PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2012

5.	PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

	January 31, 2012			April 30, 2011
	(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Saskatchewan Oil Sands Rights
Permits and Leases	$	407,248		$	430,174
Licenses		-			2,701
Alberta Oil Sands Rights
Permits		35,930			38,003
Leases		7,964			8,405
Saskatchewan Oil Shale Rights (Permits)		11,264			11,927
Equipment		14,386			15,780
Assets Under Construction		3,134			2,786
		479,926			509,776
Less: Accumulated Depreciation and Impairment (Note 6)		(334,380	)		(355,981	)
Net Book Value	$	145,546		$	153,795

At January 31, 2012, the decrease in the net book value is mainly due to foreign exchange fluctuations on the currency translation of property and equipment held in Canadian dollars.

Saskatchewan Oil Sands Permits

As at April 30, 2011, the Saskatchewan permits comprised an area of approximately 406,274 acres. At January 31, 2012, all Saskatchewan oil sands permits except PS00208 and PS00210 have been relinquished. The remaining permits total 160,632 acres. Relinquishing these permits did not impact the Company's resource estimates or development plans. The permits were granted by the Province of Saskatchewan in 2004 under The OilShale Regulations, 1964 as amended, revised or substituted from time to time. The permits provide for the right to explore and work the permit lands but not to remove, produce or recover, except for test purposes, oil products until a lease, pursuant to these regulations has been granted. The initial five-year term of the permits expired on May 31, 2009 and the Company applied for and received the third of three one-year extensions to May 31, 2012 for the two permits that include the Axe Lake Discovery, PS00208 and PS00210, as allowed under the regulation.

The permits, when granted, were subject to annual rental payments and certain levels of expenditures annually pursuant to the terms of the permits and government regulations. The annual rentals were payable in advance as to $0.02 ($0.02 CDN) per acre for the first year and escalating to $0.10 ($0.10 CDN) per acre in the fifth year. On May 7, 2007, the province updated the Oil Shale Regulations, 1964 requiring an increase to annual rentals of $0.10 ($0.10 CDN) per acre for the remaining term of the permits. The required exploration expenditures to hold the permits were also increased to $0.81 (0.81 CDN) per acre for each of the remaining years of the permits and $1.20 ($1.21 CDN) per acre for each year that the permits are extended.

On July 15, 2011, the Company received approval from the Government of Saskatchewan to convert the Axe Lake permits PS00208 and PS00210 to 15 year leases. The leases will give the Company certainty of land tenure needed for commercial development of the property. The leases require annual rental payments of $60,714 ($61,030 CDN) for the term of the leases.

The Company continues to work with the regulators to assess an issue relating to the re-abandonment of early exploration core holes. As indicated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources, it is possible that the outcome of such assessment could result in cancellation of the Axe Lake leases under the governing regulations. It is possible that the Company, based on its current liquidity and future estimated cash flows, may not be able to comply with the requirements of the regulations and the leases may be cancelled. (See note 8).

Saskatchewan Oil Sands Licenses

On August 13, 2007, the Company acquired five oil sands licenses totaling 109,920 acres granted under The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulations, 1969, as amended revised or substituted from time to time, for a term of five years for an aggregate cost of $2,140,233 ($2,249,089 CDN). The licenses provided for the exclusive right to search for oil sands on the lands granted and to win, recover, extract, carry off, dispose of and sell the oils sands products found on the license lands. The oil sands licenses provided the opportunity to convert up to 100% of the licenses to a production lease following the completion of specified work requirements. Licenses required annual rental payments of $0.71 ($0.71 CDN) per acre. The licenses were relinquished on August 12, 2011 due to their low prospectivity.

Alberta Oil Sands Permits

As at April 30, 2007, the Alberta oil sands permits comprised an area totaling 67,053 acres (“Raven Ridge Prospect”). The permits were granted by the Province of Alberta under the terms of the Mines and Minerals Act, Alberta. The permits provide the opportunity to convert up to 100% of the permits to a production lease following the completion of specified work requirements. Permits are granted for five year primary terms which expire on August 9, 2011 – 11,386 acres and March 21, 2012 – 55,667 acres, and require annual rental payments of $1.41 ($1.42 CDN) per acre. On August 9, 2011, permit 7006080098 totaling 11,386 acres expired. On November 22, 2011, the Company received approval from the Government of Alberta to extend the expiry date of its remaining Raven Ridge permits until March 22, 2014.

On January 23, 2008, the Company acquired two oil sands permits totaling 45,546 acres (“Wallace Creek Prospect”) in a public offering of Crown Oil Sands Rights. The total consideration paid for these permits was $9,732,500 ($10,010,880 CDN). The permits were granted by the Province of Alberta under the terms of the Mines and Minerals Act, Alberta. The permits provide the opportunity to convert up to 100% of the permits to a production lease following the completion of specified work requirements. Permits are granted for a five year primary term which expires January 23, 2013. On June 27, 2011, the Company received approval from Alberta Energy to extend the Wallace Creek permits for an additional 67 days to March 31, 2013. Annual rental payments of $1.41 ($1.42 CDN) per acre are required. Following the acquisition, the Alberta permit lands comprised an area totaling 112,599 acres. On November 22, 2011, the Company received approval from the Government of Alberta to extend the expiry date of its Wallace Creek permits until January 24, 2015.

Alberta Oil Sands Lease

On June 1, 2005, Township acquired one lease consisting of approximately 22,773 acres (the “Eagles Nest Prospect”) via a joint venture arrangement. The lease provides for the right to drill for, win, work and recover and the right to remove bitumen resources from the lease for a term of 15 years, subject to the Mines and Minerals Act, Alberta.

As part of the acquisition of the lease, Township granted royalties as to $0.0058 ($0.0058 CDN) (net after a buy back) on each barrel of crude bitumen produced, saved and sold from the Eagles Nest Prospect.

The annual lease rental payable to the Province of Alberta for the Eagles Nest Prospect is $32,089 ($32,256 CDN) per year (see note 15).

Saskatchewan Oil Shale Permits

As at April 30, 2011, the Company held seven oil shale exploration permits near Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan covering 405,961 acres granted under The Oil Shale Regulations, 1964 (Saskatchewan) as amended, revised or substituted from time to time for a term of five years. The term of these permits expired in September and October of 2011.

As at April 30, 2011 and January 31, 2012, the Company held one oil shale exploration permit granted under The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulations, 1969 (Saskatchewan) totaling 83,769 acres near Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan. The permit provides for the right, license, privilege and authority to explore for oil shale within the permit lands and expires on August 12, 2012.

The term of the remaining permit may be extended for up to three one-year extensions subject to regulatory approvals, if required. This oil shale permit was acquired under a land sale work commitment bid for the first two years of the permit. The Company bid a total work commitment of $300,008 ($301,568 CDN) to be incurred during the first two years of the permit and the permit requires a further work commitment of $0.81 ($0.81 CDN) per acre for the last three years and $1.20 ($1.21 CDN) for each extension year plus annual rental payments of $0.10 ($0.10 CDN) per acre. The Company has fulfilled its work commitment for the term of the permit.

Assets under construction

During the period ended January 31, 2012, the Company incurred costs to construct facilities required for the steam assisted gravity drainage (“SAGD”) pilot. The construction of these facilities was still in progress at January 31, 2012. The cost of property classified as “Assets under construction” is excluded from capitalized costs being depreciated. This amount represents property elements that are work-in-progress and not yet suitable to be placed into productive service as of the balance sheet date.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software. This disclosure may include property plant and equipment accounting policies and methodology, a schedule of property, plant and equipment gross, additions, deletions, transfers and other changes, depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, net, accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization expense and useful lives, income statement disclosures, assets held for sale and public utility disclosures.

+ References+ Details

Oilsands Quest Inc 10-Q