Nostrum Oil & Gas posts stable H1 2025 EBITDA of $22.4m despite weaker Brent, with production up 39% and costs down 41%.
This article covers information on Nostrum Oil u0026 Gas PLC.
LON:NOGNostrum Oil & Gas has posted a solid set of first-half numbers for 2025. Revenue was US$64.1 million, broadly flat year on year against US$65.3 million, but crucially EBITDA held steady at US$22.4 million with a 35.0% margin. That resilience came in spite of a 16% drop in the average Brent price to US$71.92/bbl and ongoing natural decline at the Chinarevskoye field.
The story under the bonnet is all about throughput and costs. Titled production rose 39% to 16,974 boepd (barrels of oil equivalent per day), total processed volumes jumped 65% to 24,619 boepd, and operating expenses per barrel of processed volumes fell 41% to US$4.4. That combination cushioned the price impact and kept margins intact.
| Metric | H1 2025 | Comparator |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | US$64.1 million | H1 2024: US$65.3 million |
| EBITDA (non-IFRS) | US$22.4 million | H1 2024: US$22.3 million |
| EBITDA margin | 35.0% | H1 2024: 34.2% |
| Operating expense per barrel of processed volumes | US$4.4 | H1 2024: US$7.6 |
| Net operating cash flow (pre one-offs) | US$6.2 million | H1 2024: US$4.2 million |
| Unrestricted cash | US$135.9 million | 31 Dec 2024: US$150.4 million |
| Restricted cash (incl. DSRA) | US$26.1 million | 31 Dec 2024: US$25.9 million |
| Net debt | US$473.1 million | 31 Dec 2024: US$404.2 million |
| Average titled production | 16,974 boepd | H1 2024: 12,220 boepd |
| Total processed volumes | 24,619 boepd | H1 2024: 14,919 boepd |
| Average sales volumes | 15,555 boepd | H1 2024: 10,475 boepd |
| Average Brent price | US$71.92/bbl | H1 2024: US$83.70/bbl |
Notes: EBITDA is profit before tax and non-cash items as defined by the Company. DSRA is the debt service retention account. boepd means barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Two operational levers did the heavy lifting. First, throughput: Nostrum processed more third-party feedstock from Ural Oil & Gas LLP, supported by a new processing agreement that runs until May 2031. Second, the Company benefited from well No.301 (onstream since May 2024) and targeted workovers on Chinarevskoye wells.
The product mix continues to skew towards gas and LPG. Year on year, dry gas volumes rose 62.4% to 9,735 boepd and LPG climbed 59.6% to 3,165 boepd. Crude oil was up 3.5% to 2,476 boepd, while stabilised condensate fell 13.6% to 1,598 boepd. Gas-heavy output is less exposed to oil price swings and supports consistent plant utilisation, which is clearly a strategic focus.
Operating expenses per barrel of processed volumes dropped 41% to US$4.4 from US$7.6. That is a meaningful efficiency gain and a key reason EBITDA held at US$22.4 million with a 35.0% margin despite weaker pricing. Management also emphasised maximum facilities uptime, which helps absorb fixed costs and stabilise earnings.
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Operating cash generation improved, with positive net operating cash flows of US$6.2 million before one-off items, up from US$4.2 million. Working capital timing – namely sales receivables linked to crude and condensate shipments – weighed on reported cash flows.
After one-off payments of US$15.5 million under the management incentive plan and limited capex on Chinarevskoye and Stepnoy Leopard, unrestricted cash reduced by US$14.5 million in the half to US$135.9 million. Restricted cash stood at US$26.1 million.
Net debt increased to US$473.1 million at 30 June 2025. The bridge is worth noting: US$27.9 million of interest capitalised on Senior Unsecured Notes, US$33.8 million fair value amortisation, an US$8.3 million delayed coupon on SSNs and SUNs, and the lower unrestricted cash balance. This was partially offset by the cancellation of US$5,628,000 of Senior Secured Notes and US$9,629,836 of Senior Unsecured Notes in April 2025.
My take: liquidity looks adequate for near-term operations, but leverage remains elevated and moved higher in the period. The delayed coupon referenced in July press releases is a watch item for bondholders and equity holders alike.
The 2025 limited-scale drilling programme targets the most economic subsurface opportunities while meeting licence obligations. In August 2025, Nostrum spudded well Ch-116_1 at Chinarevskoye, initially targeting oil in the Mullinski reservoir before converting the well to a water-injector. Optimised workovers continue to slow decline at this mature field.
At the Stepnoy Leopard Fields, a phased full-field development plan received approval from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy in April 2025 – a key milestone that should enable staged capital deployment. Design and engineering work is progressing alongside limited procurement to stay compliant with licence commitments.
Third-party processing remains a strategic pillar. The multi-year extension with Ural O&G supports cash flows, keeps the gas plants busy, and aids the efficient development of the Rozhkovskoye field. In short, Nostrum is positioning itself as a regional processing hub, which helps offset legacy decline in its own upstream base.
There were zero fatalities and a zero Lost Time Injury Rate in H1 2025, which is good to see. The Total Recordable Incident Rate rose to 1.3 from 0.64, so there is room for improvement even with overall safe operations. Air emissions were 2,236 tonnes against 5,188 tonnes permitted for 2025, indicating headroom under the environmental cap.
Positives:
Watch-outs:
Overall, this is a quietly encouraging half. Nostrum is proving the value of its processing hub strategy, squeezing costs, and keeping EBITDA steady in a tougher pricing environment. The balance sheet remains the key swing factor, but operational momentum and the long-dated Ural O&G agreement give the Company a fighting chance to create value from here.
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