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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ý ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _____ to _____

Commission File No. 000-52583

Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

20-5464059

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

14 Philips Parkway, Montvale, NJ 07645

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(800) 942-5550

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Shares of LLC Membership Interest

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer	o	Accelerated filer	o
Non-accelerated filer	x	Smaller reporting company	x
		Emerging growth company	o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. o

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. o

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No x

There is no market for the shares of LLC Membership Interest in the Fund. As of February 26, 2024, there were 486.4825 shares of LLC Membership Interest outstanding.

RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC
2023 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS

			PAGE

PART I
	ITEM 1	BUSINESS	2
	ITEM 1A	RISK FACTORS	10
	ITEM 1B	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	10
	ITEM 1C	CYBERSECURITY	10
	ITEM 2	PROPERTIES	11
	ITEM 3	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	13
	ITEM 4	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	13
PART II
	ITEM 5	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	14
	ITEM 6	[RESERVED]	14
	ITEM 7	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	14
	ITEM 7A	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	19
	ITEM 8	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	19
	ITEM 9	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	19
	ITEM 9A	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	20
	ITEM 9B	OTHER INFORMATION	20
	ITEM 9C	DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS	21
PART III
	ITEM 10	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	22
	ITEM 11	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	23
	ITEM 12	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	23
	ITEM 13	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	23
	ITEM 14	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	24
PART IV
	ITEM 15	EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	25

		SIGNATURES	26

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) and the documents Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC (the “Fund”) has incorporated by reference into this Annual Report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections and statements relating to the Fund’s business plans, strategies, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. You are therefore cautioned against relying on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “target,” “pursue,” “may,” “will,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions and references to future periods. Examples of events that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated include the impact on the Fund’s business and operations of any future widespread health emergencies or public health crises such as pandemics and epidemics, weather conditions, such as hurricanes, changes in market and other conditions affecting the pricing, production and demand of oil and natural gas, the cost and availability of equipment, the military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas and the global response to such conflicts, acts of terrorism and changes in domestic and foreign governmental regulations, as well as other risks and uncertainties discussed in this Annual Report in Item 1. “Business” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Examples of forward-looking statements made herein include statements regarding projects, investments, insurance, capital expenditures and liquidity. Forward-looking statements made in this document speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Fund undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

The Fund is a Delaware limited liability company (“LLC”) formed on August 28, 2006 to primarily acquire interests in oil and natural gas properties located in the United States offshore waters of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Fund initiated its private placement offering on October 1, 2006, selling whole and fractional shares of LLC membership interests (“Shares”), primarily at $150 thousand per whole Share. There is no public market for the Shares and one is not likely to develop. In addition, the Shares are subject to material restrictions on transfer and resale and cannot be transferred or resold except in accordance with the Fund’s limited liability company agreement (the “LLC Agreement”) and applicable federal and state securities laws. The private placement offering was terminated on January 19, 2007. The Fund raised $72.4 million and after payment of $11.8 million in offering fees, commissions and investment fees, the Fund had $60.6 million for investments and operating expenses.

Manager

Ridgewood Energy Corporation (the “Manager” or “Ridgewood Energy”) was founded in 1982. The Manager has direct and exclusive control over the management of the Fund’s operations. The Manager performs, or arranges for the performance of, the management, advisory and administrative services required for the Fund’s operations. Such services include, without limitation, the administration of shareholder accounts, shareholder relations, the preparation, review and dissemination of tax and other financial information and the management of the Fund’s investments in projects. In addition, the Manager provides office space, equipment and facilities and other services necessary for the Fund’s operations. The Manager also engages and manages contractual relations with unaffiliated custodians, depositories, accountants, attorneys, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and others as required. Historically, when the Fund sought project investments, the Manager located potential projects, conducted due diligence, and negotiated the investment transactions with respect to those projects. Because the Fund does not operate any of the projects in which it has acquired a working interest, shareholders rely on the Manager to continue to manage the projects prudently, efficiently and fairly. Additional information regarding the Manager is available through its website at www.ridgewoodenergy.com. No information on such website shall be deemed to be included or incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.

As compensation for its services, the Manager is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, equal to 1% of the total capital contributions made by the Fund’s shareholders, net of cumulative dry-hole well costs incurred by the Fund and fully depleted project investments. The Manager is entitled to receive the management fee from the Fund regardless of the Fund’s profitability in that year. Management fees during each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.2 million. Additionally, the Manager is entitled to receive 15% of the cash distributions from operations made by the Fund. Distributions paid to the Manager during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.3 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

In addition to the management fee, the Fund is required to pay all other expenses it may incur, including insurance premiums, expenses of preparing periodic reports for shareholders and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), taxes, third-party legal, accounting and consulting fees, litigation expenses and other expenses.

Business Strategy

The Fund’s primary investment objective is to generate cash flow for distribution to its shareholders by generating returns across a portfolio of oil and natural gas projects. The frequency and amount of such distributions are within the Manager’s discretion, subject to available cash flow from operations. The Fund, along with other exploration and production companies, has invested in the drilling and development of both shallow and deepwater oil and natural gas projects in the U.S. offshore waters of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fund’s ownership in its projects is recorded with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”), an agency of the United States Department of Interior (“Interior”), as a working interest, which is an undivided fractional interest in a lease block that provides the owner with the right to drill, produce and conduct operating activities and share in any resulting oil and natural gas production.

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The Fund’s capital has been fully invested and as a result, the Fund will not invest in any new projects and will limit its investment activities, if any, to those projects in which it currently has a working interest, as discussed below under the heading “Properties” in this Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report.

Investment Committee

Ridgewood Energy maintains an investment committee consisting of five employees of the Manager (the “Investment Committee”). The members of the Investment Committee provide operational, financial, scientific and technical oil and gas expertise to the Fund. The Investment Committee’s current activities with respect to the Fund are principally related to the development and operation of properties in which it already has a working interest.

Participation and Joint Operating Agreements

On behalf of the Fund, and with respect to the Fund’s projects, the Manager negotiated participation and joint operating agreements with the operators of each project. Under each joint operating agreement, proposals and decisions with respect to a project and related activities are generally made based on percentage ownership approvals and, although an operator’s percentage ownership may constitute a majority ownership, operators generally seek consensus relating to project decisions.

Project Information

The Fund’s existing projects are located in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the Outer Continental Shelf (“OCS”). The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (“OCSLA”), which was enacted in 1953, governs certain activities with respect to working interests and the exploration of oil and natural gas in the OCS. See further discussion under the heading “Regulation” in this Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report.

Leases in the OCS are generally issued for a primary lease term of 5, 7 or 10 years, depending on the water depth of the lease block. Once a lessee drills a well and begins production, the lease term is extended for the duration of commercial production.

The lessee of a particular block, for the term of the lease, has the right to drill and develop exploratory wells and conduct other activities throughout the block. If the initial well on the block is successful, a lessee, or third-party operator for a project, may conduct additional geological studies and may determine to drill additional exploratory or development wells. If a development well is to be drilled in the block, each lessee owning working interests in the block must be offered the opportunity to participate in, and cover the costs of, the development well up to that particular lessee’s working interest ownership percentage.

Royalty Payments

Generally, and depending on the lease, working interest owners of an offshore oil and natural gas lease under the OCSLA pay a royalty of 12.5%, 16.67% or 18.75% to the U.S. Government through the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (“ONRR”). Other than the ONRR royalties, the Fund does not have material royalty burdens.

Deepwater Royalty Relief

In addition to the Royalty Relief Rule, the Deepwater Royalty Relief Act of 1995 (the “Deepwater Royalty Relief Act”) was enacted to promote exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico and relieves eligible leases from paying royalties to the U.S. Government on certain defined amounts of deepwater production. The Deepwater Royalty Relief Act expired in the year 2000 but was extended for qualified leases by the BOEM to promote continued interest in deepwater. The Fund currently has one project, the Diller Project, which is eligible for royalty relief under the Deepwater Royalty Relief Act. The Deepwater Royalty Relief Act does not apply to oil if the prices of oil exceed certain thresholds (currently estimated to be between $46.19 per barrel and $59.97 per barrel) adjusted annually for inflation. The Deepwater Royalty Relief Act does not apply to natural gas if the prices of natural gas exceed certain thresholds (currently estimated to be between $5.77 per mmbtu and $10.00 per mmbtu) adjusted annually for inflation.

Properties

Productive Wells

The following table sets forth the number of productive oil and natural gas wells in which the Fund owned a working interest as of December 31, 2023. Productive wells are producing wells and wells mechanically capable of production. Gross wells are the total number of wells in which the Fund owns a working interest. Net wells are the sum of the Fund’s fractional working interests owned in the gross wells. All of the wells, each of which produces both oil and natural gas, are located in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico and are operated by third-party operators.

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	Total Productive Wells
	Gross		Net
Oil and natural gas		5		0.04

Acreage Data

The following table sets forth the Fund’s working interests in developed oil and natural gas acreage as of December 31, 2023. The Fund did not have undeveloped oil and natural gas acreage as of December 31, 2023. Gross acres are the total number of acres in which the Fund owns a working interest. Net acres are the sum of the fractional working interests owned in gross acres. Ownership interests generally take the form of working interests in oil and natural gas leases that have varying terms. All of the Fund’s oil and natural gas acreage is located in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Developed Acres
Gross		Net
	17,280		147

Information regarding the Fund’s current projects, all of which are located in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is provided in the following table. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report under the heading “Liquidity Needs” for information regarding the funding of the Fund’s capital commitments.

				Total Spent
	Working			through	Total Fund
Project	Interest			December 31, 2023	Budget		Status
				(in thousands)

Diller Project		0.88	%	$3,742	$	4,040	The Diller Project includes the development of two wells. Well #1 and Well #2 commenced production in 2015 and 2019, respectively. One well in the Diller Project, which was shut-in since April 2023 due to a mechanical issue did not resume production. The operator of the project filed a cessation of production notice with the BOEM with last production date of September 3, 2023. The Fund expects to spend $0.3 million for asset retirement obligations.

Marmalard Project		0.84	%	$6,876	$	9,685	The Marmalard Project is expected to include the development of six wells. Four wells commenced production in 2015. Well #5 began drilling in late-September 2023 and commenced production in January 2024. The well is currently shut-in as a result of the cross flow between zones. The operator of the project is currently investigating the next steps to restore production from the well. Well #6 is expected to commence production in 2025. The Fund expects to spend $2.0 million for additional development costs and $0.8 million for asset retirement obligations.

Marketing/Customers

The Manager, on behalf of the Fund, markets the Fund’s oil and natural gas to third parties consistent with industry practice. The Fund utilizes DH Sales and Transport, LLC (“DH S&T”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Manager, as an aggregator to and as an accommodation for the Fund and other funds managed by the Manager to facilitate the transportation and sale of oil and natural gas produced from the Diller and Marmalard projects. In 2016, as amended in April 2018 and September 2021, the Fund entered into a master agreement with DH S&T pursuant to which DH S&T is obligated to purchase from the Fund all of its interests in oil and natural gas produced from the Diller and Marmalard projects and sell such volumes to unrelated third-party purchasers. The number of customers purchasing the Fund’s oil and natural gas may vary from time to time. Currently, the Fund has two major customers in the public market. Because a ready market exists for oil and natural gas, the Fund does not believe that the loss of any individual customer would have a material adverse effect on its financial position or results of operations. The Fund’s current producing projects are near existing transportation infrastructure and pipelines.

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The Fund’s oil and natural gas generally is sold to its customers at prevailing market prices, which fluctuate with demand as a result of related industry variables. The markets for, and prices of, oil and natural gas have been volatile, and they are likely to continue to be volatile in the future. This volatility is caused by numerous factors and market conditions that the Fund cannot control or influence; therefore, it is impossible to predict the future price of oil and natural gas with any certainty. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report under the headings “Commodity Price Changes,” “Results of Operations – Overview” and “Results of Operations – Oil and Gas Revenue” for information regarding the impact of prices on the Fund’s oil and gas revenue.

Seasonality

Generally, the Fund’s business operations are not subject to seasonal fluctuations in the demand for oil and natural gas that would result in more of the Fund’s oil and natural gas being sold, or likely to be sold, during one or more particular months or seasons. Once a project is producing, the operator of the project extracts oil and natural gas reserves throughout the year. Once extracted, oil and natural gas can be sold at any time during the year.

However, notwithstanding the ability of the Fund’s projects to produce year-round, the Fund’s properties are located in the Gulf of Mexico; therefore, its operations and cash flows may be significantly impacted by hurricanes and other inclement weather. Such events may also have a detrimental impact on third-party pipelines and processing facilities, upon which the Fund relies to transport and process the oil and natural gas it produces. The National Hurricane Center defines hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico as June through November. The Fund did not experience any significant damage, shut-ins, or production stoppages due to hurricane activity in 2023.

Operators

The projects in which the Fund has invested are operated and controlled by unaffiliated third-party entities acting as operators. The operators are responsible for drilling, administration and production activities for leases jointly owned by working interest owners and act on behalf of all working interest owners under the terms of the applicable joint operating agreement. In certain circumstances, operators will enter into agreements with independent third-party subcontractors and suppliers to provide the various services required for operating leases. Currently, the Fund's properties are operated by Murphy Exploration & Production Company – USA.

Insurance

The Manager has obtained what it believes to be adequate insurance for the funds that it manages to cover the risks associated with the funds’ passive investments, including those of the Fund. Although the Fund is not an operator, the Manager has, nonetheless, obtained hazard, property, general liability and other insurance in commercially reasonable amounts to cover its projects, as well as general liability, directors’ and officers’ liability and similar coverage for its business operations. However, there is no assurance that such insurance will be adequate to protect the Fund from material losses related to its projects. In addition, the Manager’s practice is to obtain insurance as a package that is intended to cover most, if not all, of the entities under its management. The Manager re-evaluates its insurance coverage on an annual basis. While the Manager believes it has obtained adequate insurance in accordance with customary industry practices, the possibility exists, depending on the extent of the insurable incident, that insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all losses. In addition, depending on the extent, nature and payment of any claims during a particular policy period to the Fund or its affiliates, yearly insurance coverage may be exhausted and become insufficient to cover a claim by the Fund in a given year.

Salvage Fund

The Fund deposits cash in a separate interest-bearing account, or salvage fund, to provide for its proportionate share of the cost of dismantling and removal of production platforms and facilities and plugging and abandoning the wells at the end of their useful lives in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. As of December 31, 2023, the Fund had $1.6 million invested in a salvage fund. On a monthly basis, the Fund contributes to the salvage fund a portion of its operating income to fund its asset retirement obligations as necessary. Such contributions to the salvage fund will reduce the amount of cash distributions that could otherwise be made to investors by the Fund. Any portion of the salvage fund that remains after the Fund has paid for all of its asset retirement obligations will be distributed to the shareholders and the Manager. There are no restrictions on withdrawals from the salvage fund.

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Employees

The Fund has no employees. The Manager operates and manages the Fund.

Offices

The administrative office of both the Fund and the Manager is located at 14 Philips Parkway, Montvale, NJ 07645, and their phone number is 800-942-5550. The Manager leases additional office space at 230 Royal Palm Way, Suite 102, Palm Beach, FL, 33480 and 1254 Enclave Parkway, Houston, TX 77077.

Regulation

Oil and natural gas exploration, development, production and transportation activities are subject to extensive federal and state laws and regulations. Regulations governing exploration and development activities require, among other things, the Fund’s operators to obtain permits to drill projects and to meet bonding, insurance and environmental requirements in order to drill, own or operate projects. In addition, the location of projects, the method of drilling and casing projects, the restoration of properties upon which projects are drilled, and the plugging and abandoning of projects are also subject to regulation. The Fund owns projects that are located in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico on the OCS. The Fund’s operations and activities are therefore governed by the OCSLA and certain other laws and regulations.

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act

Under the OCSLA, the United States federal government has jurisdiction over oil and natural gas development on the OCS. As a result, the United States Secretary of the Interior is empowered to sell exploration, development and production leases of a defined submerged area of the OCS, or a block, through a competitive bidding process. Such activity is conducted by the BOEM. Federal offshore leases are managed both by the BOEM and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (“BSEE”) pursuant to regulations promulgated under the OCSLA. The OCSLA authorizes regulations relating to safety and environmental protection applicable to lessees and permittees operating on the OCS. Specific design and operational standards may apply to OCS vessels, rigs, platforms, vehicles and structures. BSEE regulates the design and operation of well control and other equipment at offshore production sites, implementation of safety and environmental management systems, and mandatory third-party compliance audits, among other requirements. BSEE adopted strict requirements for subsea drilling production equipment and had proposed new requirements to implement equipment reliability improvements, building upon enhanced industry standards for blowout preventers and blowout prevention technologies, and reforms in well design, well control, casing, cementing, real-time well monitoring and subsea containment. BSEE has also published a policy statement on safety culture with nine characteristics of a robust safety culture. In May 2019, BSEE adopted a final rule revising standards for blowout prevention systems and other well controls pertaining to offshore activities (the “2019 Well Control Rule”). The 2019 Well Control Rule became effective July 15, 2019, however compliance with certain provisions was deferred until 2021 or thereafter as specified in those provisions. The 2019 Well Control Rule imposes new requirements relating to, among other things, well design, well control, casing, cementing, real-time well monitoring and subsea containment. The 2019 Well Control Rule applies directly to operators as opposed to non-operators. On September 12, 2022, BSEE announced proposed revisions to provisions of the 2019 Well Control Rule to clarify blowout preventer system requirements and to modify specific blowout prevented equipment capability requirements. On September 14, 2022, the proposed rule was published in the Federal Register with a 60-day public comment period that closed on November 14, 2022. The final revision to the 2019 Well Control Rule was published in the Federal Register on August 23, 2023, and became effective on October 23, 2023. On September 28, 2018, the BSEE published a final rule revising regulations relating to oil and natural gas production safety systems, subsurface safety devices and safety device testing (referred to as “Subpart H”); the rule was effective December 27, 2018. Given the fact that compliance with the 2019 Well Control Rule and Subpart H is the responsibility of the operators and the exploration and development of each well is different, the future costs associated with compliance that will be incurred by non-operators, such as the Fund, cannot be determined or estimated. On December 4, 2020, BOEM published a Record of Decision (“ROD”) for the final programmatic environmental impact statement for geological and geophysical survey activities in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent state waters. The ROD provides for additional mitigation measures for application for future BOEM issued permits or authorizations toward further minimizing impacts of such geological and geophysical survey activities on marine resources. Violations of environmentally related lease conditions or regulations issued pursuant to the OCSLA can result in substantial civil and criminal penalties, which civil penalties were increased and adjusted for inflation on March 24, 2023, as well as potential court injunctions curtailing operations and the cancellation of leases. Such enforcement liabilities, delay or restriction of activities can result from either governmental or citizen prosecution.

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BSEE and BOEM Supplemental Financial Assurance Requirements

On July 14, 2016, the BOEM issued a Notice to Lessees (“NTL 2016-N01”) that discontinued and materially replaced existing policies and procedures regarding financial security (i.e. supplemental bonding) for decommissioning obligations of lessees of federal oil and natural gas leases and owners of pipeline rights-of-way, rights-of-use and easements on the OCS (“Lessees”). Generally, NTL 2016-N01 (i) ended the practice of excusing Lessees from providing such additional security where co-lessees had sufficient financial strength to meet such decommissioning obligations, (ii) established new criteria for determining financial strength and additional security requirements of such Lessees, (iii) provided acceptable forms of such additional security, and (iv) replaced the waiver system with one of self-insurance. The rule became effective as of September 12, 2016, however, the NTL 2016-N01 was not fully implemented.

On October 16, 2020, BOEM and BSEE published a proposed new rule at 85 FR 65904 on Risk, Management, Financial Assurance and Loss Prevention, addressing the streamlining of evaluation criteria when determining whether oil, gas and sulfur leases, right-of-use and easement grant holders, and pipeline right-of-way grant holders may be required to provide bonds or other security above the prescribed amounts for base bonds to ensure compliance with the Lessees’ obligations, primarily decommissioning obligations. The proposed rule was significantly less stringent with respect to financial assurance than NTL 2016-N01. Upon review of the 2020 joint proposed rule and analysis of public comments, the Interior elected to separate the BOEM and BSEE portions of the supplemental bonding requirements. BSEE finalized some provisions from the 2020 proposal as discussed below. BOEM rescinded its portion of the 2020 proposed rule and issued its new proposed rule below.

On April 18, 2023, BSEE published a final rule at 88 FR 23569 on Risk Management, Financial Assurance and Loss Prevention, wherein BSEE clarified and formalized its regulations related to decommissioning responsibilities of OCS oil, gas, and sulfur lessees and grant holders to ensure compliance with lease, grant, and regulatory obligations. The rule became effective May 18, 2023. The rule implements provisions of the 2020 proposed rule intended to clarify decommissioning responsibilities of right-of-use and easement grant holders and to formalize BSEE's policies regarding performance by predecessors ordered to decommission OCS facilities. The final rule withdraws the proposal set forth in the 2020 proposed rule to amend BSEE's regulations to require BSEE to proceed in reverse chronological order against predecessor lessees, owners of operating rights, and grant holders when requiring such entities to perform their accrued decommissioning obligations if the current lessees, owners, or holders have failed to perform. In addition, BSEE also decided not to finalize the proposed appeal bonding requirements in this final rule.

On June 29, 2023, BOEM published a proposed rule, that if adopted as initially proposed, would substantially revise the supplemental financial assurance requirements to decommission offshore wells and infrastructure once they are no longer in use. The proposed rule proposes a simplified test using only two criteria by which BOEM would determine whether supplemental financial assurance should be required of OCS oil and gas lessees: (1) credit rating, and (2) the ratio of the value of proved oil and gas reserves of the lease to the estimated decommissioning liability associated with the reserves. In addition, as it relates to supplemental financial assurance requirements for OCS oil and gas right-of-use and easement grant holders, BOEM will only consider the first criteria – i.e., credit rating. Under the proposed rule, BOEM would no longer consider or rely upon the financial strength of prior grant holders and lessees in determining whether, or how much, supplemental financial assurance should be provided by the current grant holders and lessees. The proposed rule would allow existing lessees and grant holders to request phased-in payments over three years for new financial assurance amounts. The extended public comment period closed on September 7, 2023, and BOEM is reviewing the comments received. The Fund is not able to evaluate the impact of the proposed new rule on its operations or financial condition until a final rule is issued or some other definitive action is taken by the Interior or BOEM.

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Sales and Transportation of Oil and Natural Gas

The Fund, directly or indirectly through affiliated entities, sells its proportionate share of oil and natural gas to the market and receives market prices from such sales. These sales are not currently subject to regulation by any federal or state agency. However, in order for the Fund to make such sales, it is dependent upon unaffiliated pipeline companies whose rates, terms and conditions of transport are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Generally, depending on certain factors, pipelines can charge rates that are either market-based or cost-of-service-based. In some circumstances, rates can be agreed upon pursuant to settlement. Thus, the rates that pipelines charge the Fund, although regulated, are beyond the Fund’s control. Nevertheless, such rates would apply uniformly to all transporters on that pipeline and, as a result, management does not anticipate that the impact to the Fund of any changes in such rates, terms or conditions would be materially different than the impact to other oil or natural gas producers and marketers.

Environmental Matters and Regulation

The Fund’s operations are subject to pervasive environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, the discharge of materials into the air and water, the handling and managing of waste materials, and the protection of aquatic species and habitats. While most of the activities to which these federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations apply are conducted by the operators on the Fund’s behalf, the Fund shares the liability along with its other working interest owners for environmental impacts attributable to the Fund’s operations. The environmental laws and regulations to which its operations are subject may require the Fund, or the operator, to acquire permits to commence drilling operations, restrict or prohibit the release of certain materials or substances into the environment, impose the installation of certain environmental control devices, require certain remedial measures to prevent pollution and other discharges such as the plugging of abandoned projects and, finally, impose in some instances severe penalties, fines and liabilities for the environmental damage that may be caused by, or impacts that may be attributable to, the Fund’s projects.

Some of the environmental laws that apply to oil and natural gas exploration and production are described below:

Oil Pollution Act. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990, as amended (the “OPA”), amends Section 311 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, as amended (the “Clean Water Act”), and was enacted in response to the numerous tanker spills that occurred in the 1980s, including the Exxon Valdez spill. Among other things, the OPA clarifies the federal response authority to, and defines penalties for, such spills. OPA imposes strict, joint and several liabilities on “responsible parties” for damages, including natural resource damages, resulting from oil spills into or upon navigable waters, adjoining shorelines or in the exclusive economic zone of the United States. A “responsible party” includes the owner or operator of an onshore facility and the lessee or permit holder of the area in which an offshore facility is located. The OPA, with regulations promulgated thereunder, establishes a liability limit for onshore facilities and deepwater ports of $725.7 million (as of December 23, 2022), while the liability limit for a responsible party for offshore facilities, including any offshore pipeline, is equal to all removal costs plus up to $167.8 million in other damages for each incident (as of April 14, 2023). These liability limits may not apply if a spill is caused by a party’s gross negligence or willful misconduct, if the spill resulted from violation of a federal safety, construction or operating regulation, or if a party fails to report a spill or to cooperate fully in a clean-up. Regulations under the OPA require owners and operators of rigs in United States waters to maintain certain levels of financial responsibility. A failure to comply with the OPA’s requirements may subject a responsible party to civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement actions. The Fund is not aware of any action or event that would subject us to liability under the OPA. Compliance with the OPA’s financial assurance and other operating requirements has not had, and the Fund believes will not in the future have, a material impact on the Fund’s operations or financial condition.

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Clean Water Act. Generally, the Clean Water Act, as well as analogous state requirements, imposes liability for the unauthorized discharge of pollutants, including petroleum products, into the surface and coastal U.S. waters, except in strict conformance with discharge permits issued by the federal or delegated state agency. Regulations governing water discharges also impose other requirements, such as the obligation to prepare spill response plans. On December 11, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and Department of the Army (“Army”) proposed a revised definition of “waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”), clarifying the limits of federal authority under the Clean Water Act. The scope of this authority, as defined under a 2015 rule, was challenged in several federal district court actions and therefore was repealed by the EPA and the Army on September 12, 2019. The repeal, which became effective on December 23, 2019, restored the previous regulation to how it existed prior to finalization of the 2015 Rule. The 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule (“NWPR”) was then promulgated, with a replacement definition of WOTUS, and went into effect on June 22, 2020. A recent executive order revoked a prior executive order related to WOTUS and directed agencies to review certain actions, including the NWPR. On June 9, 2021, the Department of the Army and EPA announced their intent to initiate a new rulemaking process that would both restore a pre-2015 Clean Water Rule and develop a new rule to establish a new WOTUS definition, and then sought feedback from stakeholders. On September 3, 2021, following a court order vacating the NWPR, the Department of the Army and EPA announced that they had halted implementation of the NWPR and would interpret WOTUS consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime. On November 18, 2021, the EPA and the Department of the Army announced the signing of a proposed rule to revise the definition of WOTUS. On December 7, 2021, the proposed rule was published in the Federal Register with a 60-day public comment period that closed on February 7, 2022. On December 30, 2022, the EPA and the Department the Army announced a final rule establishing a revised definition of WOTUS that restores the pre-2015 regulatory regime (the “2022 Definition”). The 2022 Definition is central to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA, 598 U.S. 651 (2023). On May 25, 2023, the U.S, Supreme Court rendered its decision in Sackett v. EPA, which rejected the 2022 Definition. On August 29, 2023, the EPA and the Department of the Army issued a final rulemaking revising the 2022 Definition in an effort to conform the definition of WOTUS to the Sackett v. EPA decision (the “WOTUS Rule”). The WOTUS Rule is effective as of September 8, 2023. The Fund’s operators are responsible for compliance with the Clean Water Act, although the Fund may be liable for any failure of the operator to do so.

Clean Air Act. The Federal Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended (the “Clean Air Act”), as well as analogous state requirements, restricts the emission of certain air pollutants. Prior to constructing new facilities, permits may be required before work can commence and existing facilities may be required to incur additional capital costs to add equipment to ensure and maintain compliance. OCSLA provides the Secretary of the Interior, through BOEM, with the statutory authority to regulate air quality over the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico. On June 5, 2020, BOEM published the Offshore Air Quality Rule, which revised the air quality regulations applicable to activities that BOEM authorizes on the OCS in the Western Gulf of Mexico. The Offshore Air Quality Rule, effective on July 6, 2020, brings the air quality standards that lessees and operators must meet in order to operate in the Western Gulf of Mexico into compliance with the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards and benchmarks set forth by the EPA under the Clean Air Act. As a result, the Fund’s operations may be required to incur additional costs to comply with the Clean Air Act and comparable state requirements.

International Maritime Organization 2020. In 2016, the International Maritime Organization (“IMO”), a United Nations (“UN”) Agency, instituted a reduction in the sulfur specifications for global marine fuels from 3.5% to 0.5% effective January 1, 2020 in order to reduce the emissions of sulfur to the atmosphere. Shipping companies have the option to buy low sulfur fuel or install scrubbers to lower sulfur emissions to comply with the new regulation. The IMO currently has 175 UN member states that are responsible for monitoring the compliance of the shipping community with this new regulation. The impact to the Fund from this 2020 regulation could be that heavier sour crudes could fall in value relative to lighter sweet crudes as a result of excess high sulfur fuel on the market and subsequent refinery crude slate changes. However, the price of heavier sour crudes in the market continues to be supported by tightness in supply for such crude, new refinery capacity consuming medium/high sulfur crudes and refinery optimization around high sulfur products. As such, the Fund believes IMO 2020 will not in the future have a material impact on the Fund’s operations or financial condition. On July 7, 2023, the Maritime Environmental Protection Committee of IMO adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources to represent at least 5% of energy used by international shipping by 2030. The Fund is not able to evaluate the impact of the 2023 IMO Strategy to its operations or financial condition until specific regulatory measures are adopted or some other definitive action is taken by the IMO.

Climate Change. The oil and gas industry is subject to federal and state greenhouse gas monitoring, reporting and emissions control requirements. The current state of international climate initiatives and federal and state actions, as well as litigation developments, presents challenges to assessing the impact to the Fund’s operations in relation to future international agreements, federal and state legislation, and other new requirements. Future restrictions on emissions of greenhouse gases could have an impact on future operations.

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Other Environmental Laws. In addition to the above, the Fund’s operations may be subject to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, which regulates the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal and cleanup of certain hazardous wastes, as well as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, which imposes joint and several liability without regard to fault or legality of conduct on classes of persons who are considered responsible for the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. Additionally, certain of the Fund’s operations (or actions relating to same) may be subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), as amended by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which requires in general that federal agencies assess the environmental effects of proposed federal actions, typically in the context of projects requiring a federal permit or authorization. Development of oil and gas pipelines are among the types of activities that could trigger NEPA and require such review. On July 16, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published a final rule to amend NEPA regulations to, among other things, clarify when NEPA applies, amend the definition of “effect” in the agency review, streamline the NEPA review, and provide additional flexibility for public involvement. Subsequently, in 2021, the CEQ withdrew the 2020 rule and is now engaged in a comprehensive review of the 2020 rule. The CEQ issued an Interim Final Rule on June 29, 2021, which extended the deadline by two years (to September 14, 2023) for federal agencies to develop or update their NEPA implementing procedures to conform to the CEQ regulations. As part of the CEQ’s two-phased approach to its review of the 2020 rule, on April 20, 2022, the CEQ published its final rule in the Federal Register for the Phase I rulemaking to amend a certain provision of the NEPA regulations, which, restored provisions that were in effect before the 2020 modification of the rule. This Phase I rule became effective on May 20, 2022. On July 31, 2023, the CEQ published a proposed rule in the Federal Register for the Phase II rulemaking, opening a 60-day public comment period. According to CEQ, the proposed Phase II rule seeks to revise the NEPA regulations in ways that would provide for an effective environmental review process that promotes better decision making and regulatory certainty, ensure full and fair public involvement, and provide for sound decision making grounded in science, including consideration of relevant environmental, climate change, and environmental justice effects. The public comment period closed on September 29, 2023, and CEQ is reviewing the comments received. On January 9, 2023, the CEQ published in 88 FR 1196 interim guidance to assist agencies with analyzing GHG emissions and climate change effects for projects that are subject to NEPA review; this guidance became effective immediately. The Fund’s operations may be subject to analogous and comparable state laws and regulations, in addition to these federal statutes and regulations.

The above represents a brief outline of significant environmental laws that may apply to the Fund’s operations. The Fund believes that its operators are in compliance with the relevant requirements of each of these environmental laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder. The Fund does not believe that its environmental, health and safety risks are materially different from those of comparable companies in the United States in the offshore oil and gas industry. However, there are no assurances that the environmental laws described above (including litigation developments relating to same) will not result in curtailment of production; material increases in the costs of production, development or exploration; enforcement actions or other penalties as a result of any non-compliance with any such regulations; or otherwise have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s operating results and cash flows.

Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), among other provisions, establishes federal oversight and regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market and entities that participate in that market and, in addition, requires certain additional SEC reporting requirements.

Under the Fund’s LLC Agreement, the Fund has the authority to utilize derivative instruments to manage the price risk attributable to its oil and gas production. The Dodd-Frank Act mandates that many derivatives be executed in regulated markets and submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses. The Fund is not currently, and has not been during 2023, or at any time since 2012, a party to any derivative instruments or hedging programs.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Not required.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Pursuant to the terms of the Fund’s LLC Agreement, the Manager renders management, advisory and administrative services to the Fund, which includes the assessing, identifying, and managing of material risks from cybersecurity threats through its Corporate IT Security Governance program. Ridgewood Energy's Corporate IT Security Governance program consists of an information security framework and organizational structure with senior management oversight that are designed to safeguard critical information assets.

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Cybersecurity risk is evaluated based upon risk-based approach. An analysis of information and technology assets that ranks the assets based upon their risk of potential internal and external threats and the impact of the potential loss of integrity, confidentiality, and availability of that asset is updated as appropriate. An Information Security Risk Assessment led by the Manager’s Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) is performed on an annual basis, and/or upon major changes of cybersecurity related processes and infrastructure, for evaluating the potential impacts to key technology, processes, and people upon known relevant threats. Either a mitigating action plan and/or risk acceptance with valid business reasons is required as a response to each identified risk. The results of the Information Security Risk Assessment are available to senior management for review and approval.

The Manager has developed and implemented additional programs that assist in reducing risk and providing additional protection of confidential information including:

Collaborative Approach: A comprehensive, cross-functional approach to identifying, preventing and mitigating cybersecurity threats and incidents, while also implementing controls and procedures that provide for the prompt escalation of certain cybersecurity incidents so that decisions regarding the public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made by senior management in a timely manner.

Technical Safeguards: Technical safeguards designed to protect the Fund’s information systems from cybersecurity threats, including firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, anti-malware functionality and access controls, which are evaluated and improved through vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity threat intelligence.

Incidence Response and Recovery Planning: An Incident Response Plan that dictates how the Manager prepares, identifies, contains, remediates, and recovers from various vulnerabilities, threats, and events, including cybersecurity events impacting the Fund.

Third-Party Risk Management: A comprehensive, risk-based approach to identifying and overseeing cybersecurity risks presented by third parties, including vendors, service providers and other external users of the Manager’s systems, as well as the systems of third-parties that could adversely impact the Fund and its investors in the event of a cybersecurity incident affecting those third-party systems.

Education and Awareness: Security Awareness training is provided for all new and existing employees that reviews information concerning cyber risks and user responsibilities and heightens awareness of cyber threats. Training is documented and reported to senior management when appropriate.

Governance

The Fund does not have its own board of directors or any board committees. The Fund relies upon the senior management oversight of the Manager reporting cybersecurity risks to the executive officers of the Fund. The Manager has a Cyber Risk Committee in place comprised of the CIO and other executive officers of the Fund that is responsible for reviewing and approving or rejecting escalated non-standard IT change requests. The CIO communicates regularly and serves as the Fund’s representation to address significant information technology activities and initiatives. The CIO has more than twenty years of experience as an information technology professional and has been CIO since 2007. The CIO has periodic calls with a third-party virtual Chief Information Security Officer on review of policy and procedures best practices and cybersecurity threats.

In 2023, there were no risks from cybersecurity threats that have materially affected or reasonably likely to material affect the Fund, its business strategy, results of operations or financial condition.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The information regarding the Fund’s properties that is contained in Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report under the headings “Project Information” and “Properties,” is incorporated herein by reference.

Drilling Activity

The Fund had no drilling activity for exploratory wells during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. The following table sets forth the Fund’s developmental well drilling activity during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Gross well is the total number of well in which the Fund has a working interest. Net well is the sum of the Fund’s fractional working interests owned in the gross well. The well, which will produce both oil and natural gas, is located in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

	2023				2022
	Gross		Net		Gross		Net
Development well:
In-progress		1		0.01		-		-
Development well total		1		0.01		-		-

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Unaudited Oil and Gas Reserve Quantities

The preparation of the Fund’s oil and gas reserve estimates are completed in accordance with the Fund’s internal control procedures over reserve estimation. Such control procedures include: 1) verification of input data that is provided to an independent petroleum engineering firm; 2) engagement of well-qualified and independent reservoir engineers for preparation of reserve reports annually in accordance with SEC reserve estimation guidelines; and 3) a review of the reserve estimates by a third-party independent petroleum engineering firm.

The Manager’s primary technical person in charge of overseeing the Fund’s reserve estimates has a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering, a Master of Business Administration, and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Association of American Drilling Engineers and the American Petroleum Institute. With over thirty-five years of industry experience, he is currently responsible for reserve reporting, engineering and economic evaluation of exploration and development opportunities, and the oversight of drilling and production operations.

The Fund’s reserve estimates as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 were prepared by Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (“NSAI”), an independent petroleum engineering firm. The information regarding the qualifications of the petroleum engineer is included within the report from NSAI, which is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Proved Reserves. Proved oil and gas reserves are estimated quantities of oil and natural gas, which geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions. Proved developed oil and gas reserves are proved reserves expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods. Proved undeveloped oil and gas reserves are proved reserves expected to be recovered through new wells on undrilled acreage, or through existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for recompletion. The information regarding the Fund’s proved reserves, which is contained in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report under the heading “Critical Accounting Estimates – Proved Reserves,” is incorporated herein by reference. The information regarding the Fund’s unaudited net quantities of proved developed and undeveloped reserves, which is contained in Table III in the “Supplementary Financial Information – Information about Oil and Gas Producing Activities – Unaudited” included in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report, is incorporated herein by reference.

Proved Undeveloped Reserves. As of December 31, 2023, the Fund had proved undeveloped reserves related to the Marmalard Project totaling 10 thousand barrels of oil, 7 thousand barrels of natural gas liquid (“NGL”) and 0.1 million mcf of natural gas. As of December 31, 2022, the Fund had proved undeveloped reserves related to the Marmalard Project totaling 0.1 million barrels of oil, 48 thousand barrels of NGL and 0.4 million mcf of natural gas. The Marmalard Project was determined to be a discovery in 2012 and commenced production in 2015.

The decrease in total proved undeveloped reserves at December 31, 2023 was primarily due to: (a) conversion into proved developed reserves, (b) downward revision due to well performance and change in development plans, partially offset by (c) addition of new proved undeveloped reserves from planned recompletions.

The proved undeveloped reserves relating to the Marmalard Project, which were initially assigned at the end of year 2015 and 2023, are associated with future recompletes. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Fund incurred costs to advance the development of its proved undeveloped reserves of $1.1 million, related to the Marmalard Project. As a result, proved undeveloped reserves of 0.1 million barrels of oil, 15 thousand barrels of NGL and 0.1 million mcf of natural gas were converted to proved developed reserves at the end of year 2023. The Fund expects additional future operations to be completed in 2029 and 2033 related to the Marmalard Project. The proved undeveloped reserves that have been reported since 2015 are expected to be reclassified to proved developed reserves in 2030 after the existing zone is depleted and the rig recompletion is completed to access the zone.

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Information regarding estimated future development costs relating to the Marmalard Project, which is contained in Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report under the heading “Properties,” is incorporated herein by reference. Estimated future development costs include capital spending on planned well recompletions and major development projects, some of which will take several years to complete due to long life sequential production and host facility capacity restraints.

Production and Prices

The information regarding the Fund’s production of oil and natural gas, and certain price and cost information during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 that is contained in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report under the headings “Results of Operations – Overview” and “Results of Operations – Operating Expenses” is incorporated herein by reference.

Delivery Commitments

As of December 31, 2023, the Fund had no delivery obligations or delivery commitments under any existing contracts.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

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PART II

There is currently no established public trading market for the Shares. As of January 31, 2024, there were 1,006 shareholders of record of the Fund.

Distributions are made in accordance with the provisions of the LLC Agreement. At various times throughout the year, the Manager determines whether there is sufficient available cash, as defined in the LLC Agreement, for distribution to shareholders. Distributions may be impacted by amounts of future capital required for the ongoing development of the Fund’s producing projects, as budgeted, as well as the funding of estimated asset retirement obligations. Distributions may also be impacted by fluctuations in oil and natural gas commodity prices. There is no requirement to distribute available cash and, as such, available cash is distributed to the extent and at such times as the Manager believes is advisable. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Fund paid distributions totaling $2.1 million and $3.4 million, respectively.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview of the Fund’s Business

The Fund was organized primarily to acquire interests in oil and natural gas properties located in the United States offshore waters of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. The Fund’s primary investment objective is to generate cash flow for distribution to its shareholders by generating returns across a portfolio of oil and natural gas projects. Distributions to shareholders, if any, are funded from available cash from operations, as defined in the Fund’s LLC Agreement, and the frequency and amount are within the Manager’s discretion. The Fund’s capital has been fully invested and as a result, the Fund will not invest in any new projects and will limit its investment activities, if any, to those projects in which it currently has a working interest.

The Manager performs, or arranges for the performance of, the management, advisory and administrative services required for the Fund’s operations. The Manager does not currently, nor is there any plan to, operate any project in which the Fund participates. The Manager enters into operating agreements with third-party operators for the management of all development and producing operations, as appropriate. The Manager also participates in distributions. See Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report under the headings “Project Information” and “Properties” for more information regarding the projects of the Fund.

Market Conditions

Although oil and natural gas commodity prices during 2023 have been relatively steady compared to 2022, the outlook for the oil and gas market in 2024 continues to be volatile. Oil prices are constantly adjusting to reflect changes in both the current status of, as well as expectations regarding the future of supply/demand balance, which is impacted by the following factors: (i) sentiments regarding current and future global economic activity, whether robust or tepid; (ii) upstream investment activity by the energy industry, which itself reflects the price of oil, as well as access to investment capital; (iii) governmental energy policy in the U.S. and abroad; (iv) the levels of crude oil in commercial storage and global strategic petroleum reserves, which buffer imbalances in daily supply and demand; (v) changing policy out of OPEC Plus aimed to directly manage the global supply/demand balance for crude throughout coordinated output quotas; and (vi) fluctuations in the global purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar, the value of which is inversely related to the price of oil. In addition, ongoing geopolitical conditions, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the evolving Israel-Hamas conflict as well as acts of terrorism, will continue to dictate oil and natural gas commodity prices. The impact of these matters on global financial and commodity markets and their corresponding effect on the Fund remains uncertain.

Commodity Price Changes

Changes in oil and natural gas commodity prices may significantly affect liquidity and expected operating results. Significant declines in oil and natural gas commodity prices not only reduce revenues and profits but could also reduce the quantities of reserves that are commercially recoverable and result in non-cash charges to earnings due to impairment and higher depletion rates.

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Oil and natural gas commodity prices have been subject to significant volatility during the past several years and the outlook continues to be volatile. Although volatile, the overall trend for the crude oil market has been favorable during the year ended December 31, 2023, which positively impacted cash flow generated by the Fund’s projects. The Fund anticipates price cyclicality in its planning and believes it is well positioned to withstand price volatility. The Fund will continue to closely manage and coordinate its capital spending estimates within its expected cash flows to provide for future development costs of its producing projects, as budgeted. See “Results of Operations” under this Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information on the average oil and natural gas prices received by the Fund during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the effect of such average prices on the Fund’s results of operations.

Market pricing for oil and natural gas is volatile and is likely to continue to be volatile in the future. This volatility is caused by numerous factors and market conditions that the Fund cannot control or influence. Therefore, it is impossible to predict the future price of oil and natural gas with any certainty. Factors affecting market pricing for oil and natural gas include:

worldwide economic, political and social conditions impacting the global supply and demand for oil and natural gas, which may be driven by various risks, including war (such as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the evolving Israel-Hamas conflict), terrorism, political unrest, or health epidemics;

weather conditions;

economic conditions, including the impact of continued inflation and associated changes in monetary policy and demand for petroleum-based products;

actions by OPEC Plus, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other state-controlled oil companies;

political instability in the Middle East and other major oil and gas producing regions;

governmental regulations (inclusive of impacts of climate change), both domestic and foreign;

domestic and foreign tax policy;

the pace adopted by foreign governments for the exploration, development, and production of their national reserves;

the supply and price of foreign oil and gas;

the cost of exploring for, producing and delivering oil and gas;

the discovery rate of new oil and gas reserves;

the rate of decline of existing and new oil and gas reserves;

available pipeline and other oil and gas transportation capacity;

the ability of oil and gas companies to raise capital;

the overall supply and demand for oil and gas; and

the price and availability of alternate fuel sources.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The discussion and analysis of the Fund’s financial condition and results of operations are based upon the Fund’s financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). In preparing these financial statements, the Fund is required to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions. These estimates, judgments and assumptions affect the reported amounts of the Fund’s assets and liabilities, including the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of its revenues and expenses during the periods presented. The Fund evaluates these estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. The Fund bases its estimates and assumptions on historical experience and on various other factors that the Fund believes to be reasonable at the time the estimates and assumptions are made. However, future events and actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions and such differences may have a material impact on the results of operations, financial position or cash flows. See Note 1 of “Notes to Financial Statements” – “Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” contained in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” within this Annual Report for a discussion of the Fund’s significant accounting policies. The following is a discussion of the accounting policies and estimates the Fund believes have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the Fund’s financial position or results of operations.

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Proved Reserves

Estimates of proved reserves are key components of the Fund’s most significant financial estimates involving its rate for recording depletion and amortization and estimated future cash flows of oil and gas properties used to test for impairment. Annually, the Fund engages an independent petroleum engineering firm to perform a comprehensive study of the Fund’s proved properties to determine the quantities of reserves and the period over which such reserves will be recoverable. The Fund’s estimates of proved reserves are based on the quantities of oil and natural gas that geological and engineering data demonstrate, with reasonable certainty, to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions. However, there are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of proved reserves and in projecting future revenues and net cash flows, rates of production and timing of development expenditures, including many factors beyond the Fund’s control. The estimation process is very complex and relies on assumptions and subjective interpretations of available geologic, geophysical, engineering and production data and the accuracy of reserves estimates is a function of the quality and quantity of available data, engineering and geological interpretation and judgment. In addition, as a result of volatility and changing market conditions, oil and natural gas commodity prices and future development costs will change from period to period, causing estimates of proved reserves and future net revenues and net cash flows to change.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations include costs to plug and abandon the Fund’s wells and to dismantle and relocate or dispose of the Fund’s production platforms and related structures and restoration costs of land and seabed. The Fund develops estimates of these costs based upon the type of production structure, water depth, reservoir depth and characteristics and ongoing discussions with the wells’ operators. Because these costs typically extend many years into the future, estimating these future costs is difficult and requires significant judgment that is subject to future revisions based upon numerous factors such as the timing of settlements, the credit-adjusted risk-free rates used and inflation rates, including changing technology and the political and regulatory environment. Estimates are reviewed annually, or more frequently if an event occurs that would dictate a change in assumptions or estimates.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Fund reviews the carrying value of its oil and gas properties for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the recorded carrying value of its oil and gas properties may not be recoverable. Recoverability is evaluated by comparing estimated future net undiscounted cash flows to the carrying value of the oil and gas properties at the time of the review. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows, the carrying value of the oil and gas properties is impaired, and written down to fair value. Fair value is determined using valuation techniques that include both market and income approaches and use Level 3 inputs. The fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to change. Different pricing assumptions, estimates of oil and natural gas reserves and future development costs or discount rates could result in a significant impact on the amount of impairment.

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes the Fund’s results of operations during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s financial statements and the notes thereto included within Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report.

	Year Ended December 31
	2023		2022
Revenue
Oil and gas revenue	$	3,573	$	4,550
Expenses
Depletion and amortization		604		346
Operating expenses		548		556
Management fees to affiliate		232		234
General and administrative expenses		169		138
Total expenses		1,553		1,274
Income from operations		2,020		3,276
Other income
Dividend income		23		23
Interest income		82		10
Total other income		105		33
Net income	$	2,125	$	3,309

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Overview. The following table provides information related to the Fund’s oil and gas production and oil and gas revenue during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. NGL sales are included within gas sales.

	Year Ended December 31
	2023		2022
Number of wells producing		6		6
Total number of production days		1,892		1,795
Oil sales (in thousands of barrels)		43		41
Average oil price per barrel	$	77	$	97
Gas sales (in thousands of mcfs)		89		79
Average gas price per mcf	$	2.86	$	7.12

The production related increases noted in the table above were primarily attributable to one well in the Marmalard Project, which was shut-in for the majority of first quarter 2022 due to a mechanical issue. The well returned to production in early-March 2022. These increases were partially offset by one well in the Diller Project, which was shut-in in early-April 2023 due to a mechanical issue. The well did not resume production.

See Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report under the heading “Properties” for more information.

Oil and Gas Revenue. Oil and gas revenue during the year ended December 31, 2023 was $3.6 million, a decrease of $1.0 million from the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was attributable to decreased oil and gas prices totaling $1.2 million, partially offset by increased sales volume totaling $0.2 million.

See “Overview” above for factors that impact the oil and gas revenue volume and rate variances.

Depletion and Amortization. Depletion and amortization during the year ended December 31, 2023 was $0.6 million, an increase of $0.3 million from the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to adjustments to the asset retirement obligations related to fully depleted properties.

See “Overview” above for certain factors that impact the depletion and amortization volume and rate variances. Depletion and amortization rates may also be impacted by changes in reserves estimates provided annually by the Fund’s independent petroleum engineers.

Operating Expenses. Operating expenses represent costs specifically identifiable or allocable to the Fund’s wells, as detailed in the following table.

	Year Ended December 31
	2023		2022
	(in thousands)
Lease operating expense	$	324	$	316
Transportation and processing expense		100		163
Workover expense		61		14
Insurance expense		39		36
Accretion expense and other		24		27
	$	548	$	556

Lease operating expense and transportation and processing expense relate to the Fund’s producing projects. Workover expense represents costs to restore or stimulate production of existing reserves. Insurance expense represents premiums related to the Fund’s projects, which vary depending upon the number of wells producing or drilling. Accretion expense and other primarily relates to the asset retirement obligations established for the Fund’s oil and gas properties.

Production costs, which include lease operating expense, transportation and processing expense and insurance expense, were $0.5 million ($8.07 per barrel of oil equivalent or “BOE”) during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $0.5 million ($9.48 per BOE) during the year ended December 31, 2022.

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Production costs were relatively consistent during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in production costs per BOE during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to the Diller and Marmalard projects as a result of the termination of the fixed lateral fees effective August 2022 through the end of the projects' productive lives. The fixed lateral fees, which were contractually payable for the use of the facility terminated in August 2022, seven years from the date all anchor producers had delivered first production to the Delta House production facility. In addition, one well in the Marmalard Project was shut-in for the majority of first quarter 2022 due to a mechanical issue.

See “Overview” above for factors that impact oil and natural gas production.

Management Fees to Affiliate. An annual management fee, totaling 1% of total capital contributions, net of cumulative dry-hole well costs incurred by the Fund and fully depleted project investments, is paid monthly to the Manager. All or a portion of such fee may be temporarily waived by the Manager to accommodate the Fund’s short-term commitments.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses represent costs specifically identifiable or allocable to the Fund, such as accounting and professional fees and insurance expenses.

Dividend Income. Dividend income is related to the Fund’s investment in Delta House.

Interest Income. Interest income is comprised of interest earned on cash and cash equivalents and salvage fund.

Capital Resources and Liquidity

Operating Cash Flows

Cash flows provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 were $2.7 million, primarily related to revenue received of $3.7 million and interest income received of $0.1 million, partially offset by operating expenses of $0.5 million, management fees of $0.2 million, general and administrative expenses of $0.2 million and the settlement of asset retirement obligations of $0.2 million.

Cash flows provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 were $3.6 million, primarily related to revenue received of $4.4 million, partially offset by operating expenses of $0.5 million, management fees of $0.2 million and general and administrative expenses of $0.1 million.

Investing Cash Flows

Cash flows used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 were $1.2 million, related to capital expenditures for oil and gas properties of $1.2 million, inclusive of advances, and investments in salvage fund of $0.1 million, partially offset by proceeds from the salvage fund of $0.2 million.

Cash flows used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 were $37 thousand, related to investments in salvage fund of $28 thousand and capital expenditures for oil and gas properties of $9 thousand.

Financing Cash Flows

Cash flows used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 were $2.1 million, related to manager and shareholder distributions.

Cash flows used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 were $3.4 million, related to manager and shareholder distributions.

Capital Expenditures

The Fund has entered into multiple agreements for the acquisition, drilling and development of its oil and gas properties. The estimated capital expenditures associated with these agreements vary depending on the stage of development on a property-by-property basis. Capital expenditures for oil and gas properties have been funded with the capital raised by the Fund in its private placement offering. The Fund’s capital has been fully invested and as a result, the Fund will not invest in any new projects and will limit its investment activities, if any, to those projects in which it currently has a working interest. Such investment activities, which include estimated capital spending on planned well recompletions and ongoing development of the Fund’s producing projects, are expected to be funded from cash flows from operations and existing cash-on-hand and not from equity, debt or off-balance sheet financing arrangements.

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See Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report under the heading “Properties” and “Liquidity Needs” below for additional information.

Liquidity Needs

The Fund’s primary short-term and long-term liquidity needs are to fund its operations and capital expenditures for its oil and gas properties. Such needs are funded utilizing operating income and existing cash on-hand.

As of December 31, 2023, the Fund’s estimated capital commitments related to its oil and gas properties were $3.8 million (which include asset retirement obligations for the Fund’s projects of $1.8 million), of which $0.1 million is expected to be spent during the year ending December 31, 2024. Future results of operations and cash flows are dependent on the revenues from production and sale of oil and gas from the Fund’s producing projects. In addition, cash flow from operations may be impacted by fluctuations in oil and natural gas commodity prices. Based upon its current cash position, salvage fund and its current reserves estimates, the Fund expects cash flow from operations to be sufficient to cover its commitments and ongoing operations. Reserves estimates are projections based on engineering data that cannot be measured with precision, require substantial judgment, and are subject to frequent revision.

The Manager is entitled to receive an annual management fee from the Fund regardless of the Fund’s profitability in that year. However, pursuant to the terms of the LLC Agreement, the Manager is also permitted to waive all or a portion of the management fee at its own discretion.

Distributions, if any, are funded from available cash from operations, as defined in the LLC Agreement, and the frequency and amount are within the Manager’s discretion. However, distributions may be impacted by amounts of future capital required for the ongoing development of the Fund’s producing projects, as budgeted, as well as the funding of estimated asset retirement obligations. Distributions may also be impacted by fluctuations in oil and natural gas commodity prices.

Contractual Obligations

The Fund enters into participation and joint operating agreements with operators. On behalf of the Fund, an operator enters into various contractual commitments pertaining to exploration, development and production activities. The Fund does not negotiate such contracts. No contractual obligations exist as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, other than those discussed in “Capital Expenditures” above.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 of “Notes to Financial Statements” – “Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” contained in Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” within this Annual Report for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements applicable to the Fund’s financial statements.

ITEM 7A.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not required.

ITEM 8.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

All financial statements meeting the requirements of Regulation S-X and the supplementary financial information required by Item 302(b) of Regulation S-K are included in the financial statements listed in Item 15. “Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules” and filed as part of this report.

ITEM 9.

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

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ITEM 9A.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Fund, management of the Fund and the Manager carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) as of December 31, 2023. Based upon the evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management of the Fund is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)). The Fund’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management of the Fund, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. In making this assessment, management of the Fund used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on their assessment using those criteria, management of the Fund concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.

This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of the Fund’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Fund’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Fund, as a non-accelerated filer, to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Fund has concluded that there have not been any changes in the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.

OTHER INFORMATION

On February 22, 2024, Robert E. Swanson retired from his position as Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer (“CEO and PEO”) of the Fund, effective immediately. Mr. Swanson will continue to serve as Chairman Emeritus of Ridgewood Energy. The Manager of the Fund appointed Kathleen P. McSherry as the CEO and PEO of the Fund, effective as of February 22, 2024, following the retirement of Mr. Swanson. Ms. McSherry also serves and will continue to serve as the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Fund.

Ms. McSherry’s biographical information is set forth in this Annual Report under Item 10. “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” below, and such information is incorporated herein by reference. There are no family relationships between Ms. McSherry and any other officers of the Fund. There are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. McSherry and any other persons pursuant to which Ms. McSherry was selected to serve as the CEO and PEO of the Fund. There are no transactions since the beginning of fiscal 2022, nor are any currently proposed, between Ms. McSherry and the Fund that would be required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

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On February 22, 2024, the Manager appointed Maria Haggerty, age 53, currently the Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President - Legal of Ridgewood Energy, as an executive officer of the Fund. Ms. Haggerty’s biographical information is set forth in this Annual Report under Item 10. “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” below, and such information is incorporated herein by reference. There are no family relationships between Ms. Haggerty and any other officers of the Fund. There are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Haggerty and any other persons pursuant to which Ms. Haggerty was selected to serve as an executive officer of the Fund. There are no transactions since the beginning of fiscal 2022, nor are any currently proposed, between Ms. Haggerty and the Fund that would be required to be disclosed under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

On February 22, 2024, Kenneth W. Lang retired from his role as an executive officer of the Fund.

During the fourth quarter 2023, no officer of the Fund adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as each term is defined in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 9C.

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

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PART III

ITEM 10.

DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Fund has engaged Ridgewood Energy as the Manager. The Manager has very broad authority, including the authority to appoint the executive officers of the Fund. Executive officers of the Fund and their ages as of December 31, 2023 are as follows:

Name, Age and Position with Registrant

Robert E. Swanson, 76

Chief Executive Officer ⁽¹⁾

Kenneth W. Lang, 69

President ⁽¹⁾

Kathleen P. McSherry, 58

Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary ⁽²⁾

Daniel V. Gulino, 63

Senior Vice President - Legal and Secretary

Maria E. Haggerty, 53

Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President – Legal ⁽³⁾

⁽¹⁾Effective February 22, 2024, Mr. Swanson and Mr. Lang retired from their roles as executive officers of the Fund.

⁽²⁾Effective February 22, 2024, Ms. McSherry was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Fund.

⁽³⁾Effective February 22, 2024, Ms. Haggerty was appointed as an executive officer of the Fund.

The officers in the above table have been officers of the Fund since August 28, 2006, the date of inception of the Fund, with the exception of Mr. Lang, who has been an officer of the Fund since June 2009, and Ms. Haggerty, who was appointed as an officer of the Fund on February 22, 2024. The officers are employed by and paid exclusively by the Manager. Set forth below is certain biographical information regarding the executive officers of Ridgewood Energy and the Fund:

Robert E. Swanson serves as Chairman Emeritus of Ridgewood Energy and has served as its controlling shareholder since its inception. Mr. Swanson is also the Chairman of the Investment Committee of Ridgewood Private Equity Partners, LLC, an affiliate of Ridgewood Energy. Mr. Swanson is an inactive member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Fordham University Law School. Effective February 22, 2024, Mr. Swanson retired from his role as CEO and PEO of the Fund.

Kenneth W. Lang has served as the President of Ridgewood Energy since June 2009 and is a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Lang is a graduate of the University of Houston. Prior to joining the Fund, Mr. Lang was with BP for twenty-four years, ultimately serving for his last two years with BP as Senior Vice President for BP’s Gulf of Mexico business and a member of the Board of Directors for BP America, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Lang was Vice President – Production for BP. Effective February 22, 2024, Mr. Lang retired from his role as an executive officer of the Fund.

Kathleen P. McSherry has served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary of Ridgewood Energy since 2001. Ms. McSherry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Kean University. The Manager of the Fund appointed Ms. McSherry as the CEO and PEO of the Fund, effective as of February 22, 2024, following the retirement of Mr. Swanson. Ms. McSherry also serves and will continue to serve as the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Fund.

Daniel V. Gulino is Senior Vice President - Legal and Secretary for Ridgewood Energy and has served in that capacity for Ridgewood Energy since 2003. Mr. Gulino is a member of the New Jersey State and Pennsylvania State Bars. Mr. Gulino is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers School of Law.

Maria E. Haggerty is the Chief Compliance Officer and Vice-President – Legal of Ridgewood Energy. Ms. Haggerty joined Ridgewood Energy’s legal department in 2005 and has served as Chief Compliance Officer since 2008. She has more than 20 years of legal experience during which time she has focused on private placements, debt structuring, derivative transactions, and other business matters. Prior to joining Ridgewood Energy, Ms. Haggerty was Counsel with the New York office of Bryan Cave LLP. Ms. Haggerty is a member of the New York and New Jersey state bars. She received her J.D. from Pace University School of Law and her B.A. from Marist College.

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Board of Directors and Board Committees

The Fund does not have its own board of directors or any board committees. The Fund relies upon the Manager to provide recommendations regarding dispositions and financial disclosure. Officers of the Fund are not compensated by the Fund, and all compensation matters are addressed by the Manager, as described in Item 11. “Executive Compensation” of this Annual Report. Because the Fund does not maintain a board of directors and because officers of the Fund are compensated by the Manager, the Manager believes that it is appropriate for the Fund to not have a nominating or compensation committee.

Code of Ethics

The Manager has adopted a code of ethics for all employees, including the Manager’s principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer. If any amendments are made to the code of ethics or the Manager grants any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the code that applies to the Manager’s executive officers or principal financial and accounting officer, the Fund will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on the Manager’s website. Copies of the code of ethics are available, without charge, on the Manager’s website at www.ridgewoodenergy.com and in print upon written request to the business address of the Manager at 14 Philips Parkway, Montvale, New Jersey 07645, ATTN: Legal Department.

ITEM 11.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The executive officers of the Fund do not receive compensation from the Fund. The Manager and its affiliates compensate the officers without additional payments by the Fund. See Item 13. “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” of this Annual Report for more information regarding Manager compensation and payments to affiliated entities.

ITEM 12.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 486.4825 shares outstanding as of January 31, 2024. No officer of the Manager or the Fund owns any of the Shares and no person owns more than 5% of the Shares.

ITEM 13.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Pursuant to the terms of the LLC Agreement, the Manager renders management, advisory and administrative services to the Fund. For such services, the Manager is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, of 1% of total capital contributions, net of cumulative dry-hole well costs incurred by the Fund and fully depleted project investments. Management fees during each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.2 million.

The Manager is also entitled to receive 15% of the cash distributions from operations made by the Fund. Distributions paid to the Manager during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.3 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

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DH S&T, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Manager, acts as an aggregator to and as an accommodation for the Fund and other funds managed by the Manager to facilitate the transportation and sale of oil and natural gas produced from the Diller and Marmalard projects. In 2016, as amended in April 2018 and September 2021, the Fund entered into a master agreement with DH S&T pursuant to which DH S&T is obligated to purchase from the Fund all of its interests in oil and natural gas produced from the Diller and Marmalard projects and sell such volumes to unrelated third-party purchasers. Pursuant to the master agreement, DH S&T is a pass-through entity such that it receives no benefit or compensation for the services provided under the master agreement or under any other agreements it enters into with regard to the oil and natural gas purchased from the Fund. The Fund and other funds managed by the Manager have agreed to indemnify, defend and hold harmless DH S&T from and against all claims, liabilities, losses, causes of action, costs and expenses asserted against it as a result of or arising from any act or omission, breach and claims for losses or damages arising out of its dealing with third parties with respect to the transportation, processing or sale of oil and natural gas from the Diller and Marmalard projects. The revenues and expenses from the sale of oil and natural gas to third-party purchasers are recorded as oil and gas revenue and operating expenses in the Fund’s statements of operations and are allocable to the Fund based on the Fund’s working interest ownership in the Diller and Marmalard projects.

At times, short-term payables and receivables, which do not bear interest, arise from transactions with affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

The Fund has working interest ownership in certain oil and natural gas projects, which are also owned by other entities that are likewise managed by the Manager.

Profits and losses are allocated in accordance with the LLC Agreement. In general, profits and losses in any year are allocated 85% to shareholders and 15% to the Manager. The primary exception to this treatment is that all items of expense, loss, deduction and credit attributable to the expenditure of shareholders’ capital contributions are allocated 99% to shareholders and 1% to the Manager.

ITEM 14.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The following table presents fees for services rendered by Deloitte & Touche LLP during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

	Year Ended December 31
	2023		2022
	(in thousands)
Audit fees ⁽¹⁾	$	79	$	79

⁽¹⁾	Fees for audit of annual financial statements, reviews of the related quarterly financial statements, and reviews of documents filed with the SEC.

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PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a) (1) Financial Statements

See “Index to Financial Statements” set forth on page F-1.

(a) (2) Financial Statement Schedules

None.

(a) (3)

EXHIBIT NUMBER	TITLE OF EXHIBIT	METHOD OF FILING

3.1	Certificate of Formation of Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC dated August 28, 2006	Incorporated by reference to the Fund’s Form 10 filed on April 26, 2007

3.2	Amended Limited Liability Company Agreement between Ridgewood Energy Corporation and Investors of Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC dated October 1, 2006	Incorporated by reference to the Fund’s Form 10 filed on April 26, 2007

4	Description of Shares	Incorporated by reference to the Fund’s Form 10-K filed on March 3, 2020

31.1	Certification of Kathleen P. McSherry, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary of the Fund, pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a)	Filed herewith

32	Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, signed by Kathleen P. McSherry, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary of the Fund	Filed herewith

99.1	Report of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc.	Filed herewith

101.INS	Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document	Filed herewith

101.SCH	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema	Filed herewith

101.CAL	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase	Filed herewith

101.DEF	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document	Filed herewith

101.LAB	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase	Filed herewith

101.PRE	Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase	Filed herewith

104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)	Filed herewith

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC


Date: February 26, 2024	By:	/s/ KATHLEEN P. MCSHERRY
		Kathleen P. McSherry Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Capacity	Date

/s/ KATHLEEN P. MCSHERRY	Chief Executive Officer	February 26, 2024
Kathleen P. McSherry	Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary
	(Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)


RIDGEWOOD ENERGY CORPORATION

BY: /s/ MARIA E. HAGGERTY	Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President - Legal	February 26, 2024
Maria E. Haggerty	of the Manager

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INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	PAGE

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 34)	F-2
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022	F-5
Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022	F-6
Statements of Changes in Members' Capital for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022	F-7
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022	F-8
Notes to Financial Statements	F-9
Supplementary Financial Information - Information about Oil and Gas Producing Activities - Unaudited	F-16

F-1

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Manager of Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC (the "Fund") as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related statements of operations, changes in members' capital, and cash flows, for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Oil and Gas Properties, Depletion and Amortization and Impairment of Long-Lived Assets - Refer to Note 1 to the financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

As described in Note 1 to the financial statements, oil and gas properties are accounted for using the successful efforts method. Depletion and amortization of the cost of proved oil and gas properties are calculated using the units-of-production method. Proved developed reserves are used as the base for depleting capitalized costs associated with successful exploratory well costs, development costs and related facilities, other than offshore platforms. The sum of proved developed and proved undeveloped reserves is used as the base for depleting or amortizing leasehold acquisition costs. Also, the Fund reviews the carrying value of its oil and gas properties for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the recorded carrying value of its oil and gas properties may not be recoverable. Recoverability is evaluated by comparing estimated future net undiscounted cash flows to the carrying value of the oil and gas properties at the time of the review. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows, the carrying value of the oil and gas properties is impaired, and written down to fair value.

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Estimates of proved reserves are key components of the Fund’s most significant estimates involving its rate for recording depletion and amortization and estimated future cash flows of oil and gas properties used to test for impairment. Annually, the Fund engages an independent petroleum engineering firm to perform a comprehensive study of the Fund’s proved properties to determine the quantities of reserves and the period over which such reserves will be recoverable. The Fund’s estimates of proved reserves are based on the quantities of oil and natural gas that geological and engineering data demonstrate, with reasonable certainty, to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions.

The Fund’s oil and gas properties, net balance was $3.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and depletion and amortization expense recognized was $0.6 million for the period ended December 31, 2023. No impairment was recognized during 2023.

We identified the impact of the oil and natural gas reserve quantities on the oil and gas properties and depletion and amortization financial statement line items and the evaluation of impairment of long-lived assets as a critical audit matter due to the significant judgments made by the Fund. The significant judgments made by the Fund include the use of specialists to develop and evaluate the Fund’s oil and natural gas reserve quantities, future cash flows, reserve risk weightings, future development costs, and future oil and natural gas commodity prices. Auditing these significant judgments required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the Fund’s estimates and assumptions related to oil and natural gas reserve quantities included the following, among others:

We evaluated the reasonableness of the Fund’s oil and natural gas reserve quantities by performing the following procedures:

Comparing the Fund’s oil and natural gas reserve quantities to historical production volumes.

Evaluating the reasonableness of the methodology used and the production volume decline curve.

Understanding the experience, qualifications and objectivity of management’s expert, an independent petroleum engineering firm.

Comparing forecasts of proved undeveloped oil and natural gas reserves to historical conversions of proved undeveloped oil and natural gas reserves and communication from third-party well operators.

We evaluated management’s assessed reserve risk weighting associated with the development of proved, probable and possible oil and natural gas reserve quantities by comparing the assessed risk to industry surveys.

We evaluated the reasonableness of future development costs by comparing such costs to the approval for expenditures, historical well cost data and communication from third-party well operators.

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We evaluated, with the assistance of our fair value specialists, the reasonableness of future oil and natural gas commodity prices by performing the following procedures:

Understanding the methodology utilized by management for development of the future oil and natural gas commodity prices.

Comparing the future oil and natural gas commodity prices to an independently determined range of prices.

Comparing management’s future oil and natural gas commodity prices to published forward pricing indices and third-party industry sources.

We evaluated the future oil and natural gas commodity prices by comparing future oil and natural gas commodity price differentials to historical realized price differentials.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Morristown, New Jersey

February 26, 2024

We have served as the Fund's auditor since 2006.

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RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC

BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share data)


	December 31,
	2023			2022
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,104		$	1,640
Salvage fund		30			76
Production receivable		271			392
Other current assets		12			16
Total current assets		1,417			2,124
Salvage fund		1,616			1,617
Investment in Delta House		119			119
Oil and gas properties:
Advance payments to operators for capital expenditures		103			-
Proved properties		10,750			9,508
Less: accumulated depletion and amortization		(7,896	)		(7,541	)
Total oil and gas properties, net		2,957			1,967
Total assets	$	6,109		$	5,827

Liabilities and Members' Capital
Current liabilities:
Due to operators	$	70		$	56
Accrued expenses		48			63
Asset retirement obligations		30			76
Total current liabilities		148			195
Asset retirement obligations		1,119			854
Total liabilities		1,267			1,049
Commitments and contingencies (Note 3)
Members' capital:
Manager:
Distributions		(4,115	)		(3,806	)
Retained earnings		3,227			2,832
Manager's total		(888	)		(974	)
Shareholders:
Capital contributions (1,000 shares authorized; 486.4825 issued and outstanding)		72,381			72,381
Syndication costs		(8,541	)		(8,541	)
Distributions		(25,607	)		(23,855	)
Accumulated deficit		(32,503	)		(34,233	)
Shareholders' total		5,730			5,752
Total members' capital		4,842			4,778
Total liabilities and members' capital	$	6,109		$	5,827

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share data)


	Year Ended December 31
	2023		2022
Revenue
Oil and gas revenue	$	3,573	$	4,550
Expenses
Depletion and amortization		604		346
Operating expenses		548		556
Management fees to affiliate (Note 2)		232		234
General and administrative expenses		169		138
Total expenses		1,553		1,274
Income from operations		2,020		3,276
Other income
Dividend income		23		23
Interest income		82		10
Total other income		105		33
Net income	$	2,125	$	3,309

Manager Interest
Net income	$	395	$	547

Shareholder Interest
Net income	$	1,730	$	2,762
Net income per share	$	3,556	$	5,676

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN MEMBERS’ CAPITAL

(in thousands, except share data)


	# of Shares		Manager			Shareholders			Total
Balances, December 31, 2021	-	486.4825	$	(1,006	)	$	5,909		$	4,903
Distributions	-	-		(515	)		(2,919	)		(3,434	)
Net income	-	-		547			2,762			3,309
Balances, December 31, 2022	-	486.4825	$	(974	)	$	5,752		$	4,778
Distributions	-	-		(309	)		(1,752	)		(2,061	)
Net income	-	-		395			1,730			2,125
Balances, December 31, 2023	-	486.4825	$	(888	)	$	5,730		$	4,842

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)


	Year Ended December 31,
	2023			2022

Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$	2,125		$	3,309
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depletion and amortization		604			346
Accretion expense		24			11
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Decrease (increase) in production receivable		121			(110	)
Decrease in other current assets		4			1
Increase (decrease) in due to operators		14			(3	)
Decrease in accrued expenses		(15	)		(1	)
Settlement of asset retirement obligation		(169	)		-
Net cash provided by operating activities		2,708			3,553

Cash flows from investing activities
Advance payments to operators for capital expenditures for oil and gas properties		(104	)		-
Capital expenditures for oil and gas properties		(1,126	)		(9	)
Proceeds from salvage fund		169			-
Increase in salvage fund		(122	)		(28	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(1,183	)		(37	)

Cash flows from financing activities
Distributions		(2,061	)		(3,434	)
Net cash used in financing activities		(2,061	)		(3,434	)

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents		(536	)		82
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year		1,640			1,558
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	$	1,104		$	1,640

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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RIDGEWOOD ENERGY U FUND, LLC

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization

The Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC (the “Fund”), a Delaware limited liability company, was formed on August 28, 2006 and operates pursuant to a limited liability company agreement (the “LLC Agreement”) dated as of October 1, 2006 by and among Ridgewood Energy Corporation (the “Manager”) and the shareholders of the Fund, which addresses matters such as the authority and voting rights of the Manager and shareholders, capitalization, transferability of membership interests, participation in costs and revenues, distribution of assets and dissolution and winding up. The Fund was organized to primarily acquire interests in oil and gas properties located in the United States offshore waters of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Manager has direct and exclusive control over the management of the Fund’s operations. The Manager performs, or arranges for the performance of, the management, advisory and administrative services required for the Fund’s operations. Such services include, without limitation, the administration of shareholder accounts, shareholder relations, the preparation, review and dissemination of tax and other financial information and the management of the Fund’s investments in projects. In addition, the Manager provides office space, equipment and facilities and other services necessary for the Fund’s operations. The Manager also engages and manages contractual relations with unaffiliated custodians, depositories, accountants, attorneys, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and others as required. See Notes 2 and 3.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, management reviews its estimates, including those related to the fair value of financial instruments, depletion and amortization, determination of proved reserves, impairment of long-lived assets and asset retirement obligations. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Fair Value Measurements

The Fund follows the accounting guidance for fair value measurement for measuring fair value of assets and liabilities in its financial statements. The fair value measurement guidance provides a hierarchy that prioritizes and defines the types of inputs used to measure fair value. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs, which consist of unadjusted quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. Level 2 inputs consist of quoted prices for similar instruments. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the instrument; hence, these inputs have the lowest priority.

The Fund’s financial assets and liabilities consist of cash and cash equivalents, salvage fund, production receivable, other current assets, investment in Delta House, due to operators and accrued expenses. Except for investment in Delta House, the carrying amounts of these financial assets and liabilities approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. The Fund’s investment in Delta House is valued using the measurement alternative for investment in other entities (see Investment in Delta House below for additional information). The Fund also applies the provisions of the fair value measurement accounting guidance to its non-financial assets and liabilities, such as oil and gas properties and asset retirement obligations, on a non-recurring basis.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

All highly liquid investments with maturities, when purchased, of three months or less, are considered cash equivalents. These balances, as well as cash on hand, are included in “Cash and cash equivalents” on the balance sheet. As of December 31, 2023, the Fund had no cash equivalents. At times, deposits may be in excess of federally insured limits, which are $250 thousand per insured financial institution. As of December 31, 2023, the Fund’s bank balances, including salvage fund, exceeded federally insured limits by $2.6 million.

Salvage Fund

The Fund deposits cash in a separate interest-bearing account, or salvage fund, to provide for the dismantling and removal of production platforms and facilities and plugging and abandoning its wells at the end of their useful lives in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Interest earned on the account will become part of the salvage fund. There are no restrictions on withdrawals from the salvage fund.

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Investment in Delta House

The Fund has investments in Delta House Oil and Gas Lateral, LLC and Delta House FPS, LLC (collectively “Delta House”), legal entities that own interests in a deepwater floating production system operated by Murphy Exploration & Production Company - USA. The investment in Delta House is valued using the measurement alternative to record the investment at cost, less impairment and plus or minus subsequent adjustments for observable price changes with change in basis reported in current earnings. At each reporting period, the Fund reviews its investment in Delta House to evaluate whether the investment is impaired. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no impairments of the Fund’s investment in Delta House.

Oil and Gas Properties

The Fund invests in oil and gas properties, which are operated by unaffiliated entities that are responsible for drilling, administering and producing activities pursuant to the terms of the applicable operating agreements with working interest owners. The Fund’s portion of exploration, drilling, operating and capital equipment expenditures is billed by operators.

Acquisition, exploration and development costs are accounted for using the successful efforts method. Costs of acquiring unproved and proved oil and natural gas leasehold acreage, including lease bonuses, brokers’ fees and other related costs are capitalized. Costs of drilling and equipping productive wells and related production facilities are capitalized. The costs of exploratory wells are capitalized pending determination of whether proved reserves have been found. If proved commercial reserves are not found, exploratory well costs are expensed as dry-hole costs. At times, the Fund receives adjustments to certain wells from their respective operators upon review and audit of the wells’ costs. Annual lease rentals and exploration expenses are expensed as incurred. All costs related to production activity, transportation expense and workover efforts are expensed as incurred.

Once a property has been determined to be fully depleted or upon the sale, retirement or abandonment of a property, the cost and related accumulated depletion and amortization, if any, is eliminated from the property accounts, and the resultant gain or loss is recognized.

The Fund may be required to advance its share of the estimated succeeding month’s expenditures to the operator for its oil and gas properties. As the costs are incurred, the advances are reclassified to proved properties.

Asset Retirement Obligations

For oil and gas properties, there are obligations to perform removal and remediation activities when the properties are retired. Upon the determination that a property is either proved or dry, a retirement obligation is incurred. The Fund recognizes the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period incurred based on expected future cash outflows required to satisfy the obligation discounted at the Fund’s credit-adjusted risk-free rate. Plug and abandonment costs associated with unsuccessful projects are expensed as dry-hole costs. Annually, or more frequently if an event occurs that would dictate a change in assumptions or estimates underlying the obligations, the Fund reassesses its asset retirement obligations to determine whether any revisions to the obligations are necessary. The Fund maintains a salvage fund to provide for the funding of future asset retirement obligations. The following table presents changes in asset retirement obligations during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:


	December 31,
	2023			2022
	(in thousands)
Balance, beginning of year	$	930		$	830
Liabilities incurred		34			-
Liabilities settled		(169	)		-
Accretion expense		24			11
Revision of estimates		330			89
Balance, end of year	$	1,149		$	930

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Fund recorded depletion expense totaling $0.2 million related to adjustments to the asset retirement obligations for fully depleted properties.

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Syndication Costs

Syndication costs are direct costs incurred by the Fund in connection with the offering of the Fund’s shares, including professional fees, selling expenses and administrative costs payable to the Manager, an affiliate of the Manager and unaffiliated broker-dealers, which are reflected on the Fund’s balance sheet as a reduction of shareholders’ capital.

Revenue Recognition

Oil and gas revenues from contracts with customers are recognized at the point when control of oil and natural gas is transferred to the customers in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). The Fund’s revenue recognition policies, performance obligations and significant judgements in applying ASC 606 are described below.

Oil and Gas Revenue

Generally, the Fund sells oil and natural gas under two types of agreements, which are common in the oil and gas industry. Natural gas liquid (“NGL”) sales are included within gas revenues. The Fund’s oil and natural gas generally are sold to its customers at prevailing market prices based on an index in which the prices are published, adjusted for pricing differentials, quality of oil and pipeline allowances.

In the first type of agreement, a netback agreement, the Fund receives a price, net of pricing differentials as well as transportation expense incurred by the customer, and the Fund records revenue at the wellhead at the net price received where control transfers to the customer. In the second type of agreement, the Fund delivers oil and natural gas to the customer at a contractually agreed-upon delivery point where the customer takes control. The Fund pays a third-party to transport the oil and natural gas and receives a specific market price from the customer net of pricing adjustments. The Fund records the transportation expense within operating expenses in the statements of operations.

Under the Fund’s natural gas processing contracts, the Fund delivers natural gas to a midstream processing company at the inlet of the midstream processing company’s facility. The midstream processing company gathers and processes the natural gas and remits the proceeds to the Fund for the sale of NGLs. In this type of arrangement, the Fund evaluates whether it is the principal or agent in the transaction. The Fund concluded that it is the principal and the ultimate third-party purchaser is the customer; therefore, the Fund recognizes revenue on a gross basis, with transportation, gathering and processing fees recorded as an expense within operating expenses in the statements of operations.

In certain instances, the Fund may elect to take its residue gas and NGLs in-kind at the tailgate of the midstream company’s processing plant and subsequently market such volumes. Through its marketing process, the Fund delivers the residue gas and NGLs to the ultimate third-party customer at a contractually agreed-upon delivery point and receives a specified market price from the customer. In this arrangement, the Fund recognizes revenue when control transfers to the customer at the delivery point based on the market price received from the customer. The transportation, gathering and processing fees are recorded as expense within operating expenses in the statements of operations.

The Fund assesses the performance obligations promised in its oil and natural gas contracts based on each unit of oil and natural gas that will be transferred to its customer because each unit is capable of being distinct. The Fund satisfies its performance obligation when control transfers at a point in time when its customer is able to direct the use of, and obtain substantially all of the benefits from, the oil and natural gas delivered. Under each of the Fund’s oil and natural gas contracts, contract prices are variable and based on an index in which the prices are published, which fluctuate as a result of related industry variables, adjusted for pricing differentials, quality of the oil and pipeline allowances. The use of index-based pricing with predictable differentials reduces the level of uncertainty related to oil and natural gas prices. Additionally, any variable consideration is not constrained. Payments are received in the month following the oil and natural gas production month. Adjustments that occur after delivery are reflected in revenue in the month payments are received.

Transaction Price Allocated to Remaining Performance Obligations

Under the Fund’s oil and natural gas contracts, each unit of oil and natural gas represents a separate performance obligation; therefore, future volumes are wholly unsatisfied and the transaction price related to the remaining performance obligations is the variable index-based price attributable to each unit of oil and natural gas that is transferred to the customer.

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Contract Balances

The Fund invoices customers once its performance obligations have been satisfied, at which point the payment is unconditional. Accordingly, the Fund’s oil and natural gas contracts do not give rise to contract assets or liabilities. The receivables related to the Fund’s oil and gas revenue are included within “Production receivable” on the Fund’s balance sheets.

Prior Period Performance Obligations

The Fund records oil and gas revenue in the month production is delivered to its customers. However, settlement statements for residue gas and NGLs sales may not be received for 30 to 60 days after the date production is delivered. As a result, the Fund is required to estimate the amount of production delivered to the purchaser and the price that will be received for the sale of the residue gas and NGLs. The Fund records the differences between its estimates and the actual amounts received in the month that the payment is received from the customer. The Fund has an estimation process for revenue and related accruals, and any identified difference between its revenue estimates and actual revenue historically have not been significant. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, revenue recognized from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods was not significant.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Fund is exposed to credit losses through the sale of oil and natural gas to customers. However, the Fund only sells to a small number of major oil and gas companies that have investment-grade credit ratings. Based on historical collection experience, current and future economic and market conditions and a review of the current status of customers' production receivables, the Fund has not recorded an expected loss allowance as there are no past due receivable balances or projected credit losses.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Fund reviews the carrying value of its oil and gas properties for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that the recorded carrying value of its oil and gas properties may not be recoverable. Recoverability is evaluated by comparing estimated future net undiscounted cash flows to the carrying value of the oil and gas properties at the time of the review. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows, the carrying value of the oil and gas properties is impaired, and written down to fair value. Fair value is determined using valuation techniques that include both market and income approaches and use Level 3 inputs. The fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to change. Different pricing assumptions, estimates of oil and gas reserves and future development costs or discount rates could result in a significant impact on the amount of impairment.

There were no impairments of oil and gas properties during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Fluctuations in oil and natural gas commodity prices may impact the fair value of the Fund’s oil and gas properties. In addition, significant declines in oil and natural gas commodity prices could reduce the quantities of reserves that are commercially recoverable, which could result in impairment.

Depletion and Amortization

Depletion and amortization of the cost of proved oil and gas properties are calculated using the units-of-production method. Proved developed reserves are used as the base for depleting capitalized costs associated with successful exploratory well costs, development costs and related facilities, other than offshore platforms. The sum of proved developed and proved undeveloped reserves is used as the base for depleting or amortizing leasehold acquisition costs.

Income Taxes

No provision is made for income taxes in the financial statements. The Fund is a limited liability company, and as such, the Fund’s income or loss is passed through and included in the tax returns of the Fund’s shareholders. The Fund files U.S. Federal and State tax returns and the 2020 through 2022 tax returns remain open for examination by tax authorities.

Income and Expense Allocation

Profits and losses are allocated to shareholders and the Manager in accordance with the LLC Agreement. In general, profits and losses in any year are allocated 85% to shareholders and 15% to the Manager. The primary exception to this treatment is that all items of expense, loss, deduction and credit attributable to the expenditure of shareholders’ capital contributions are allocated 99% to shareholders and 1% to the Manager.

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Distributions

Distributions to shareholders are allocated in proportion to the number of shares held. The Manager determines whether available cash from operations, as defined in the LLC Agreement, will be distributed. Such distributions are allocated 85% to the shareholders and 15% to the Manager, as required by the LLC Agreement.

Available cash from dispositions, as defined in the LLC Agreement, will be paid 99% to shareholders and 1% to the Manager until the shareholders have received total distributions equal to their capital contributions. After shareholders have received distributions equal to their capital contributions, 85% of available cash from dispositions will be distributed to shareholders and 15% to the Manager.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Fund has considered recent accounting pronouncements issued during the year ended December 31, 2023 and through the filing of this report, and the Fund has not identified new standards that it believes will have an impact on the Fund’s financial statements.

2. Related Parties

Pursuant to the terms of the LLC Agreement, the Manager is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, of 2.5% of total capital contributions, net of cumulative dry-hole well costs incurred by the Fund and fully depleted project investments. In 2012, the Manager elected to reduce its management fee to 1% annually, however, the Manager is still permitted to waive all or a portion of the reduced management fee at its own discretion. Therefore, all or a portion of the management fee may be temporarily waived to accommodate the Fund’s short-term commitments. Management fees during each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0.2 million.

The Fund utilizes DH Sales and Transport, LLC (“DH S&T”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Manager, as an aggregator to and as an accommodation for the Fund and other funds managed by the Manager to facilitate the transportation and sale of oil and natural gas produced from the Diller and Marmalard projects. In 2016, as amended in April 2018 and September 2021, the Fund entered into a master agreement with DH S&T pursuant to which DH S&T is obligated to purchase from the Fund all of its interests in oil and natural gas produced from the Diller and Marmalard projects and sell such volumes to unrelated third-party purchasers. Pursuant to the master agreement, DH S&T is a pass-through entity such that it receives no benefit or compensation for the services provided under the master agreement or under any other agreements it enters into with regard to the oil and natural gas purchased from the Fund. The Fund and other funds managed by the Manager have agreed to indemnify, defend and hold harmless DH S&T from and against all claims, liabilities, losses, causes of action, costs and expenses asserted against it as a result of or arising from any act or omission, breach and claims for losses or damages arising out of its dealing with third parties with respect to the transportation, processing or sale of oil and natural gas from the Diller and Marmalard projects. The revenues and expenses from the sale of oil and natural gas to third-party purchasers are recorded as oil and gas revenue and operating expenses in the Fund’s statements of operations and are allocable to the Fund based on the Fund’s working interest ownership in the Diller and Marmalard projects.

At times, short-term payables and receivables, which do not bear interest, arise from transactions with affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

The Fund has working interest ownership in certain oil and natural gas projects, which are also owned by other entities that are likewise managed by the Manager.

3. Commitments and Contingencies

Capital Commitments

As of December 31, 2023, the Fund’s estimated capital commitments related to its oil and gas properties were $3.8 million (which include asset retirement obligations for the Fund’s projects of $1.8 million), of which $0.1 million is expected to be spent during the year ending December 31, 2024. Future results of operations and cash flows are dependent on the revenues from production and sale of oil and natural gas from the Fund’s producing projects. Based upon its current cash position, salvage fund and its current reserves estimates, the Fund expects cash flow from operations to be sufficient to cover its commitments and ongoing operations. Reserves estimates are projections based on engineering data that cannot be measured with precision, require substantial judgment, and are subject to frequent revision.

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Impact from market conditions

Oil prices are constantly adjusting to reflect changes in both the current status of, as well as expectations regarding the future of supply/demand balance, which is impacted by the following factors: (i) sentiments regarding current and future global economic activity, whether robust or tepid; (ii) upstream investment activity by the energy industry, which itself reflects the price of oil, as well as access to investment capital; (iii) governmental energy policy in the U.S. and abroad; (iv) the levels of crude oil in commercial storage and global strategic petroleum reserves, which buffer imbalances in daily supply and demand; (v) changing policy out of OPEC Plus aimed to directly manage the global supply/demand balance for crude throughout coordinated output quotas; and (vi) fluctuations in the global purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar, the value of which is inversely related to the price of oil. In addition, ongoing geopolitical conditions, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the evolving Israel-Hamas conflict as well as acts of terrorism, will continue to dictate oil and natural gas commodity prices. The impact of these matters on global financial and commodity markets and their corresponding effect on the Fund remains uncertain.

Environmental and Governmental Regulations

Many aspects of the oil and gas industry are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. The Manager and operators of the Fund’s properties are continually taking action they believe appropriate to satisfy applicable federal, state and local environmental regulations. However, due to the significant public and governmental interest in environmental matters related to those activities, the Manager cannot predict the effects of possible future legislation, rule changes, or governmental or private claims. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no known environmental contingencies that required adjustment to, or disclosure in, the Fund’s financial statements.

Oil and gas industry legislation and administrative regulations are periodically changed for a variety of political, economic, and other reasons. Any such future laws and regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating restrictions, which could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s operating results and cash flows. It is not possible at this time to predict whether such legislation or regulation, if proposed, will be adopted as initially written, if at all, or how legislation or new regulation that may be adopted would impact the Fund’s business.

BSEE and BOEM Supplemental Financial Assurance Requirements

On July 14, 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) issued a Notice to Lessees (“NTL 2016-N01”) that discontinued and materially replaced existing policies and procedures regarding financial security (i.e. supplemental bonding) for decommissioning obligations of lessees of federal oil and natural gas leases and owners of pipeline rights-of-way, rights-of-use and easements on the Outer Continental Shelf (“Lessees”). Generally, NTL 2016-N01 (i) ended the practice of excusing Lessees from providing such additional security where co-lessees had sufficient financial strength to meet such decommissioning obligations, (ii) established new criteria for determining financial strength and additional security requirements of such Lessees, (iii) provided acceptable forms of such additional security, and (iv) replaced the waiver system with one of self-insurance. The rule became effective as of September 12, 2016, however, the NTL 2016-N01 was not fully implemented.

On October 16, 2020, BOEM and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (“BSEE”) published a proposed new rule at 85 FR 65904 on Risk, Management, Financial Assurance and Loss Prevention, addressing the streamlining of evaluation criteria when determining whether oil, gas and sulfur leases, right-of-use and easement grant holders, and pipeline right-of-way grant holders may be required to provide bonds or other security above the prescribed amounts for base bonds to ensure compliance with the Lessees’ obligations, primarily decommissioning obligations. The proposed rule was significantly less stringent with respect to financial assurance than NTL 2016-N01. Upon review of the 2020 joint proposed rule and analysis of public comments, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior elected to separate the BOEM and BSEE portions of the supplemental bonding requirements. BSEE finalized some provisions from the 2020 proposal as discussed below. BOEM rescinded its portion of the 2020 proposed rule and issued its new proposed rule below.

On April 18, 2023, BSEE published a final rule at 88 FR 23569 on Risk Management, Financial Assurance and Loss Prevention, wherein BSEE clarified and formalized its regulations related to decommissioning responsibilities of Outer Continental Shelf (“OCS”) oil, gas, and sulfur lessees and grant holders to ensure compliance with lease, grant, and regulatory obligations. The rule became effective May 18, 2023. The rule implements provisions of the 2020 proposed rule intended to clarify decommissioning responsibilities of right-of-use and easement grant holders and to formalize BSEE's policies regarding performance by predecessors ordered to decommission OCS facilities. The final rule withdraws the proposal set forth in the 2020 proposed rule to amend BSEE's regulations to require BSEE to proceed in reverse chronological order against predecessor lessees, owners of operating rights, and grant holders when requiring such entities to perform their accrued decommissioning obligations if the current lessees, owners, or holders have failed to perform. In addition, BSEE also decided not to finalize the proposed appeal bonding requirements in this final rule.

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Insurance Coverage

The Fund is subject to all risks inherent in the oil and natural gas business. Insurance coverage as is customary for entities engaged in similar operations is maintained, but losses may occur from uninsurable risks or amounts in excess of existing insurance coverage. The occurrence of an event that is not insured or not fully insured could have a material adverse impact upon earnings and financial position. Moreover, insurance is obtained as a package covering all of the entities managed by the Manager. Depending on the extent, nature and payment of claims made by the Fund or other entities managed by the Manager, yearly insurance coverage may be exhausted and become insufficient to cover a claim by the Fund in a given year.

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Ridgewood Energy U Fund, LLC

Supplementary Financial Information

Information about Oil and Gas Producing Activities - Unaudited

In accordance with the FASB guidance on disclosures of oil and gas producing activities, this section provides supplementary information on oil and gas exploration and producing activities of the Fund. The Fund is engaged solely in oil and gas activities, all of which are located in the United States offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Table I - Capitalized Costs Relating to Oil and Gas Producing Activities

Schedule of capitalized costs relating to oil and gas producing activities
	December 31,
	2023			2022
	(in thousands)
Advance payments to operators for capital expenditures	$	103		$	-
Proved properties		10,750			9,508
Accumulated depletion and amortization		(7,896	)		(7,541	)
Oil and gas properties, net	$	2,957		$	1,967

Table II - Costs Incurred in Oil and Gas Property Acquisition, Exploration, and Development


	Year ended December 31,
	2023		2022
	(in thousands)
Development costs	$	1,490	$	115
	$	1,490	$	115

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Table III - Reserve Quantity Information

Oil and gas reserves of the Fund have been estimated by independent petroleum engineers, Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. at December 31, 2023 and 2022. These reserve disclosures have been prepared in compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Due to inherent uncertainties and the limited nature of recovery data, estimates of reserve information are subject to change as additional information becomes available.

Schedule of reserve quantity information
	December 31, 2023												December 31, 2022
	United States
	Oil (MBBL)			NGL (MBBL)			Gas (MMCF)			Total (MBOE) (a)			Oil (MBBL)			NGL (MBBL)			Gas (MMCF)			Total (MBOE) (a)

Proved developed and undeveloped reserves:
Beginning of year		318.2			109.6			808.3			562.5			335.9			124.9			973.7			623.1
Revisions of previous estimates (b)		(46.6	)		(45.7	)		(297.8	)		(141.9	)		23.4			(9.3	)		(121.5	)		(6.2	)
Production		(42.7	)		(6.4	)		(51.5	)		(57.7	)		(41.1	)		(6.0	)		(43.9	)		(54.4	)
End of year		228.9			57.5			459.0			362.9			318.2			109.6			808.3			562.5

Proved developed reserves:
Beginning of year		228.1			62.1			457.9			366.5			176.2			55.0			432.1			303.3
End of year		218.8			50.5			403.1			336.5			228.1			62.1			457.9			366.5

Proved undeveloped reserves:
Beginning of year		90.1			47.5			350.4			196.0			159.7			69.9			541.6			319.8
End of year		10.1			7.0			55.9			26.4			90.1			47.5			350.4			196.0

(a)

BOE refers to barrel of oil equivalent. Barrel of oil equivalent is based on six MCF of natural gas to one barrel of oil or one barrel of NGL, which reflects an energy content equivalency and not a price or revenue equivalency.

(b)

Revisions of previous estimates were attributable to well performance.

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Table IV - Standardized Measure of Discounted Future Net Cash Flows Relating to Proved Oil and Gas Reserves

Summarized in the following table is information for the Fund with respect to the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows relating to proved oil and gas reserves. Future cash inflows were determined based on average first-of-the-month pricing for the prior twelve-month period. Future production and development costs are derived based on current costs assuming continuation of existing economic conditions.


	December 31,
	2023			2022
	(in thousands)
Future cash inflows	$	19,437		$	38,791
Future production costs		(4,711	)		(8,374	)
Future development costs		(2,720	)		(4,406	)
Future net cash flows		12,006			26,011
10% annual discount for estimated timing of cash flows		(2,393	)		(7,431	)
Standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows	$	9,613		$	18,580

Table V - Changes in the Standardized Measure for Discounted Cash Flows

The changes in present values between years, which can be significant, reflect changes in estimated proved reserve quantities and prices and assumptions used in forecasting production volumes and costs.


	Year ended December 31,
	2023			2022
	(in thousands)
Net change in sales and transfer prices and in production costs related to future production	$	(4,688	)	$	10,553
Sales and transfers of oil and gas produced during the period		(3,110	)		(4,035	)
Changes in estimated future development costs		1,686			(948	)
Net change due to revisions in quantities estimates		(4,611	)		(240	)
Accretion of discount		1,858			1,046
Other		(102	)		1,748
Aggregate change in the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows for the year	$	(8,967	)	$	8,124

It is necessary to emphasize that the data presented should not be viewed as representing the expected cash flow from or current value of existing proved reserves as the computations are based on a number of estimates. Reserve quantities cannot be measured with precision and their estimation requires many judgmental determinations and frequent revisions. The required projection of production and related expenditures over time requires further estimates with respect to pipeline availability, rates and governmental control. Actual future prices and costs are likely to be substantially different from the current price and cost estimates utilized in the computation of reported amounts. Any analysis or evaluation of the reported amounts should give specific recognition to the computational methods utilized and the limitation inherent therein.

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Ridgewood Energy U Fund LLC 10-K