OJSC Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft Oil), a Russia-based company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production, production of petroleum products and petrochemicals, has reported revenues of $10.9 billion for the second quarter of 2009, up 32.5%, compared with the revenues of $8.2 billion in the previous quarter. It also reported a net income of $1.6 billion for the second quarter of 2009, compared with the net income of $2.1 billion in the previous quarter.

Rosneft’s EBITDA amounted to $3,574 million in Q2 2009, a 54.2% increase quarter-on-quarter from $2,318 million in Q1 2009. EBITDA growth exceeded the increase in revenue driven by successful cost control and unchanged share of taxes in revenues due to the time lag in calculation of the export duties set by the Russian government. EBITDA was $5,892 million in 1H 2009, 49.9% below the level of 1H 2008.

Net debt decreased in Q2 despite the appreciation of the Russian ruble. It decreased by $2,106 million during 1H 2009 mainly due to strong free cash flow generation which amounted to $1,660 million. Rosneft repaid $7.4 billion of debt and reduced short-term borrowings by $5.4 billion in Q2 following drawdown of the first $5 billion tranche of the China Development Bank loan, the principal repayment of which starts in 2014.

In Q2 2009 Rosneft’s daily crude oil output (including production by subsidiaries and share in production by affiliates) increased by 0.8% to 2,127 th. barrels per day from 2,110 th. barrels per day in Q1 2009 and by 0.5% compared to 2,116 th. barrels per day in Q2 2008. Launch of commercial production at Vankor, the largest greenfield project in Russia has increased Rosneft’s daily production to an all-time high of 2,260 th. barrels of crude oil as on the end of August.

In Q2 2009, Rosneft produced 11.65 mln tonnes of petroleum products, up 0.4% quarter-on-quarter and 6.4% year-on-year. The growth was driven by partial recovery of domestic demand (especially for high quality gasoline and diesel) and successful change in output structure. Domestic sales of petroleum products were 4.47 mln tons in Q2 2009 which is higher than 4.05 mln tones in Q1 2009 and lower than 4.79 mln tones in Q2 2008.

In Q2 Rosneft continued cost optimization measures. Upstream operating expenses were $2.51 per barrel in Q2 2009 compared with $3.31 per barrel in Q2 2008 and 2.37 USD per barrel in Q1 2009. The increase in per barrel expenses quarter-on-quarter matches the change in average RUB/USD exchange rate while the year-on-year decrease considerably outpaces the rate of real ruble depreciation. Refining expenses were USD 2.84 per barrel of throughput in Q2 2009, which is 30.6% lower than USD 4.10 per barrel in Q2 2008 and 13.4% higher compared to USD 2.51 per barrel in Q1 2009. The quarter-on-quarter increase was due to scheduled turnarounds and ruble appreciation.

Commenting on the results, Rosneft’s President Sergey Bogdanchikov said: “With substantial EBITDA growth in Q2 and continuing stabilization of the macroeconomic environment, we are on track to have a strong 2009 thanks to our focus on cost control, prudent planning, and solid execution. In the second half of 2009, we will continue to focus on costs and efficiency and are confident we will deliver average daily production 5% higher than in the first half of the year in large part due to our recent successful launch of production at Vankor. Together these efforts will enable us to continue to provide leading earnings and dividend growth, as well as further net debt reduction”.