Canadian Natural Resources Limited (NYSE:CNQ) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Tim McKay: Yes, the big ones here that I see today are labor and labor continues to be pressured. With that, I would say the supply side and equipment deliveries are pressured, and what we’re doing today is we have to order, shall we say, further ahead for activities in the future. And so the supply piece is difficult. The transportation piece was inflated as well in terms of trying to get the stuff out of the ports of Vancouver and that. So, we are seeing, what I would, call little incremental pieces. Obviously food costs power costs have gone up. So, to me, all that has to kind of work through your system because our manufacturers of vessels or equipment do see the increased power costs, they do increase the labor costs and you can’t today offset it one-to-one.

On the other side, as things start to level out, you will find again, efficiencies, but in the short term those cost pressures roll through the whole system. So to me it’s just managing what you can going forward.

Neil Mehta: Yes. Thanks, Tim. And then the follow-up is just on SEO you talked a little bit with Menno about the WCS outlook, but SEO continues to trade very firm at a premium relative to WTI, I would imagine part of it is just the higher distillate cut and diesel margins are strong. But any perspective you can provide on how you think about the outlook for CRU pricing would be great too.

Tim McKay: Yes. I think it’s very constructive as well. And to your point with the high [indiscernible] cut, it can – it will trade at a premium. And again, I just look at it the whole oil side in my mind looks very constructive here for Western Canada because incremental capacities, even on the light oil side you get another 300,000 or so of incremental egress. People have to actually look at where they go with their volumes in terms of trying to get the best price for it. So, I just looked at both the WCS and SEO as being very constructive here going into the fall.

Neil Mehta: Thank you, sir.

Operator: Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Next question from Doug Leggate at Bank of America. Please go ahead.

Unidentified Analyst : Hey, guys, this is actually Clay [ph] on for Doug, so thanks for taking the question here. I’ve only got one because a lot of things have already been touched, but this is also a follow-up on TMX. I understand that you guys are a contract to shipper and are involved in the tariff negotiation. Just wondering if you can walk through the resolution timeline? And also maybe give us an idea of the cash flows and how that would trend during line fill, because the way I’m thinking about it is you’ll obviously be placing barrels into the system, but it’s not clear to me that the cash will be realized on a real time basis or there will be some lag.

Mark Stainthorpe: Yes. Well, on the second part of that question there is likely to be some lag on the cash flows, realized that’s right, because you’ll be using some barrels for fill.

Tim McKay: And then on the first question you know, with the TMX, so the way the process works is the decision maker is the CER, so it’s a Canadian Energy Regulator. And so what they did is, I think, yesterday came out with a questions not only for TMX, but a process here in terms of supplying information to the Canadian Energy Regulator. And so with that to me it will just be under the process that they define. And if I would say it’s going to take a few months maybe. But really it’s out of our hands in terms of the actual timing. To me the CER does what it’s supposed to do and take a firm look at both sides, the information each side provides and then makes a decision in appropriate time. So, from that aspect to me it’s just normal business in terms of how we have to work under the Canadian Energy Regulators rules.