Exhibit 99.1
February 11, 2011
Mr. Gary L. Egger
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
6100 North Western Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118
Dear Mr. Egger:
In accordance with your request, we have estimated the proved reserves and future revenue, as of December 31, 2010, to the Chesapeake Energy Corporation (Chesapeake) interest in certain oil and gas properties located in Anadarko, Barnett, Fayetteville, Haynesville, Permian, and other districts in the United States. We completed our evaluation on January 21, 2011. It is our understanding that the proved reserves estimated in this report constitute approximately 58 percent of all proved reserves owned by Chesapeake. The estimates in this report have been prepared in accordance with the definitions and guidelines of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and, with the exception of the exclusion of future income taxes, conform to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 932, Extractive Activities—Oil and Gas. Definitions are presented immediately following this letter. This report has been prepared for Chesapeake’s use in filing with the SEC; in our opinion the assumptions, data, methods, and procedures used in the preparation of this report are appropriate for such purpose.
We estimate the net reserves and future net revenue to the Chesapeake interest in these properties, as of December 31, 2010, to be:
| Net Reserves | Future Net Revenue (M$) | |||||||||||||||||||
Category | Oil (MBBL) | NGL (MBBL) | Gas (MMCF) | Total | Present Worth at 10% | |||||||||||||||
Proved Developed Producing | 17,869.4 | 21,931.8 | 4,553,759.5 | 11,124,482.0 | 5,719,255.5 | |||||||||||||||
Proved Developed Non-Producing | 2,896.1 | 644.3 | 325,897.7 | 794,154.4 | 414,652.8 | |||||||||||||||
Proved Undeveloped | 9,353.4 | 17,546.4 | 4,612,335.5 | 6,779,634.5 | 1,422,761.5 | |||||||||||||||
Total Proved | 30,118.8 | 40,122.5 | 9,491,993.0 | 18,698,266.0 | 7,556,669.5 | |||||||||||||||
Totals may not add because of rounding.
The oil reserves shown include crude oil and condensate. Oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) volumes are expressed in thousands of barrels (MBBL); a barrel is equivalent to 42 United States gallons. Gas volumes are expressed in millions of cubic feet (MMCF) at standard temperature and pressure bases.
The estimates shown in this report are for proved reserves. No study was made to determine whether probable or possible reserves might be established for these properties. Estimates of proved undeveloped reserves have been included for certain locations that generate positive future net revenue but have negative present worth discounted at 10 percent based on the constant prices and costs discussed in subsequent paragraphs of this letter. These locations have been included based on the operators’ declared intent to drill these wells, as evidenced by Chesapeake’s internal budget, reserves estimates, and price forecast. This report does not include any value that could be attributed to interests in undeveloped acreage beyond those tracts for which undeveloped reserves have been estimated. Reserves categorization conveys the relative degree of certainty; reserves subcategorization is based on development and production status. The estimates of reserves and future revenue included herein have not been adjusted for risk.
Future gross revenue to the Chesapeake interest is prior to deducting state production taxes and ad valorem taxes. Future net revenue is after deductions for these taxes, future capital costs, and operating expenses but before consideration of any income taxes. The future net revenue has been discounted at an annual rate of 10 percent to determine its present worth, which is shown to indicate the effect of time on the value of money. Future net revenue presented in this report, whether discounted or undiscounted, should not be construed as being the fair market value of the properties.
For the purposes of this report, we did not perform any field inspection of the properties, nor did we examine the mechanical operation or condition of the wells and facilities. We have not investigated possible environmental liability related to the properties; therefore, our estimates do not include any costs due to such possible liability. Future revenue estimates include Chesapeake’s estimates of the costs to abandon the wells and production facilities, net of any salvage value. In some cases, the salvage value exceeds the abandonment cost.
Prices used in this report are based on the 12-month unweighted arithmetic average of the first-day-of-the-month price for each month in the period January through December 2010. For oil and NGL volumes, the average PlattsGas Daily West Texas Intermediate Crude spot price of $79.42 per barrel is adjusted by lease for quality, transportation fees, and regional price differentials. For gas volumes, the average PlattsGas Daily Henry Hub spot price of $4.376 per MMBTU is adjusted by lease for energy content, transportation fees, and regional price differentials. All prices are held constant throughout the lives of the properties. The average adjusted product prices weighted by production over the remaining lives of the properties are $75.89 per barrel of oil, $30.42 per barrel of NGL, and $3.203 per MCF of gas.
Lease and well operating costs used in this report are based on operating expense records of Chesapeake. These costs include the per-well overhead expenses allowed under joint operating agreements along with estimates of costs to be incurred at and below the district and field levels. As requested, lease and well operating costs for the operated properties are limited to direct lease- and field-level costs and $200 per well per month, which is Chesapeake’s estimate of the portion of its headquarters general and administrative overhead expenses necessary to operate the properties; these overhead expenses are not included in the determination of the economic limits for the properties. As requested, ad valorem taxes are included in the operating costs for the nonoperated properties. Lease and well operating costs are held constant throughout the lives of the properties. Capital costs are included as required for workovers, new development wells, and production equipment. The future capital costs are held constant to the date of expenditure.
We have made no investigation of potential gas volume and value imbalances resulting from overdelivery or underdelivery to the Chesapeake interest. Therefore, our estimates of reserves and future revenue do not include adjustments for the settlement of any such imbalances; our projections are based on Chesapeake receiving its net revenue interest share of estimated future gross gas production. Some of these properties are subject to volumetric production payment (VPP) transactions completed by Chesapeake during 2008 and 2010. Our estimates of reserves and future revenue do not include adjustments for any of these VPP transactions; however, it is our understanding that Chesapeake has given effect to those transactions by reducing their reserves at the corporate level.
The reserves shown in this report are estimates only and should not be construed as exact quantities. Proved reserves are those quantities of oil and gas which, by analysis of engineering and geoscience data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible. Estimates of reserves may increase or decrease as a result of market conditions, future operations, changes in regulations, or actual reservoir performance. In addition to the primary economic assumptions discussed herein, our estimates are based on certain assumptions including, but not limited to, that the properties will be developed consistent with current development plans, that the properties will be operated in a prudent manner, that no governmental regulations or controls will be put in place that would impact the ability of Chesapeake to recover the reserves, and that our projections of future production will prove consistent with actual performance. If the reserves are recovered, the revenues therefrom and the costs related thereto could be more or less than the estimated amounts. Because of governmental policies and uncertainties of supply and demand, the sales rates, prices received for the reserves, and costs incurred in recovering such reserves may vary from assumptions made while preparing this report.
For the purposes of this report, we used technical and economic data including, but not limited to, well logs, geologic maps, seismic data, well test data, production data, historical price and cost information, and property ownership interests. The reserves in this report have been estimated using deterministic methods; these estimates have been prepared in accordance with the Standards Pertaining to the Estimating and Auditing of Oil and Gas Reserves Information promulgated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Standards). We used standard engineering and geoscience methods, or a combination of methods, including performance analysis, volumetric analysis, analogy, and statistical analysis, that we considered to be appropriate and necessary to categorize and estimate reserves in accordance with SEC definitions and guidelines. As in all aspects of oil and gas evaluation, there are uncertainties inherent in the interpretation of engineering and geoscience data; therefore, our conclusions necessarily represent only informed professional judgment.
The data used in our estimates were obtained from Chesapeake, other interest owners, various operators of the properties, public data sources, and the nonconfidential files of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (NSAI) and were accepted as accurate. Supporting geoscience, performance, and work data are on file in our office. The titles to the properties have not been examined by NSAI, nor has the actual degree or type of interest owned been independently confirmed. The technical persons responsible for preparing the estimates presented herein meet the requirements regarding qualifications, independence, objectivity, and confidentiality set forth in the SPE Standards. We are independent petroleum engineers, geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysicists; we do not own an interest in these properties nor are we employed on a contingent basis.
Sincerely, | ||||||
NETHERLAND, SEWELL & ASSOCIATES, INC. | ||||||
Texas Registered Engineering Firm F-002699 | ||||||
By: | /s/ C.H. (Scott) Rees III | |||||
| C.H. (Scott) Rees III, P.E. | ||||||
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
By: | /s/ Randolph K. Green | By: | /s/ William J. Knights | |||
Randolph K. Green, P.E. 72951 | William J. Knights, P.G. 1532 | |||||
Vice President | Vice President | |||||
Date Signed: February 11, 2011 | Date Signed: February 11, 2011 | |||||
| RKG:ERH | ||||||
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