Chesapeake Granite Wash Trust (NYSE:CHKR) has announced its common unit distribution for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (which primarily relates to production attributable to the trust’s royalty interests from December 1, 2012 through February 28, 2013) will be $0.6900 per common unit. The trust will also pay a distribution of $0.3010 per subordinated unit for the quarter. The distributions will be paid on May 31, 2013 to all common and subordinated unitholders of record at the close of business on May 21, 2013.

During the three-month production period ended February 28, 2013, total sales volumes and realized oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas prices were lower than initial trust estimates. This resulted in quarterly income available for distribution of $0.5927 per unit, which is $0.0973 below the subordination threshold. As a result, the distribution per common unit is the subordination threshold of $0.6900 for the quarter.

The following table provides sales volumes, realized prices and revenue attributable to the trust’s royalty interests, expenses of the trust and distributable income available to unitholders for the production period from December 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013.

Sales volumes:
Oil (mbbl) 149
Natural gas liquids (mbbl) 312
Natural gas (mmcf) 2,886
Total oil equivalent volumes (mboe) 942
Average price received per production unit:(1)
Oil $88.08
Natural gas liquids $32.67
Natural gas $2.28

Distributable income calculation (in thousands except per unit income):

Revenue less production taxes(1) $29,291
Derivative settlement loss (1,007)
Trust expenses (573)
Distributable income available to unitholders $27,711
Calculated distributable income per unit(2) $0.5927
Distributable income per common unit(3) $0.6900
Distributable income per subordinated unit(4) $0.3010

(1)

Includes the effect of certain marketing, gathering and transportation deductions.

(2)

Based on 46,750,000 units issued and outstanding, consisting of 35,062,500 common units and 11,687,500 subordinated units.

(3)

Equal to subordination threshold of $0.6900 per common unit.

(4)

All subordinated shares are owned by Chesapeake Energy Corporation.

Due to the timing of the payment of production proceeds to the trust, quarterly distributions generally include royalties attributable to sales of oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas for three months, including the first two months of the quarter just ended and the last month of the prior quarter.

The trust was formed by Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK) in June 2011 and owns royalty interests in certain oil and natural gas properties in the Colony Granite Wash play in Washita County, Okla. The trust is entitled to receive proceeds from the sale of production attributable to the royalty interests. As described in the trust’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the amount of trust revenues and the quarterly distributions to trust unitholders will fluctuate from quarter to quarter, depending on the timing of initial sales from the development wells drilled by Chesapeake in which the trust receives an interest, the sales volume of oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas attributable to the trust’s royalty interests and the prices received for such sales, amounts realized and paid under the trust’s hedging arrangements and the amount of the trust's administrative expenses, among other factors.