Lukoil Reports $3.5B in 1Q Profit

LUKOIL has published consolidated US GAAP financial statements for the first quarter of 2011.

The Company's net income was $3.517 billion in the first quarter of 2011, which is 71.3% higher y-o-y. EBITDA was $5,343 million, which is 43.3% higher y-o-y. Sales revenues were $29.626 billion (+23.9% y-o-y). Positive dynamic of our financial results was mainly due to a sharp increase in hydrocarbon prices in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the respective period of 2010.

Capital expenditures including non-cash transactions in the first quarter of 2011 were $1.7 billion, which is 17.3% higher y-o-y. Free cash flow increased by 43.3% and reached $2.013 billion in the first quarter of 2011.

In the first quarter of 2011, lifting costs per boe of production were $4.52, which is 13.9% higher y-o-y. The growth was mainly due to the real ruble appreciation and increased expenses for power supply.

In the first quarter of 2011, LUKOIL Group total hydrocarbon production available for sale reached 2,186 th. boe per day, which is a 4.1% decrease y-o-y. Crude oil production of LUKOIL Group in the first quarter of 2011 totaled 22.84MM tonnes. Natural and petroleum gas output available for sale increased by 1.4%, to 4.79 bcm. Meanwhile, the production of gas on our major gas field - Nakhodkinskoe field amounted to 2.13 bcm in the first quarter of 2011 compared to 2.10 bcm for the respective period of 2010.

In the first quarter of 2011 throughputs at the Company's refineries (including its share in crude oil and petroleum product throughput at the ISAB and TRN refining complexes) decreased by 1.0% y-o-y and reached 15.19MM tonnes. Throughputs at the Company's refineries in Russia remained flat y-o-y, throughputs at the Company's international refineries decreased by 3.5% y-o-y due to the scheduled maintenance at ISAB Complex in the first quarter of 2011 and shutdown of operations at the Odessa Refinery due to unfavorable economic conditions.

Measures aimed at higher efficiency and cost control allow the Company to generate strong free cash flow and increase net income.