The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

RIDGEWOOD ENERGY S FUND, LLC

UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

RIDGEWOOD ENERGY S FUND, LLC

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Organization

The Ridgewood Energy S Fund, LLC (the “Fund”), a Delaware limited liability company, was formed on December 19, 2005 and operates pursuant to a limited liability company agreement (the “LLC Agreement”) dated as of February 1, 2006 by and among Ridgewood Energy Corporation (the “Manager”) and the shareholders of the Fund, which addresses matters such as the authority and voting rights of the Manager and shareholders, capitalization, transferability of membership interests, participation in costs and revenues, distribution of assets and dissolution and winding up. The Fund was organized to primarily acquire interests in oil and gas properties located in the United States offshore waters of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Manager has direct and exclusive control over the management of the Fund’s operations. The Manager performs, or arranges for the performance of, the management, advisory and administrative services required for the Fund’s operations. Such services include, without limitation, the administration of shareholder accounts, shareholder relations, the preparation, review and dissemination of tax and other financial information and the management of the Fund’s investments in projects. In addition, the Manager provides office space, equipment and facilities and other services necessary for the Fund’s operations. The Manager also engages and manages contractual relations with unaffiliated custodians, depositories, accountants, attorneys, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and others as required. See Notes 2 and 3.

Basis of Presentation

These unaudited interim condensed financial statements have been prepared by the Fund’s management in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the Fund’s financial position, results of operations, changes in members’ capital and cash flows for the periods presented. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been omitted in these unaudited interim condensed financial statements. The financial position, results of operations, changes in members’ capital and cash flows for the periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of future financial results. These unaudited interim condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s December 31, 2021 financial statements and notes thereto included in the Fund’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (“2021 Annual Report”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, but does not include all annual disclosures required by GAAP.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, management reviews its estimates, including those related to the fair value of financial instruments, depletion and amortization, determination of proved reserves, impairment of long-lived assets and asset retirement obligations. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Fund has provided discussion of significant accounting policies in Note 1 of “Notes to Financial Statements” – “Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” contained in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” within its 2021 Annual Report. There have been no significant changes to the Fund’s significant accounting policies during the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022.

Fair Value MeasurementMeasurementss

The Fund follows the accounting guidance for fair value measurement for measuring fair value of assets and liabilities in its financial statements. The Fund’s financial assets and liabilities consist of cash and cash equivalents, salvage fund, production receivable, due from affiliate, other current assets, salvage fund, due to operators and accrued expenses. The carrying amounts of these financial assets and liabilities approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. The Fund also applies the provisions of the fair value measurement accounting guidance to its non-financial assets and liabilities, such as oil and gas properties and asset retirement obligations, on a non-recurring basis.

Asset Retirement Obligations

For oil and gas properties, there are obligations to perform removal and remediation activities when the properties are retired. Upon the determination that a property is either proved or dry, a retirement obligation is incurred. The Fund recognizes the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period incurred based on expected future cash outflows required to satisfy the obligation discounted at the Fund’s credit-adjusted risk-free rate. Plug and abandonment costs associated with unsuccessful projects are expensed as dry-hole costs. Annually, or more frequently if an event occurs that would dictate a change in assumptions or estimates underlying the obligations, the Fund reassesses its asset retirement obligations to determine whether any revisions to the obligations are necessary. The Fund maintains a salvage fund to provide for the funding of future asset retirement obligations.

Revenue Recognition

Oil and gas revenues from contracts with customers are recognized at the point when control of oil and natural gas is transferred to the customers in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Revenues from the sale of natural gas liquid are included within gas revenues. The Fund’s oil and natural gas generally are sold to its customers at prevailing market prices based on an index in which the prices are published, adjusted for pricing differentials, quality of oil and pipeline allowances. Under the Fund’s oil and natural gas contracts, each unit of oil and natural gas represents a separate performance obligation; therefore, future volumes are wholly unsatisfied and the transaction price related to the remaining performance obligations is the variable index-based price attributable to each unit of oil and natural gas that is transferred to the customer. The Fund invoices customers once its performance obligations have been satisfied, at which point the payment is unconditional. Accordingly, the Fund’s oil and natural gas contracts do not give rise to contract assets or liabilities. The receivables related to the Fund’s oil and gas revenue are included within “Production receivable” on the Fund’s balance sheets.

Other revenue is generated from the Fund’s production handling, gathering and operating services agreement with affiliated entities and other third parties. The Fund earns a fee for its services and recognizes these fees as revenue at the time its performance obligations are satisfied as the control of oil and natural gas is never transferred to the Fund, thus there are no unsatisfied performance obligations. The Fund’s project operator performs joint interest billing once the performance obligations have been satisfied, at which point the payment is unconditional. Accordingly, the Fund’s production handling, gathering and operating services agreement with affiliated entities and other third parties does not give rise to contract assets or liabilities. The receivables related to the Fund’s proportionate share of revenue from affiliates are included within “Due from affiliate” on the Fund’s balance sheets. The receivables related to the Fund’s proportionate share of revenue from third parties are presented as a reduction from “Due to operator” on the Fund’s balance sheets. The receivables are settled by issuance of a non-cash credit from the Beta Project operator to the Fund when the operator performs the joint interest billing of the lease operating expenses due from the Fund. However, if applying the joint interest billing credit results in a net credit balance due to the Fund, the Beta Project operator remits such balance in cash to the Fund.

The Fund also has an estimation process for revenue and related accruals, and any identified difference between its revenue estimates and actual revenue has not been significant. During each of the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022 and 2021, revenue recognized from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods was not significant.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Fund is exposed to credit losses through the sale of oil and natural gas to customers. However, the Fund only sells to a small number of major oil and gas companies that have investment-grade credit ratings. Based on historical collection experience, current and future economic and market conditions and a review of the current status of customers' production receivables, the Fund has not recorded an expected loss allowance as there are no past due receivable balances or projected credit losses.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Fund reviews the carrying value of its oil and gas properties for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the recorded carrying value of its oil and gas properties may not be recoverable. Recoverability is evaluated by comparing estimated future net undiscounted cash flows to the carrying value of the oil and gas properties at the time of the review. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows, the carrying value of the oil and gas properties is impaired, and written down to fair value. Fair value is determined using valuation techniques that include both market and income approaches and use Level 3 inputs. The fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to change. Different pricing assumptions, estimates of oil and natural gas reserves and future development costs or discount rates could result in a significant impact on the amount of impairment.

There were no impairments of oil and gas properties during each of the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022 and 2021. Fluctuations in oil and natural gas commodity prices may impact the fair value of the Fund’s oil and gas properties. In addition, significant declines in oil and natural gas commodity prices could reduce the quantities of reserves that are commercially recoverable, which could result in impairment.impairment. 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Fund has considered recent accounting pronouncements issued during the threenine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022 and through the filing of this report, and the Fund has not identified new standards that it believes will have an impact on the Fund’s financial statements.

Pursuant to the terms of the LLC Agreement, the Manager is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, of 2.5% of total capital contributions, net of cumulative dry-hole well costs incurred by the Fund and fully depleted project investments. During 2020, the Manager waived its management fee for the remaining life of the Fund. Upon the waiver of the management fee, the Fund began recording costs, totaling $20 thousand per quarter, representing reimbursements to the Manager, related to services provided by the Manager for accounting and investor relations. Such costs are included on the statements of operations within general and administrative expenses. Management reimbursement costs during each of the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022 and 2021 were $20 thousand.thousand and $60 thousand, respectively.

The Manager is also entitled to receive 15% of the cash distributions from operations made by the Fund. Distributions paid to the Manager during the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022 were $0.3 million and $0.1 million0.5. The Fund did not pay distributions million. respectively. Distributions paid to the Manager during the three and nine months ended March 31, 2021.September 30, 2021 were $41 thousand and $0.1 million. respectively.

The Fund utilizes Beta Sales and Transport, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Manager, to facilitate the transportation and sale of oil and natural gas produced from the Beta Project.

The Fund is a party to a production handling, gathering and operating services agreement (“PHA”) with affiliated entities and other third-party working interest owners in the Claiborne Project. On May 12, 2022, a third-party working interest owner executed an assignment and bill of sale agreement to assign the rights to the services under the PHA to Ridgewood Institutional IV Prospective Leases, LLC, a wholly-owned entity of Ridgewood Energy Oil & Gas Fund IV, L.P. (“Institutional Fund IV”). As a result of the assignment, Ridgewood Institutional IV Prospective Leases, LLC, as a working interest owner in the Claiborne Project, became party to the Claiborne Project’s PHA with entities that own the Beta Project production facility. Institutional Fund IV is an entity that is managed by the Fund’s Manager. Under the terms of the PHA, the Claiborne Project producers have agreed to pay the Beta Project owners a fixed production handling fee for each barrel of oil and mcf of natural gas processed through the Beta Project production facility. During the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022, and 2021, the Fund earned $3033 thousand and $39 thousand0.1, million, respectively, representing its proportionate share of the production handling fees earned from affiliates, which isare included within “Other revenue” on the Fund’s statements of operations. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Fund earned $24 thousand and $0.1 million, respectively, representing its proportionate share of the production handling fees earned from affiliates, which are included within “Other revenue” on the Fund’s statements of operations. As of March 31,September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Fund’s receivablesreceivable of $2023 thousand and $21 thousand,, respectively, related to the Fund’s proportionate share of revenue from affiliates are included within “Due from affiliate” on the Fund’s balance sheets. The receivables are settled by issuance of a non-cash credit from the Beta Project operator to the Fund on behalf of the Claiborne Project working interest owners when the operator performs the joint interest billing of the lease operating expenses due from the Fund. However, if applying the joint interest billing credit results in a net credit balance due to the Fund, the Beta Project operator remits such balance in cash to the Fund.

At times, short-term payables and receivables, which do not bear interest, arise from transactions with affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

The Fund has working interest ownership in certain oil and natural gas projects, which are also owned by other entities that are likewise managed by the Manager.

Capital Commitments

As of March 31,September 30, 2022, the Fund’s estimated capital commitments related to its oil and gas properties were $1.91.8 million (which include asset retirement obligations for the Fund’s projects of $0.9 million), of which $0.40.1 million is expected to be spent during the next twelve months. Future results of operations and cash flows are dependent on the planned recompletion costs of and revenues from production and sale of oil and gas from the Beta Project.

Based upon its current cash position, salvage fund and its current reserves estimates, the Fund expects cash flow from operations to be sufficient to cover its commitments and ongoing operations. Reserves estimates are projections based on engineering data that cannot be measured with precision, require substantial judgment, and are subject to frequent revision.

Impact from current market conditions

The oil and gas market, and the global economy in general, is subject to sources of uncertainty relating to: (i) Russia’s invasionfurther escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which could result in a major oil supply disruption; (ii) a prolonged high inflationary environment, which could result in a deep global recession; and the (iii) fluctuations in the value of Ukraine,the U.S. Dollar against other major world currencies, particularly the significant devaluation of the Euro, Pound, Yen and what sweeping economic sanctions on Russia means for its abilityYuan against the U.S. Dollar recently, has added to export oil; (ii) continuedthe volatility in the oil market as nearly all oil globally is transacted in U.S. Dollars. The impact of COVID-19 to global financial and commodity markets; (iii) the prospect of a U.S. or global recession, particularly given efforts by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other global central banks to curb inflation; (iv) the potential for lifting sanctions on Iran, which may bring new oil to market; and (v) the Biden Administration’s energy policy response, which includes the announcement of an unprecedently large release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve of 1.0 million barrels of oil per day for up to six months. Different outcome of response to these issues would have different impactsmatters on global financial and commodity markets and their corresponding effect on the Fund remains uncertain.

Environmental and Governmental Regulations

Many aspects of the oil and gas industry are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. The Manager and operators of the Fund’s properties are continually taking action they believe appropriate to satisfy applicable federal, state and local environmental regulations. However, due to the significant public and governmental interest in environmental matters related to those activities, the Manager cannot predict the effects of possible future legislation, rule changes, or governmental or private claims. As of March 31,September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there were no known environmental contingencies that required adjustment to, or disclosure in, the Fund’s financial statements.

Oil and gas industry legislation and administrative regulations are periodically changed for a variety of political, economic, and other reasons. Any such future laws and regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating restrictions, which could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s operating results and cash flows. It is not possible at this time to predict whether such legislation or regulation, if proposed, will be adopted as initially written, if at all, or how legislation or new regulation that may be adopted would impact the Fund’s business.

BOEM Supplemental Financial Assurance Requirements

On July 14, 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) issued a Notice to Lessees (“NTL 2016-N01”) that discontinued and materially replaced existing policies and procedures regarding financial security (i.e. supplemental bonding) for decommissioning obligations of lessees of federal oil and gas leases and owners of pipeline rights-of-way, rights-of-use and easements on the Outer Continental Shelf (“Lessees”).  Generally, NTL 2016-N01 (i) ended the practice of excusing Lessees from providing such additional security where co-lessees had sufficient financial strength to meet such decommissioning obligations, (ii) established new criteria for determining financial strength and additional security requirements of such Lessees, (iii) provided acceptable forms of such additional security, and (iv) replaced the waiver system with one of self-insurance.  The rule became effective as of September 12, 2016; however, on January 6, 2017, the BOEM announced that it was suspending the implementation timeline for six months in certain circumstances.  On May 1, 2017, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior (“Interior”) directed the BOEM to complete a review of NTL 2016-N01, to provide a report to certain Interior personnel describing the results of the review and options for revising or rescinding NTL 2016-N01, and to keep the implementation timeline extension in effect pending the completion of the review of NTL 2016-N01 by the identified Interior personnel. 

On October 16, 2020, BOEM and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement published a proposed new rule at 85 FR 65904 on Risk, Management, Financial Assurance and Loss Prevention, addressing the streamlining of evaluation criteria when determining whether oil, gas and sulfur leases, right-of-use and easement grant holders, and pipeline right-of-way grant holders may be required to provide bonds or other security above the prescribed amounts for base bonds to ensure compliance with the Lessees’ obligations, primarily decommissioning obligations. The proposed rule was significantly less stringent with respect to financial assurance than NTL 2016-N01. To date, the BOEM is not currently implementing NTL 2016-N01 and its status is uncertain, but has indicated that it is reviewing the proposed rule.

Notwithstanding the uncertain status of NTL 2016-N01, BOEM had continued under existing law to review supplemental financial assurance requirements relative to sole liability properties (i.e., properties in which only one company is liable for decommissioning).  However, on August 18, 2021, the BOEM issued a Note to Stakeholders in which the BOEM stated that it was expanding its financial assurance efforts beyond sole liability projects to include “supplemental financial assurance of certain high-risk, non-sole liability properties” (those properties with more than one company potentially liable for decommissioning costs). The BOEM identified (i) inactive properties, (ii) those with less than five years of production left, and (iii) those with damaged infrastructure, as being high-risk, non-sole liability properties and for which supplemental financial assurance may be required.  The BOEM may require the Fund to fully secure all of its potential abandonment liabilities, which potentially could increase costs to the Fund. The Fund is not able to evaluate the impact of the proposed new rule on its operations or financial condition until a final rule is issued or some other definitive action is taken by the Interior or BOEM. As of September 30, 2022, the Fund has fully funded in a separate interest-bearing account, or salvage fund, its proportionate share of the estimated decommissioning liabilities for its projects. The Fund will continue to reassess its estimated decommissioning liabilities and reserve for additional funding as necessary.  

Insurance Coverage

The Fund is subject to all risks inherent in the oil and natural gas business. Insurance coverage as is customary for entities engaged in similar operations is maintained, but losses may occur from uninsurable risks or amounts in excess of existing insurance coverage. The occurrence of an event that is not insured or not fully insured could have a material adverse impact upon earnings and financial position. Moreover, insurance is obtained as a package covering all of the entities managed by the Manager. Depending on the extent, nature and payment of claims made by the Fund or other entities managed by the Manager, yearly insurance coverage may be exhausted and become insufficient to cover a claim by the Fund in a given year.

ITEM 2.          MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Quarterly Report”) and the documents Ridgewood Energy S Fund, LLC (the “Fund”) has incorporated by reference into this Quarterly Report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to the Fund’s business plans, strategies, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. You are therefore cautioned against relying on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “target,” “pursue,” “may,” “will,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions and references to future periods. Examples of events that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated include the impact on the Fund’s business and operations of any future widespread health emergencies or public health crises such as pandemics and epidemics, weather conditions, such as hurricanes, changes in market and other conditions affecting the pricing, production and demand of oil and natural gas, the cost and availability of equipment, and changes in domestic and foreign governmental regulations. Examples of forward-looking statements made herein include statements regarding projects, investments, insurance, capital expenditures and liquidity. Forward-looking statements made in this document speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Fund undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

There were no changes to the Fund’s critical accounting policies and estimates from those disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Overview of the Fund’s Business

The Fund was organized primarily to acquire interests in oil and natural gas properties located in the United States offshore waters of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fund’s primary investment objective is to generate cash flow for distribution to its shareholders by generating returns across a portfolio of oil and natural gas projects. Distributions to shareholders are made in accordance with the Fund’s limited liability company agreement (the “LLC Agreement”).

Ridgewood Energy Corporation (the “Manager”) is the Manager, and as such, has direct and exclusive control over the management of the Fund’s operations. The Manager performs, or arranges for the performance of, the management, advisory and administrative services required for the Fund’s operations. During 2020, the Manager waived its management fee for the remaining life of the Fund. Upon the waiver of the management fee, the Fund began recording costs related to services provided by the Manager for accounting and investor relations. The Fund does not currently, nor is there any plan to, operate any project in which the Fund participates. The Manager enters into operating agreements with third-party operators for the management of all exploration, development and producing operations, as appropriate. The Manager also participates in distributions.

Market Conditions

The oil and gas market, and the global economy in general, is subject to sources of uncertainty relating to: (i) further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which could result in a major oil supply disruption; (ii) prolonged high inflationary environment, which could result in a deep global recession; and the (iii) fluctuations in the value of the U.S. Dollar against other major world currencies, particularly the significant devaluation of the Euro, Pound, Yen and Yuan against the U.S. Dollar recently, has added to the volatility in the oil market as nearly all oil globally is transacted in U.S. Dollars. While the current outlook for oil and gas commodity prices is favorable, the global energy market has come into particularly volatile footing given several major sources of uncertainty relating to: (i) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and what sweeping economic sanctions on Russia means for its ability to export oil; (ii) strict new COVID-19 lockdown measures being imposed on parts of China, which may dampen Chinese economic activity and energy demand; (iii) the prospect of a U.S. or global recession, particularly given by efforts by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other global central banks to curb inflation; (iv) the potential for lifting sanctions on Iran, which may bring new oil to market; and (v) the Biden Administration’s energy policy response, which included the announcement on March 31, 2022 to release 1.0 million barrels of oil per day for up to six months from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Major headlines on eachdifferent outcomes of these issues are developing daily, and the market is moving with them. Different outcome of response to these issues would have radically different impacts on global economic growth and the performance of financial markets during the rest of 2022 and the Fund, its operators and other working interest partners’ financial performance results may be materially adversely affected, which could affect the Fund’s liquidity, development of oil and gas properties and expected operating results. However, because the Fund owns the Beta Project with no debt and the project is a long-lived asset that is expected to produce over many years with relatively low operating costs, the Fund believes that it is positioned to weather this period of uncertainty and volatility in the global oil and gas market.

Commodity Price Changes

Changes in oil and natural gas commodity prices may significantly affect liquidity and expected operating results. Significant declines in oil and natural gas commodity prices not only reduce revenues and profits but could also reduce the quantities of reserves that are commercially recoverable and result in non-cash charges to earnings due to impairment and higher depletion rates.

Oil and natural gas commodity prices have been subject to significant volatility most recently due to the issues impacting market conditions described above. Although volatile, the overall trend for the crude oil market has been favorable during the first quarter ofnine months ended September 30, 2022, which positively impacted cash flow generated by the Fund’s Beta Project. The Fund anticipates price cyclicality in its planning and believes it is well positioned to withstand price volatility. The Fund will continue to closely manage and coordinate its capital spending estimates within its expected cash flows to provide for the costs associated with the well recompletions for the Beta Project, as budgeted. See “Results of Operations” under this Item 2. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Quarterly Report for more information on the average oil and natural gas prices received by the Fund during the three and nine months ended March 31,September 30, 2022 and 2021 and the effect of such average prices on the Fund’s results of operations.

Market pricing for oil and natural gas is volatile and is likely to continue to be volatile in the future. This volatility is caused by numerous factors and market conditions that the Fund cannot control or influence. Therefore, it is impossible to predict the future price of oil and natural gas with any certainty. Factors affecting market pricing for oil and natural gas include:

Business Update

Information regarding the Fund’s current projects, all of which are located in the United States offshore waters in the Gulf of Mexico, is provided in the following table. See “Liquidity Needs” under this Item 2. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Quarterly Report for information regarding the funding of the Fund’s capital commitments.