Venoco says that it is revising its annual guidance for 2009.

"The solid production and operating expense results we had in the first quarter are continuing so far this quarter," said Tim Marquez, Chairman and CEO, "so we believe it is an appropriate time to revise our annual guidance."

"We've had very good results from our workover program in the Sacramento Basin and we've also seen oil production continue to rise at our West Montalvo field," Mr. Marquez continued. "Our operating teams continue to focus on identifying and implementing opportunities to lower field-level expenses."

Guidance remains unchanged on G&A and DD&A expenses. The company also clarified that production and property taxes are expected to average $1.90 per BOE in 2009, regardless of commodity prices.

Second quarter production volumes are expected to be slightly lower than first quarter pro forma for the sale of the Hastings Complex. In the Sacramento Basin, Venoco had to shut-in a portion of its production for nearly six weeks in April and May due to a PG&E pipeline repair. The company has been able to return 100% of its wells to production and daily production rates in the Basin have returned to first quarter levels. The company estimates that the effect of the shut-in will be to reduce average daily production by approximately 500 BOE/d in the second quarter.

Tags: Venoco Inc.