
The information above should not be considered indicative of future drilling performance, nor should it be assumed that there is any correlation between the number of productive wells drilled and the amount of natural gas and oil that may ultimately be recovered.
3
| Net Production, Sales Prices, Transportation and Production Costs |
The following table details our net production volumes, average sales prices received, average transportation costs and average production costs associated with the sale of natural gas and oil for each of the three years ended December 31:
| 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||||
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Net Production Volumes
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Natural gas (MMcf)
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142,368 | 191,400 | 214,529 | |||||||||||
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Oil, condensate and NGL (MBbls)
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4,088 | 5,719 | 9,629 | |||||||||||
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Total (MMcfe)
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166,898 | 225,713 | 272,305 | |||||||||||
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Natural Gas Average Realized Sales Price
($/Mcf)(1)
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Price including hedges(2)
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$ | 4.40 | $ | 3.83 | $ | 3.02 | ||||||||
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Price excluding hedges
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$ | 6.01 | $ | 5.56 | $ | 3.25 | ||||||||
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Oil, Condensate, and NGL Average Realized Sales
Price ($/Bbl)(1)
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Price including hedges(2)
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$ | 33.58 | $ | 26.67 | $ | 21.87 | ||||||||
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Price excluding hedges
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$ | 33.58 | $ | 28.08 | $ | 22.06 | ||||||||
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Average Transportation Costs
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Natural gas ($/Mcf)
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$ | 0.21 | $ | 0.19 | $ | 0.19 | ||||||||
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Oil, condensate and NGL ($/Bbl)
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$ | 1.26 | $ | 1.23 | $ | 1.23 | ||||||||
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Average Production Costs ($/Mcfe)(3)
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Average lease operating costs
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$ | 0.51 | $ | 0.36 | $ | 0.33 | ||||||||
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Average production taxes
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0.11 | |||||||||||||