NOTE 2 — DEBT

The components comprising the Company’s debt are presented in the following table (in thousands):

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Current Portion of Long-Term Debt, Net

As of September 30, 2023, the current portion of long-term debt of $30.0 million represented principal payments due within one year on the TVPX Loan and Term Loan (defined below), net of current unamortized debt issuance costs.

TVPX Loan

On May 15, 2023, the Company acquired a corporate aircraft from a company affiliated with and controlled by W&T’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and President, Tracy W. Krohn. The terms of the transactions were reviewed and approved by the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. See Note 13 – Related Party Transactions.

The purchase price of the aircraft was $19.1 million, which was paid using $9.0 million of the Company’s cash on hand and through the assumption of an approximately $11.8 million amortizing loan by TVPX Aircraft Solutions Inc. (the “TVPX Loan”), not in its individual capacity but as owner trustee of the trust which holds title to the aircraft, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company, as the borrower.

The TVPX Loan bears a fixed interest rate of 2.49% per annum for a term of 41 months and requires monthly amortization payments of $91.7 thousand plus accrued interest, and a balloon payment of $8.0 million at the end of the loan term. The TVPX Loan is guaranteed by the Company on an unsecured basis. At the date of assumption, the Company determined that the fair market value of the TVPX Loan was $10.1 million using current market rates.

The aircraft was purchased as part of a series of transactions pursuant to which the Company restructured the compensation for its Named Executive Officers. Prior to the Company’s purchase of the aircraft, the Company used the aircraft for business purposes, and the CEO also used the aircraft for personal purposes. Both the Company’s use for business purposes and the CEO’s unlimited use for personal purposes were paid for by the Company pursuant to the CEO’s prior employment agreement. In connection with the Company’s efforts to significantly reduce overall executive compensation, including perquisite compensation Mr. Krohn was receiving for personal use of the aircraft, on April 20, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment to the employment agreement with the CEO which requires that the Company be reimbursed for personal use of the aircraft in accordance with the Company’s aircraft use policy.

Term Loan

On May 19, 2021, Aquasition LLC and Aquasition-II LLC (collectively, the “Subsidiary Borrowers”), both indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company, entered into a credit agreement (the “Subsidiary Credit Agreement”) providing for a $215.0 million term loan (the “Term Loan”). The Term Loan matures on May 19, 2028.

The Term Loan requires quarterly amortization payments and bears interest at a fixed rate of 7.0% per annum. The Subsidiary Credit Agreement required the Company to enter into certain natural gas swaps and put derivative contracts (see Note 4 – Derivative Financial Instruments).

The Term Loan is non-recourse to the Company and any subsidiaries other than the Subsidiary Borrowers and the subsidiary that owns the equity in the Subsidiary Borrowers (the “Subsidiary Parent”) and is secured by the first lien security interests in the equity of the Subsidiary Borrowers and a first lien mortgage security interest and mortgages on certain assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers (see Note 6 – Subsidiary Borrowers for additional information).

Credit Agreement

The Company entered into a Credit Agreement with Calculus Lending, LLC (“Calculus”), a company affiliated with and controlled by the Company’s CEO, as sole lender under the Credit Agreement (as amended from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement currently has a maturity date of January 3, 2024. As of September 30, 2023, the primary terms and covenants associated with the Credit Agreement are as follows:

Availability under the Credit Agreement is subject to redetermination of the borrowing base that may be requested at the discretion of either the lender or the Company in accordance with the Credit Agreement. Any redetermination by the lender to change the borrowing base will result in a similar change in the availability under the Credit Agreement. The borrowing base was reconfirmed at $50.0 million on October 2023. The Credit Agreement is secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the Company’s and its guarantor subsidiaries’ assets, excluding those assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers (as described in Note 6 – Subsidiary Borrowers).

As of September 30, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement and no borrowings had been incurred under the Credit Agreement during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had $4.4 million outstanding in letters of credit which have been cash collateralized.

11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2026

On January 27, 2023, the Company issued at par $275 million in aggregate principal amount of its 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes (the “11.75% Notes”) under an indenture dated January 27, 2023 (the “Indenture”). The 11.75% Notes mature on February 1, 2026, and interest is payable in arrears on February 1 and August 1.

The 11.75% Notes are secured by second-priority liens on the same collateral that is secured under the Credit Agreement, which does not include the assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers (as described in Note 6 – Subsidiary Borrowers). The estimated annual effective interest rate on the 11.75% Notes is 12.7%, which includes amortization of deferred interest costs.

Prior to August 1, 2024, the Company may redeem all or any portion of the 11.75% Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date, plus the “Applicable Premium” (as defined in the Indenture). In addition, prior to August 1, 2024, the Company may, at its option, on one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate original principal amount of the 11.75% Notes in an amount not greater than the net cash proceeds from certain equity offerings at a redemption price of 111.750% of the principal amount of the outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.

On and after August 1, 2024, the Company may redeem the 11.75% Notes, in whole or in part, at redemption prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount thereof) equal to 105.875% for the 12-month period beginning August 1, 2024, and 100.000% on August 1, 2025 and thereafter, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The 11.75% Notes are guaranteed by the Guarantors.

The 11.75% Notes contain covenants that limit or prohibit the Company’s ability and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries to: (i) make investments; (ii) incur additional indebtedness or issue certain types of preferred stock; (iii) create certain liens; (iv) sell assets; (v) enter into agreements that restrict dividends or other payments from the Company’s subsidiaries to the Company; (vi) consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; (vii) engage in transactions with affiliates; (viii) pay dividends or make other distributions on capital stock or subordinated indebtedness; and (ix) create subsidiaries that would not be restricted by the covenants of the Indenture. These covenants are subject to important exceptions and qualifications set forth in the Indenture. In addition, most of the above-described covenants will terminate if both S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. assign the 11.75% Notes an investment grade rating and no default exists with respect to the 11.75% Notes.

Redemption of 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2023

On February 8, 2023, the Company redeemed all of the $552.5 million of aggregate principal outstanding of its 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes (the 9.75% Notes”) at a redemption price of 100.0%, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. The Company used the net proceeds of $270.8 million from the issuance of the 11.75% Notes and cash on hand of $296.1 million to fund the redemption.

Covenants

As of September 30, 2023 and for all prior measurement periods presented, the Company was in compliance with all applicable covenants of the Credit Agreement and the Indenture.