Reabold Resources plc has confirmed that preparatory work is set to begin at the West Newton natural gas project in East Yorkshire, marking what the company describes as a significant operational milestone ahead of a planned recompletion, stimulation and testing programme at the West Newton A-2 well.

Work Commences at WNA-2

Rathlin Energy (UK) Ltd, the operator of the PEDL183 licence containing West Newton, has issued formal notice that work will commence shortly at the site. Authorities for Expenditure have already been issued covering access road works and the procurement of long-lead items, including specialist chemicals required for the stimulation programme. Final engineering activities and contract awards are currently underway.

Subject to the completion of preparatory work, Rathlin intends to install a new completion string at WNA-2 and undertake a testing programme. The total gross cost of the programme is estimated at approximately USD 3.39 million, excluding contingency. Reabold confirmed it is funded for its share of the programme following a USD 5.64 million equity placing completed earlier this year.

Reabold characterised the work as a relatively low-cost and low-risk programme capable of providing important data to further de-risk West Newton and help optimise future production wells.

Project Scale and Ownership Structure

West Newton is located onshore in East Yorkshire and is regarded by Reabold as one of the largest onshore hydrocarbon discoveries in the United Kingdom. Reabold holds an approximately 69.9% economic interest in the PEDL183 licence and West Newton through its approximately 79.8% shareholding in Rathlin, which owns 66.67% of the licence, together with Reabold's direct 16.665% licence interest.

The company continues to assert that West Newton has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to UK domestic energy supply and energy security.

Community Benefit Fund to Be Established

Alongside the operational announcements, Rathlin has confirmed that a community benefit fund associated with West Newton will be established. No further details regarding the size or structure of the fund were disclosed in the announcement.

Data Center Feasibility Study Underway

Running in parallel with the WNA-2 work programme, Reabold has announced that a feasibility study is underway to examine the potential co-location of power generation and data center infrastructure at the West Newton site. The proposal centers on using natural gas produced from the field to generate electricity for on-site facilities.

Reabold described the concept as a potential "behind-the-meter" power solution for UK digital infrastructure, which could provide an additional route to monetise West Newton's gas resource alongside a conventional development of the field.

The company pointed to the rapid growth in electricity demand from artificial intelligence and the wider digital economy, arguing that access to secure, scalable, affordable, and reliable power has become an increasingly important constraint on new data center developments.

Reabold argued that West Newton's onshore location, scale, and proximity to existing grid and transport infrastructure could make the project particularly well suited to such an application.

The company believes the data center proposal could establish an additional value pathway for West Newton alongside existing natural gas development plans, particularly as AI-driven growth continues to increase demand for large-scale computing infrastructure and dependable electricity supplies.

Executive Commentary

Reabold co-chief executive Stephen Williams said the commencement of preparatory work represented a significant operational milestone for the project and an important step towards unlocking West Newton's value.

Williams said Reabold remained highly confident in the project's strategic potential given the scale of the resource, its onshore location and the increasing importance of domestic UK energy security.

He added that the data center feasibility study could provide a particularly interesting additional opportunity, with West Newton gas potentially supplying reliable on-site power to energy-intensive digital infrastructure.

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