Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Mineral Leases

v3.21.2
Mineral Leases
9 Months Ended
May 31, 2019
Mineral Leases [Abstract]  
MINERAL LEASES
8. MINERAL LEASES

   

TMC

Mineral

Lease

   

POSR

Mineral

Lease

   

PQE

Mineral

Lease

    Total  
Cost                                
August 31, 2017   $ 11,091,388     $ -     $ -     $ 11,091,388  
Additions     -       19,755       -       19,755  
August 31, 2018     11,091,388       19,755       -       11,111,143  
Additions     -       -       10,800,000       10,800,000  
May 31, 2019   $ 11,091,388     $ 19,755     $ 10,800,000     $ 21,911,143  
                                 
Accumulated Amortization                                
August 31, 2017   $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
Additions     -       -       -       -  
August 31, 2018     -       -       -       -  
Additions     -       -       -       -  
May 31, 2019   $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
                                 
Carrying Amount                                
August 31, 2017   $ 11,091,388     $ -     $ -     $ 11,091,388  
August 31, 2018   $ 11,091,388     $ 19,755     $ -     $ 11,111,143  
May 31, 2019   $ 11,091,388     $ 19,755     $ 10,800,000     $ 21,911,143  

  (a) TMC mineral lease

On June 1, 2015, the Company acquired TMC Capital, LLC (“TMC”). TMC holds a mining and mineral lease, subleased from Asphalt Ridge, Inc., on the Asphalt Ridge property located in Uintah County, Utah (the “TMC Mineral Lease”).


The primary term of the TMC Mineral Lease was from July 1, 2013 to July 1, 2018. During the primary term, the Company was required to meet certain requirements for oil production. After July 1, 2018, the TMC Mineral Lease would remain in effect as long as certain requirements for oil production continue to be met by the Company. If the Company failed to meet these requirements, the Lease would automatically terminate 90 days after the calendar year in which the requirements were not met. In addition, the Company was required to make certain advance royalty payments to the lessor (Note 7(a)). The TMC Mineral Lease was subject to a 10% royalty for the first three years and varying percentages thereafter based on the price of oil. An additional 1.6% royalty is payable to the previous lessees of the TMC Mineral Lease. The TMC Mineral Lease also required the Company to make minimum expenditures on the property of $1,000,000 for the first three years, increasing to $2,000,000 for the next three years.


Amendments were made to certain key terms of the TMC Mineral Lease on October 1, 2015, March 1, 2016, February 1, 2018, and November 21, 2018, which are summarized below.


Among the amendments, certain properties previously excluded were included in the lease agreement. In addition, the termination clause was amended to read as follows:


(i) Termination will be automatic if TMC fails to obtain (a) by December 31, 2019, a written financial commitment to fund a second processing facility (or a facility expansion) that will increase the Company’s processing capacity by an additional 1,000 barrels per day (achieving an aggregate capacity of 2,000 barrels per day), and (b) by December 31, 2021, a written financial commitment to fund a third processing facility (or facility expansion) that will increase the Company’s processing capacity by an additional 1,000 barrels per day (achieving an aggregate capacity of 3,000 barrels per day). The Company expects that the cost of constructing each of the two additional processing facilities (or any expansion) will range between $10 million and $12 million, which the Company intends to fund from revenue derived from operations or from third party funding sources.

(ii) Cessation of operations or inadequate production due to increased operating costs or decreased marketability and if production is not restored to 80% of capacity within three months of any such cessation will cause a termination.

(iii) Cessation of operations for longer than 180 days during any lease year or 600 days in any three consecutive years will cause a termination.

(iv) From and after July 1, 2023, a failure of PQE’s processing facility to produce a minimum of 80% of a rated capacity of 3,000 barrels per day during a period of at least 180 calendar days during any lease year, the Lease may be terminated by the lessor.

(v) TMC may surrender the lease with 30 days written notice.

(vi) In the event of a breach of the material terms of the lease, the lessor will inform TMC in writing and TMC will have 30 days to cure any monetary breach and 150 days to cure any non-monetary breach.

Terms to advance royalties required were amended to read as follows:


(i) From July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020, minimum payments of $100,000 per quarter.

(ii) From July 1, 2020, minimum payments of $150,000 per quarter.

(iii) Minimum payments commencing on July 1, 2020 will be adjusted for CPI inflation.

Production royalties payable are amended to 8% of the gross sales revenue, subject to certain adjustments up until June 30, 2020. After that date, royalties will be calculated on a sliding scale based on crude oil prices ranging from 8% to 16% of gross sales revenues, subject to certain adjustments.


(b) Petroteq Oil Recovery, LLC mineral lease (the “SITLA Mineral Lease”)

On June 1, 2018, the Company acquired mineral rights under two mineral leases entered into between the State of Utah’s School and Institutional Trust Land Administration (“SITLA”), as lessor, and Petroteq Oil Sands Recovery, LLC (“POSR”), as lessee, covering lands in Asphalt Ridge that largely adjoin the lands held under the TMC Mineral Lease (collectively, the “SITLA Mineral Leases”).


The SITLA Leases have a primary term of ten (10) years, and will remain in effect thereafter for as long as (a) bituminous sands are produced in paying quantities, or (b) POSR is otherwise engaged in diligent operations, exploration or development activity and certain other conditions are satisfied. Generally, the term of the SITLA Leases may not be extended beyond the twentieth year of their effective dates except by production in paying quantities. An annual minimum royalty of $10 per acre must be paid during the first ten years of the SITLA Leases; from and after the 11th year of the leases, the annual minimum royalty may be adjusted by the lessor based on certain “readjustment” provisions in the SITLA Leases. Annual minimum royalties paid in any lease year may be credited against production royalties accruing in the same year.


The SITLA Leases provide that POSR must pay: (i) an annual rent equal to the greater of $1 per acre or a fixed sum of $500 (without regard to acreage); and (ii) a production royalty of 8% of the market price received for products produced from the leases at the point of first sale, less reasonable actual costs of transportation to the point of first sale. After the tenth year of the leases, the lessor may increase the royalty rate by as much as one percent (1%) per year up to a maximum of 12.5%, subject to a proviso that production royalties under the leases shall never be less than $3.00/bbl during the term of the leases). As the sole lessee under the SITLA Leases, POSR owns 100% of the working interests under the leases, subject to payment of annual rentals, advance annual minimum royalties, and production royalties.


  (c) The BLM Leases

In April 2019, TMC acquired an undivided 50% of the operating rights and interests relating to oil sands under certain U.S. federal oil and gas leases encompassing approximately 8,480 gross acres (4,240 net acres, less royalty) located in P.R. Springs and the Tar Sands Triangle regions in the State of Utah (the “BLM Leases”), consisting of the right to explore for and produce oil from oil sands formations and deposits from the surface down to a subsurface depth of 1,000 feet, for gross proceeds of $10,800,000 of which $1,800,000 was paid in cash and the remaining $9,000,000 was settled by the issue of 15,000,000 common shares at $0.40 per share. The operating rights assigned and transferred to TMC under certain of the BLM Leases also grant to TMC the right, subject to similar depth limitation, to explore for and produce oil and gas from conventional sources. Each of the BLM Leases includes lands that are located within a “Special Tar Sands Area” or “STSA”, a geographic area that has been designated by the (U.S.) Department of Interior as containing substantial deposits of oil sands. Under the BLM Leases, production royalties are governed by BLM regulations and are payable to the U.S. Department of Interior at the rate of 12.5% of the amount or value of the production removed and sold. The interests acquired by TMC under the BLM Leases are also subject to a 6.25% overriding royalty reserved by predecessors-in-title.


The BLM Leases were originally issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (the “MLA”). However, because the definition of “oil” in the MLA prior to 1981 did not include oil produced from oil sands, the BLM Leases (and all other federal onshore mineral leases issued prior to 1981) did not authorize the development and recovery of oil from oil sands, tar sands and bitumen-impregnated rocks and sediments. The Combined Hydrocarbon Leasing Act of 1981 (“CHL Act”) expanded the definition of “oil” to include oil produced from oil sands and bitumen deposits and authorized the issuance of new “combined hydrocarbon leases” or “CHLs” that permit exploration and production of oil and gas from both conventional sources and from oil sands deposits.


For federal onshore mineral leases that were in effect on November 16, 1981 (the CHL Act’s enactment date) and included lands located within an STSA, the CHL Act granted to lessees the right to convert such leases to new CHLs. Upon issuance by BLM, each CHL will constitute a new lease that will remain in effect for a primary term of ten (10) years and thereafter for as long as oil or gas is produced in paying quantities.


Each of the BLM Leases has been included in an application to BLM requesting their conversion to new CHLs. During the pendency of such applications, the term (and any operations) of the BLM Leases are in “suspension status” under BLM regulations until the new CHLs are issued.


On July 22, 2019, the Company closed its acquisition of its previously announced agreement for the acquisition of the remaining 50% of the operating rights and interests relating to the BLM Leases.


The total consideration payable for the acquisition will be $13 million, with $1 million payable in cash and $12 million payable in shares, namely 30 million common shares of the Company, at a deemed value of $0.40 per share.