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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of report (Date of earliest event
reported): July 31,
2009 SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY COMPANY (Exact name of registrant as specified in its
charter) Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
2350 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite
125, Houston, Texas (281) 618-4700 (Registrant's telephone number, including area
code) Not Applicable (Former name or former address, if changed
since last report) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K
filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the
registrant under any of the following provisions: o Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant
to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) o Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14d-2(b)) o Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.13e-4(c))
The information in this
Report, including the exhibit, is being furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form
8-K and General Instruction B.2 thereunder. Such information shall not be
deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor
shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended. SECTION 7 -
REGULATION FD Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure. Exhibits.
The following exhibit is being furnished as part of this Report. Exhibit Description
SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: July 31, 2009 By: /s/ GREG D. KERLEY Name: Greg D. Kerley Title: Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial
Officer EXHIBIT
INDEX Exhibit Description Southwestern Energy Second Quarter 2009 Earnings Teleconference
Speakers:
Harold
Korell; Executive Chairman Steve
Mueller; President and Chief Executive Officer Greg
Kerley; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Harold
Korell Executive Chairman Good morning, and thank you for
joining us. With me today are Steve Mueller, our Chief Executive Officer,
and Greg Kerley, our Chief Financial Officer. If you have not received a copy of
yesterdays press release regarding our second quarter results, you can call
(281) 618-4847 to have a copy faxed to you. Also, I would like to point
out that many of the comments during this teleconference are forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties affecting outcomes, many of
which are beyond our control, and are discussed in more detail in the risk
factors and forward-looking statements sections of our Annual and Quarterly
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe
the expectations expressed are based on reasonable assumptions, they are not
guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ
materially. Well, we are here to report another
very good quarter, despite the low commodity price environment. Our gross
operated production from the Fayetteville Shale reached a significant milestone
of 1 Bcf per day in July, compared to approximately 500 MMcf per day this time a
year ago. It is truly amazing to think that it was only 5 years ago when we told
the world about the Fayetteville Shale play and our gross production from the
play alone is now 1 Bcf per day. We have learned so much during that time and
continue to do so, as the productivity of our wells continues to improve with
each quarter. While current gas prices remain low, we believe lower industry
drilling activity will result in higher prices over the next 18 months. With our
focus on value creation and a world-class resource to develop in the
Fayetteville Shale, we are well-positioned not only to weather the current low
commodity price environment with our strong balance sheet and financial
flexibility, but also to benefit greatly when prices return to more normalized
levels. I will now turn the teleconference
over to Steve for more details on our E&P and Midstream activities and then
to Greg for an update on our financial results. Then we will be available for
questions afterward. Steve
Mueller President and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. During the 2nd quarter of 2009, we
produced 74.3 Bcfe, up 65% from the 2nd quarter of 2008. Our Fayetteville
Shale production was 60.6 Bcf, double the 29.6 we produced in the 2nd quarter of
2008. Our remaining 2nd quarter production came from East Texas where we
produced 7.8 Bcfe, and 5.8 Bcf from our conventional Arkoma properties.
In the first six months of 2009, we
invested approximately $852.5 million in our exploration and production
activities and participated in drilling 338 wells. Of this amount,
approximately $695.4 million, or 82%, was for drilling wells.
Additionally, we invested $102.5 million in our midstream segment, almost
entirely in the Fayetteville Shale. Fayetteville Shale Play In the first half of 2009, we
invested approximately $793.0 million in our Fayetteville Shale play including
both our E&P and midstream activities. At June 30th, our gross
operated production rate was approximately 990 Mmcf per day up from 850 Mmcf per
day at the end of March. We currently have 17 drilling rigs running in the
Fayetteville, 13 that are capable of drilling horizontal wells and 4 smaller
rigs that are used to drill the vertical portion of the wells. We expect
to participate in approximately 575 gross wells in 2009. As we discussed in our last
teleconference, during 2008, the majority of our gas production from the Arkoma
Basin was moved to markets in the Midwest. This included the Fayetteville
Lateral Phase 1 portion of the Texas Gas Transmission, or Boardwalk, Pipeline
which was placed in-service on December 24th. On April 1st, the Fayetteville
Lateral Phase 2 and Greenville Lateral portions of the Boardwalk Pipeline were
placed in-service and we began transporting a portion of our gas to Eastern
markets. As a result of recent inspections,
repairs and maintenance on the Fayetteville Lateral, we have experienced
curtailments that have impacted our ability to transport our production from the
Fayetteville Shale. Beginning in April 2009, Boardwalk reduced the capacity on,
or shut down, the Fayetteville Lateral on several occasions due to various
activities, including maintenance and pipeline inspection. These activities, as
well as similar repairs to the Greenville Lateral, are expected to continue,
resulting in future curtailments. As an example, the total
Southwestern-operated gross production exceeded 1 Bcf per day on Monday and
Tuesday of this week. A line inspection was started on Wednesday and total
production was reduced to 825 Mmcf per day. This morning production is now
restored to over 1 Bcf per day. Currently, our transport capacity is
sufficient for us to produce our operated wells at a rate of approximately 1,050
Mmcf per day gross. Our net share of this plus our outside operated
production is approximately 750 Mmcf per day. Once repairs are started on
the Fayetteville Lateral Phase 1 facilities on the Boardwalk pipeline, transport
out of the producing areas will be limited to the existing Ozark and Centerpoint
systems. We estimate that our total operated production will be curtailed
to approximately 650 Mmcf per day gross, or 450 Mmcf per day net. In
anticipation of these continued pipeline curtailments, we have revised and
widened our previous gas and oil production guidance range for 2009.
Previously, it was 289 to 292 Bcfe and now is 278 to 288 Bcfe. This
revised production guidance is based on portions of the Fayetteville Lateral
Phase 1 facilities being out of service for 45 to 60 days starting in September
and assumes total curtailed volumes will be approximately 15 Bcf. Even at
this lower production guidance, we still expect to have production growth of
approximately 45% over 2008 levels. Since 2007, the continuous
improvement of our completion practices has resulted in quarter-over-quarter
improvements in average initial production rates. The average initial
production rate for wells put on production in the 2nd quarter of 2009 was 3.6
MMcf per day per well. This is the highest average rate for any quarter
since project inception, up 261 Mcf per day from our previous high in the 4th
quarter of last year. During the 2nd quarter of 2009, our
horizontal wells had an average completed well cost of $2.9 million per well,
average horizontal lateral length of 4,123 feet and average time to drill to
total depth of 11 days from re-entry to re-entry. This compares to an average
completed well cost of $3.1 million per well, average horizontal lateral length
of 3,874 feet and average time to drill to total depth of 12 days from re-entry
to re-entry in the 1st quarter of 2009. Haynesville Ill now move on to our Haynesville
Shale activity where we are seeing encouraging results. The first horizontal well in our
50/50 joint venture targeting the Haynesville/Bossier Shale in Shelby and San
Augustine Counties, Texas, the Red River 877 #1, reached total depth in the 4th
quarter of 2008. This well, which had a completed horizontal lateral of
2,718 feet, was production tested at a rate of 7.2 Mmcf per day in the 1st
quarter of 2009 and is currently producing approximately 1.8 Mmcf per day. The
second horizontal well, the Red River 164 #1, was drilled approximately 5 miles
to the southeast and reached a total measured depth of 17,124 feet with a
3,800 foot horizontal lateral. It was production tested at 13.4 Mmcf
per day in the 2nd quarter and is currently producing approximately 7.8 Mmcf per
day. We have completed drilling a third well, the Red River 619 #1 well, located
in San Augustine County, with a measured depth of 17,244 feet with a 4,000
foot horizontal lateral. Our fourth well, the Burrows Gas Unit #1-H
was recently spud. These wells are being monitored very closely and
Southwestern Energy may participate in four additional Haynesville/Bossier Shale
wells this year. The capital for this drilling is included in our
total 2009 capital guidance of $1.8 billion. Conventional Arkoma & East
Texas Finally, we participated in drilling
13 wells in the conventional Arkoma Basin and 23 wells in East Texas during the
first six months of 2009. Twenty-one of the East Texas wells were James
Lime horizontal wells. Production from our Arkoma and East Texas properties was
11.6 and 15.6 Bcfe, respectively, for the first half of 2009, compared to 11.9
and 16.0 Bcfe for the first six months of 2008. We currently have
two operated rigs operating in East Texas and none in the Conventional
Arkoma. Summary In summary, our E&P and Midstream
businesses are expected to have continued strong results in the remainder of
2009 and beyond. We continue our focus on adding value. Significant
value is created as we improve the operational and production performance of
each well drilled in our world-class Fayetteville Shale resource. In addition,
we are also excited about our future opportunities in the Haynesville Shale,
James Lime, and Marcellus Shales. I will now turn it over to Greg
Kerley who will discuss our financial results. Greg
Kerley Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you, Steve,
and good morning. As Harold and Steve have indicated, we had a very solid
second quarter. We reported net
income of $121.1 million, or $0.35 per share, for the quarter, down
approximately 11% from a year ago, as our production growth almost completely
offset the effects of significantly lower realized natural gas prices.
While our cash flow from operations before changes in operating assets and
liabilities (a non-GAAP measure reconciled below) was actually up 13% over the
prior year to $325.3 million. Our average
realized gas price during the second quarter was $5.01 per Mcf, which was more
than $3 per Mcf lower than our average realized price a year ago. Our
commodity hedge position increased our average realized gas price by $2.11 in
the second quarter, and our locational market differentials (or basis)
improved from first quarter levels to approximately $0.60 per Mcf. We currently have
approximately 66 Bcf of our remaining 2009 projected natural gas production
hedged through fixed price swaps and collars at a weighted average floor price
of $8.43 per Mcf. We also have basis protected on approximately 50 Bcf in
the third quarter and 30 Bcf in the fourth quarter of our expected gas
production through hedging activities and sales arrangements at an average
differential to NYMEX gas price of approximately $0.35 per Mcf. Our
detailed hedge position is included in our Form 10-Q that was filed
yesterday. Operating income
for our E&P segment was $174.4 million in the second quarter of 2009,
compared to $215.1 million in the second quarter of 2008. The decrease was
primarily due to lower realized natural gas prices and increased operating costs
and expenses, which was partially offset by the 65% increase in our production
volumes. Our total cash
operating costs continue to be some of the lowest in the industry. Our
lease operating expenses per unit of production were $0.73 per Mcfe in the
second quarter of 2009, compared to $0.95 for the same period in 2008. The
decrease primarily resulted from the impact that lower natural gas prices had on
the cost of compressor fuel. General and
administrative expenses per unit of production were $0.34 per Mcfe in the second
quarter of 2009, compared to $0.41 for the same period in 2008. The
decrease was primarily due to the effects of our increased production volumes
which more than offset increased compensation and related costs primarily
associated with the expansion of our E&P operations. Taxes other than
income taxes were $0.08 per Mcfe in the second quarter of 2009, down from $0.16
for the same period in 2008, primarily due to lower commodity prices. Our full cost pool
amortization rate dropped to $1.46 per Mcfe in the second quarter, down from
$1.82 per Mcfe in the first quarter of 2009 and down from $2.01 in the prior
year. The decline was primarily due to the non-cash ceiling test
impairment we recorded in the first quarter of 2009. Operating income
from our Midstream Services segment grew to $27.8 million in the second quarter
of 2009, up from $15.0 million for the same period in 2008. The increase
was primarily due to higher gathering revenues resulting from the significant
increase in our gathered volumes, partially offset by increased operating costs
and expenses. As of June 30th,
we had $196 million borrowed on our $1 billion revolving credit facility at an
average interest rate of 1.2%. Our revolver balance included borrowings to
pay off $60 million of senior notes (7.625%) during the second quarter.
For the first six months of the year, our debt outstanding increased by
$135 million resulting in total debt outstanding of approximately $871 million
at June 30th and a debt to capitalization ratio of 28%. We have a strong
balance sheet with significant financial flexibility and are well positioned to
weather the current low commodity price environment. That concludes my
comments, so now well turn back to the operator who will explain the procedure
for asking questions. Explanation and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial
Measures We report our financial results in accordance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
(GAAP). However, management believes certain non-GAAP performance measures may
provide users of this financial information additional meaningful comparisons
between current results and the results of our peers and of prior periods.
One such non-GAAP financial measure is net cash provided
by operating activities before changes in operating assets and liabilities.
Management presents this measure because (i) it is accepted as an indicator of
an oil and gas exploration and production companys ability to internally fund
exploration and development activities and to service or incur additional debt,
(ii) changes in operating assets and liabilities relate to the timing of cash
receipts and disbursements which the company may not control and (iii) changes
in operating assets and liabilities may not relate to the period in which the
operating activities occurred.
See the reconciliation below of GAAP financial measures
to non-GAAP financial measures for the three months ended June 30, 2009
and 2008. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in
isolation or as a substitute for the Company's reported results prepared in
accordance with GAAP.
1-08246
71-0205415
(Commission File Number)
(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
77032
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip
Code)
EXPLANATORY
NOTE
On July 31, 2009, at
10:00am Eastern, Southwestern Energy Company will host a telephone
conference call for investors and analysts. The prepared
teleconference comments are furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1.
Number
SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY COMPANY
Number
Southwestern Energy Company Second Quarter 2009 Earnings Teleconference Transcript
July 31, 2009