Property, Plant and Equipment

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property, Plant and Equipment

Note D – Property, Plant and Equipment

Exploratory Wells

Under FASB guidance, exploratory well costs should continue to be capitalized when the well has found a sufficient quantity of reserves to justify its completion as a producing well and the company is making sufficient progress assessing the reserves and the economic and operating viability of the project.

As of September 30, 2024, the Company had total capitalized drilling costs pending the determination of proved reserves of $51.1 million. The following table reflects the net changes in capitalized exploratory well costs during the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

(Thousands of dollars)	2024		2023
Beginning balance at January 1	$	49,118	$	171,860
Additions pending the determination of proved reserves	28,452		40,825
Reclassifications to proved properties based on the   determination of proved reserves	–		(1,065)
Capitalized exploratory well costs charged to expense	(26,471)		(26,143)
Balance at September 30	$	51,099	$	185,477

Capital additions of $28.5 million are mainly for Ocotillo #1 (Mississippi Canyon 40) exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico and Hai Su Vang #1 (Block 15/2-17) and Lac Da Hong #1 (Block 15-1/05) exploratory wells in Vietnam. Capitalized well costs charged to dry hole expense of $26.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were related to the Hoffe Park #1 (Mississippi Canyon 166) exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico. The preceding table excludes well costs of $43.0 million and $81.7 million incurred and expensed directly to dry hole for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In 2024, these costs primarily include $25.8 million for the Orange #1 (Mississippi Canyon 216) and $11.8 million for the Sebastian #1 (Mississippi Canyon 387) exploration wells in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2023, the amount primarily includes $80.3 million for the Chinook #7 (Walker Ridge 425) exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico.

The following table provides an aging of capitalized exploratory well costs based on the date the drilling was completed for each individual well and the number of projects for which exploratory well costs have been capitalized. The projects are aged based on the last well drilled in the project.

	September 30,
	2024				2023
(Thousands of dollars)	Amount		No. of Wells	No. of Projects	Amount		No. of Wells	No. of Projects
Aging of capitalized well costs:
Zero to one year	$	28,552	3	3	$	–	–	–
One to two years	–		–	–	38,817		1	1
Two to three years	–		–	–	2,698		1	1
Three years or more	22,547		3	3	143,962		4	3
	$	51,099	6	6	$	185,477	6	5

Of the $22.5 million of exploratory well costs capitalized more than one year at September 30, 2024, $15.1 million was in Vietnam, $4.7 million was in Canada, and $2.7 million was in Brunei. In all geographical areas, either further appraisal or development drilling is planned and/or development studies/plans are in various stages of completion. 

Impairments

There were no impairments in the three months ended September 30, 2024. There were pre-tax impairments of $34.5 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2024 related to the Calliope field, in the Gulf of Mexico, where operational issues led to a reserve reduction. There were no impairments in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

Divestitures

On September 15, 2023, the Company completed the divestment of certain non-core operated Kaybob Duvernay assets and all of our non-operated Placid Montney assets, located in Alberta, Canada, effective March 1, 2023, for net cash proceeds of C$139.0 million. No gain or loss was recorded related to this transaction.