The Company is pleased to announce its Board of Directors has approved an 8% increase to the quarterly cash dividend to $0.13 CDN per share, effective with the Q1 2025 dividend payable on April 15, 2025. The base dividend will amount to approximately $80 million on an annual basis, representing approximately 8% of 2025 FFO.
The Company will continue to target shareholder returns at 50% of EFCF, inclusive of the increased base dividend, with the balance going towards debt reduction. EFCF includes a deduction for asset retirement obligations settled and payments on lease obligations, which are ongoing costs associated with running the business, and more accurately reflects the free cash available to return to shareholders. In late 2024, Vermilion elected to repay the entire lease obligation associated with the Montney Battery constructed in 2024. This repayment resulted in an immediate interest cost savings and also increases the amount of EFCF available for shareholder returns in 2025 and beyond. As a result, 2025 payments on lease obligations are expected to be approximately $20 million, which is lower than the $110 million of forecasted 2024 payments.