EXXON MOBIL CORP - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

 

2017

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☑     ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

or

☐     TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                to               

Commission File Number 1-2256

EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

5959 LAS COLINAS BOULEVARD, IRVING, TEXAS 75039-2298

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(972) 940-6000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ☑     No   ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes   ☐    No   ☑  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   ☑     No   ☐  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   ☑     No   ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   ☑  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company.  See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes   ☐     No   ☑  

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2017, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the closing price on that date of $80.73 on the New York Stock Exchange composite tape, was in excess of $342 billion.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:  Proxy Statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (Part III)

 

   

EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION

FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

   

PART I

ITEM 1.       BUSINESS

Exxon Mobil Corporation was incorporated in the State of New Jersey in 1882. Divisions and affiliated companies of ExxonMobil operate or market products in the United States and most other countries of the world. Their principal business is energy, involving exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas, manufacture of petroleum products and transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products. ExxonMobil is a major manufacturer and marketer of commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics and a wide variety of specialty products. Affiliates of ExxonMobil conduct extensive research programs in support of these businesses.

Exxon Mobil Corporation has several divisions and hundreds of affiliates, many with names that include ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil or XTO. For convenience and simplicity, in this report the terms ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil and XTO, as well as terms like Corporation, Company, our, we  and its, are sometimes used as abbreviated references to specific affiliates or groups of affiliates. The precise meaning depends on the context in question.

The energy and petrochemical industries are highly competitive. There is competition within the industries and also with other industries in supplying the energy, fuel and chemical needs of both industrial and individual consumers. The Corporation competes with other firms in the sale or purchase of needed goods and services in many national and international markets and employs all methods of competition which are lawful and appropriate for such purposes.

Operating data and industry segment information for the Corporation are contained in the Financial Section of this report under the following: “Quarterly Information”, “Note 18: Disclosures about Segments and Related Information” and “Operating Information”. Information on oil and gas reserves is contained in the “Oil and Gas Reserves” part of the “Supplemental Information on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities” portion of the Financial Section of this report.

ExxonMobil has a long‑standing commitment to the development of proprietary technology. We have a wide array of research programs designed to meet the needs identified in each of our business segments. Information on Company‑sponsored research and development spending is contained in “Note 3: Miscellaneous Financial Information” of the Financial Section of this report. ExxonMobil held over 12 thousand active patents worldwide at the end of 2017. For technology licensed to third parties, revenues totaled approximately $89 million in 2017. Although technology is an important contributor to the overall operations and results of our Company, the profitability of each business segment is not dependent on any individual patent, trade secret, trademark, license, franchise or concession.

The number of regular employees was 69.6 thousand, 71.1 thousand, and 73.5 thousand at years ended 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Regular employees are defined as active executive, management, professional, technical and wage employees who work full time or part time for the Corporation and are covered by the Corporation’s benefit plans and programs. Regular employees do not include employees of the company‑operated retail sites (CORS). The number of CORS employees was 1.6 thousand, 1.6 thousand, and 2.1 thousand at years ended 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Throughout ExxonMobil’s businesses, new and ongoing measures are taken to prevent and minimize the impact of our operations on air, water and ground. These include a significant investment in refining infrastructure and technology to manufacture clean fuels, as well as projects to monitor and reduce nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide and greenhouse gas emissions, and expenditures for asset retirement obligations. Using definitions and guidelines established by the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil’s 2017 worldwide environmental expenditures for all such preventative and remediation steps, including ExxonMobil’s share of equity company expenditures, were $4.7 billion, of which $3.3 billion were included in expenses with the remainder in capital expenditures. The total cost for such activities is expected to increase to approximately $5 billion in 2018 and 2019. Capital expenditures are expected to account for approximately 30 percent of the total.

Information concerning the source and availability of raw materials used in the Corporation’s business, the extent of seasonality in the business, the possibility of renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts at the election of governments and risks attendant to foreign operations may be found in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 2. Properties” in this report.

ExxonMobil maintains a website at exxonmobil.com. Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are made available through our website as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file or furnish the reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Also available on the Corporation’s website are the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, as well as the charters of the audit, compensation and nominating committees of the Board of Directors. Information on our website is not incorporated into this report.

ITEM 1A.       RISK FACTORS

ExxonMobil’s financial and operating results are subject to a variety of risks inherent in the global oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses. Many of these risk factors are not within the Company’s control and could adversely affect our business, our financial and operating results, or our financial condition. These risk factors include:

 

Supply and Demand

The oil, gas, and petrochemical businesses are fundamentally commodity businesses. This means ExxonMobil’s operations and earnings may be significantly affected by changes in oil, gas, and petrochemical prices and by changes in margins on refined products. Oil, gas, petrochemical, and product prices and margins in turn depend on local, regional, and global events or conditions that affect supply and demand for the relevant commodity. Any material decline in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on certain of the Company’s operations, especially in the Upstream segment, financial condition, and proved reserves. On the other hand, a material increase in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on certain of the Company’s operations, especially in the Downstream and Chemical segments.

Economic conditions. The demand for energy and petrochemicals is generally linked closely with broad-based economic activities and levels of prosperity. The occurrence of recessions or other periods of low or negative economic growth will typically have a direct adverse impact on our results. Other factors that affect general economic conditions in the world or in a major region, such as changes in population growth rates, periods of civil unrest, government austerity programs, or currency exchange rate fluctuations, can also impact the demand for energy and petrochemicals. Sovereign debt downgrades, defaults, inability to access debt markets due to credit or legal constraints, liquidity crises, the breakup or restructuring of fiscal, monetary, or political systems such as the European Union, and other events or conditions that impair the functioning of financial markets and institutions also pose risks to ExxonMobil, including risks to the safety of our financial assets and to the ability of our partners and customers to fulfill their commitments to ExxonMobil.

Other demand-related factors. Other factors that may affect the demand for oil, gas, and petrochemicals, and therefore impact our results, include technological improvements in energy efficiency; seasonal weather patterns, which affect the demand for energy associated with heating and cooling; increased competitiveness of alternative energy sources that have so far generally not been competitive with oil and gas without the benefit of government subsidies or mandates; changes in technology or consumer preferences that alter fuel choices, such as technological advances in energy storage that make wind and solar more competitive for power generation or increased consumer demand for alternative fueled or electric vehicles; and broad-based changes in personal income levels.

Other supply-related factors. Commodity prices and margins also vary depending on a number of factors affecting supply. For example, increased supply from the development of new oil and gas supply sources and technologies to enhance recovery from existing sources tend to reduce commodity prices to the extent such supply increases are not offset by commensurate growth in demand. Similarly, increases in industry refining or petrochemical manufacturing capacity relative to demand tend to reduce margins on the affected products. World oil, gas, and petrochemical supply levels can also be affected by factors that reduce available supplies, such as adherence by member countries to OPEC production quotas and the occurrence of wars, hostile actions, natural disasters, disruptions in competitors’ operations, or unexpected unavailability of distribution channels that may disrupt supplies. Technological change can also alter the relative costs for competitors to find, produce, and refine oil and gas and to manufacture petrochemicals.

Other market factors. ExxonMobil’s business results are also exposed to potential negative impacts due to changes in interest rates, inflation, currency exchange rates, and other local or regional market conditions.

 

Government and Political Factors

ExxonMobil’s results can be adversely affected by political or regulatory developments affecting our operations.

Access limitations. A number of countries limit access to their oil and gas resources, or may place resources off-limits from development altogether. Restrictions on foreign investment in the oil and gas sector tend to increase in times of high commodity prices, when national governments may have less need of outside sources of private capital. Many countries also restrict the import or export of certain products based on point of origin.

Restrictions on doing business. ExxonMobil is subject to laws and sanctions imposed by the United States or by other jurisdictions where we do business that may prohibit ExxonMobil or certain of its affiliates from doing business in certain countries, or restricting the kind of business that may be conducted. Such restrictions may provide a competitive advantage to competitors who may not be subject to comparable restrictions.

Lack of legal certainty. Some countries in which we do business lack well-developed legal systems, or have not yet adopted, or may be unable to maintain, clear regulatory frameworks for oil and gas development. Lack of legal certainty exposes our operations to increased risk of adverse or unpredictable actions by government officials, and also makes it more difficult for us to enforce our contracts. In some cases these risks can be partially offset by agreements to arbitrate disputes in an international forum, but the adequacy of this remedy may still depend on the local legal system to enforce an award.

Regulatory and litigation risks. Even in countries with well-developed legal systems where ExxonMobil does business, we remain exposed to changes in law (including changes that result from international treaties and accords) that could adversely affect our results, such as:

  

Legal remedies available to compensate us for expropriation or other takings may be inadequate.

We also may be adversely affected by the outcome of litigation, especially in countries such as the United States in which very large and unpredictable punitive damage awards may occur, or by government enforcement proceedings alleging non-compliance with applicable laws or regulations.

Security concerns. Successful operation of particular facilities or projects may be disrupted by civil unrest, acts of sabotage or terrorism, cybersecurity attacks, and other local security concerns. Such concerns may require us to incur greater costs for security or to shut down operations for a period of time.

Climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions. Due to concern over the risks of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, restrictive permitting, increased efficiency standards, and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. These requirements could make our products more expensive, lengthen project implementation times, and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shift hydrocarbon demand toward relatively lower-carbon sources such as natural gas. Current and pending greenhouse gas regulations or policies may also increase our compliance costs, such as for monitoring or sequestering emissions.

Government sponsorship of alternative energy. Many governments are providing tax advantages and other subsidies to support alternative energy sources or are mandating the use of specific fuels or technologies. Governments and others are also promoting research into new technologies to reduce the cost and increase the scalability of alternative energy sources. We are conducting our own research both in-house and by working with more than 80 leading universities around the world, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, the University of Texas, and Stanford University. Our research projects focus on developing algae-based biofuels, carbon capture and storage, breakthrough energy efficiency processes, advanced energy-saving materials, and other technologies. For example, ExxonMobil is working with Fuel Cell Energy Inc. to explore using carbonate fuel cells to economically capture CO₂ emissions from gas-fired power plants. Our future results may depend in part on the success of our research efforts and on our ability to adapt and apply the strengths of our current business model to providing the energy products of the future in a cost-competitive manner. See “Operational and Other Factors” below.

 

Operational and Other Factors

In addition to external economic and political factors, our future business results also depend on our ability to manage successfully those factors that are at least in part within our control. The extent to which we manage these factors will impact our performance relative to competition. For projects in which we are not the operator, we depend on the management effectiveness of one or more co-venturers whom we do not control.

Exploration and development program. Our ability to maintain and grow our oil and gas production depends on the success of our exploration and development efforts. Among other factors, we must continuously improve our ability to identify the most promising resource prospects and apply our project management expertise to bring discovered resources on line as scheduled and within budget.

Project and portfolio management. The long-term success of ExxonMobil’s Upstream, Downstream, and Chemical businesses depends on complex, long‑term, capital intensive projects. These projects in turn require a high degree of project management expertise to maximize efficiency. Specific factors that can affect the performance of major projects include our ability to: negotiate successfully with joint venturers, partners, governments, suppliers, customers, or others; model and optimize reservoir performance; develop markets for project outputs, whether through long-term contracts or the development of effective spot markets; manage changes in operating conditions and costs, including costs of third party equipment or services such as drilling rigs and shipping; prevent, to the extent possible, and respond effectively to unforeseen technical difficulties that could delay project startup or cause unscheduled project downtime; and influence the performance of project operators where ExxonMobil does not perform that role. In addition to the effective management of individual projects, ExxonMobil’s success, including our ability to mitigate risk and

provide attractive returns to shareholders, depends on our ability to successfully manage our overall portfolio, including diversification among types and locations of our projects.

The term “project” as used in this report can refer to a variety of different activities and does not necessarily have the same meaning as in any government payment transparency reports.

Operational efficiency. An important component of ExxonMobil’s competitive performance, especially given the commodity‑based nature of many of our businesses, is our ability to operate efficiently, including our ability to manage expenses and improve production yields on an ongoing basis. This requires continuous management focus, including technology improvements, cost control, productivity enhancements, regular reappraisal of our asset portfolio, and the recruitment, development, and retention of high caliber employees.

Research and development. To maintain our competitive position, especially in light of the technological nature of our businesses and the need for continuous efficiency improvement, ExxonMobil’s research and development organizations must be successful and able to adapt to a changing market and policy environment, including developing technologies to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Safety, business controls, and environmental risk management. Our results depend on management’s ability to minimize the inherent risks of oil, gas, and petrochemical operations, to control effectively our business activities, and to minimize the potential for human error. We apply rigorous management systems and continuous focus to workplace safety and to avoiding spills or other adverse environmental events. For example, we work to minimize spills through a combined program of effective operations integrity management, ongoing upgrades, key equipment replacements, and comprehensive inspection and surveillance. Similarly, we are implementing cost-effective new technologies and adopting new operating practices to reduce air emissions, not only in response to government requirements but also to address community priorities. We also maintain a disciplined framework of internal controls and apply a controls management system for monitoring compliance with this framework. Substantial liabilities and other adverse impacts could result if our management systems and controls do not function as intended.

Cybersecurity. ExxonMobil is regularly subject to attempted cybersecurity disruptions from a variety of threat actors. If our systems for protecting against cybersecurity disruptions prove to be insufficient, ExxonMobil as well as our customers, employees, or third parties could be adversely affected. Such cybersecurity disruptions could cause physical harm to people or the environment; damage or destroy assets; compromise business systems; result in proprietary information being altered, lost, or stolen; result in employee, customer, or third-party information being compromised; or otherwise disrupt our business operations. We could incur significant costs to remedy the effects of such a cybersecurity disruption as well as in connection with resulting regulatory actions and litigation.

Preparedness. Our operations may be disrupted by severe weather events, natural disasters, human error, and similar events. For example, hurricanes may damage our offshore production facilities or coastal refining and petrochemical plants in vulnerable areas. Our facilities are designed, constructed, and operated to withstand a variety of extreme climatic and other conditions, with safety factors built in to cover a number of engineering uncertainties, including those associated with wave, wind, and current intensity, marine ice flow patterns, permafrost stability, storm surge magnitude, temperature extremes, extreme rain fall events, and earthquakes. Our consideration of changing weather conditions and inclusion of safety factors in design covers the engineering uncertainties that climate change and other events may potentially introduce. Our ability to mitigate the adverse impacts of these events depends in part upon the effectiveness of our robust facility engineering as well as our rigorous disaster preparedness and response and business continuity planning.

Insurance limitations. The ability of the Corporation to insure against many of the risks it faces as described in this Item 1A is limited by the capacity of the applicable insurance markets, which may not be sufficient.

Competition. As noted in Item 1 above, the energy and petrochemical industries are highly competitive. We face competition not only from other private firms, but also from state-owned companies that are increasingly competing for opportunities outside of their home countries. In some cases, these state-owned companies may pursue opportunities in furtherance of strategic objectives of their government owners, with less focus on financial returns than companies owned by private shareholders, such as ExxonMobil. Technology and expertise provided by industry service companies may also enhance the competitiveness of firms that may not have the internal resources and capabilities of ExxonMobil.

Reputation. Our reputation is an important corporate asset. An operating incident, significant cybersecurity disruption, or other adverse event such as those described in this Item 1A may have a negative impact on our reputation, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to compete successfully for new opportunities, obtain necessary regulatory approvals, or could reduce consumer demand for our branded products.

Projections, estimates, and descriptions of ExxonMobil’s plans and objectives included or incorporated in Items 1, 1A, 2, 7 and 7A of this report are forward-looking statements. Actual future results, including project completion dates, production rates, capital expenditures, costs, and business plans could differ materially due to, among other things, the factors discussed above and elsewhere in this report.

ITEM 1B.        UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

Item 2.       Properties

Information with regard to oil and gas producing activities follows:

 

1. Disclosure of Reserves

A. Summary of Oil and Gas Reserves at Year-End 2017

The table below summarizes the oil-equivalent proved reserves in each geographic area and by product type for consolidated subsidiaries and equity companies. Gas is converted to an oil-equivalent basis at six million cubic feet per one thousand barrels. The Corporation has reported proved reserves on the basis of the average of the first-day-of-the-month price for each month during the last 12-month period. No major discovery or other favorable or adverse event has occurred since December 31, 2017, that would cause a significant change in the estimated proved reserves as of that date.

 

 

(1)   Other Americas includes proved developed reserves of 2 million barrels of crude oil and 42 billion cubic feet of natural gas, as well as proved undeveloped reserves of 150 million barrels of crude oil and 175 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

   

In the preceding reserves information, consolidated subsidiary and equity company reserves are reported separately. However, the Corporation operates its business with the same view of equity company reserves as it has for reserves from consolidated subsidiaries.

The Corporation anticipates several projects will come online over the next few years providing additional production capacity. However, actual volumes will vary from year to year due to the timing of individual project start-ups; operational outages; reservoir performance; performance of enhanced oil recovery projects; regulatory changes; the impact of fiscal and commercial terms; asset sales; weather events; price effects on production sharing contracts; changes in the amount and timing of capital investments that may vary depending on the oil and gas price environment; and other factors described in Item 1A. Risk Factors.

The estimation of proved reserves, which is based on the requirement of reasonable certainty, is an ongoing process based on rigorous technical evaluations, commercial and market assessments and detailed analysis of well and reservoir information such as flow rates and reservoir pressures. Furthermore, the Corporation only records proved reserves for projects which have received significant funding commitments by management made toward the development of the reserves. Although the Corporation is reasonably certain that proved reserves will be produced, the timing and amount recovered can be affected by a number of factors including completion of development projects, reservoir performance, regulatory approvals, government policies, consumer preferences, and significant changes in long-term oil and natural gas price levels. In addition, proved reserves could be affected by an extended period of low prices which could reduce the level of the Corporation’s capital spending and also impact our partners’ capacity to fund their share of joint projects.

B. Technologies Used in Establishing Proved Reserves Additions in 2017

Additions to ExxonMobil’s proved reserves in 2017 were based on estimates generated through the integration of available and appropriate geological, engineering and production data, utilizing well-established technologies that have been demonstrated in the field to yield repeatable and consistent results.

Data used in these integrated assessments included information obtained directly from the subsurface via wellbores, such as well logs, reservoir core samples, fluid samples, static and dynamic pressure information, production test data, and surveillance and performance information. The data utilized also included subsurface information obtained through indirect measurements including high-quality 3-D and 4-D seismic data, calibrated with available well control information. The tools used to interpret the data included proprietary seismic processing software, proprietary reservoir modeling and simulation software, and commercially available data analysis packages.

In some circumstances, where appropriate analog reservoirs were available, reservoir parameters from these analogs were used to increase the quality of and confidence in the reserves estimates.

C. Qualifications of Reserves Technical Oversight Group and Internal Controls over Proved Reserves

ExxonMobil has a dedicated Global Reserves group that provides technical oversight and is separate from the operating organization. Primary responsibilities of this group include oversight of the reserves estimation process for compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules and regulations, review of annual changes in reserves estimates, and the reporting of ExxonMobil’s proved reserves. This group also maintains the official company reserves estimates for ExxonMobil’s proved reserves of crude oil, natural gas liquids, bitumen, synthetic oil, and natural gas. In addition, the group provides training to personnel involved in the reserves estimation and reporting process within ExxonMobil and its affiliates. The Manager of the Global Reserves group has more than 25 years of experience in reservoir engineering and reserves assessment and has a degree in Engineering. He is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The group is staffed with individuals that have an average of more than 20 years of technical experience in the petroleum industry, including expertise in the classification and categorization of reserves under the SEC guidelines. This group includes individuals who hold advanced degrees in either Engineering or Geology, and a member currently serves on the SPE Oil and Gas Reserves Committee.

The Global Reserves group maintains a central database containing the official company reserves estimates. Appropriate controls, including limitations on database access and update capabilities, are in place to ensure data integrity within this central database. An annual review of the system’s controls is performed by internal audit. Key components of the reserves estimation process include technical evaluations and analysis of well and field performance and a rigorous peer review. No changes may be made to the reserves estimates in the central database, including additions of any new initial reserves estimates or subsequent revisions, unless these changes have been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated by duly authorized personnel within the operating organization. In addition, changes to reserves estimates that exceed certain thresholds require further review and approval of the appropriate level of management within the operating organization before the changes may be made in the central database. Endorsement by the Global Reserves group for all proved reserves changes is a mandatory component of this review process. After all changes are made, reviews are held with senior management for final endorsement.

 2. Proved Undeveloped Reserves

At year-end 2017, approximately 7.3 billion oil-equivalent barrels (GOEB) of ExxonMobil’s proved reserves were classified as proved undeveloped. This represents 34 percent of the 21.2 GOEB reported in proved reserves. This compares to the 6.2 GOEB of proved undeveloped reserves reported at the end of 2016. During the year, ExxonMobil conducted development activities that resulted in the transfer of approximately 0.7 GOEB from proved undeveloped to proved developed reserves by year‑end. The largest transfers were related to the start-up of the Gorgon field and Longford Gas Conditioning Plant in Australia and drilling activity in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan. During 2017, extensions and discoveries, primarily in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Guyana resulted in an addition of approximately 0.9 GOEB of proved undeveloped reserves. Also, purchases, primarily in the United States and Mozambique resulted in the addition of approximately 0.9 GOEB of proved undeveloped reserves.

Overall, investments of $8 billion were made by the Corporation during 2017 to progress the development of reported proved undeveloped reserves, including $8 billion for oil and gas producing activities and in addition, nearly $100 million for other non-oil and gas producing activities such as the construction of support infrastructure and other related facilities. These investments represented 48 percent of the $16.7 billion in total reported Upstream capital and exploration expenditures. Investments made by the Corporation to develop quantities which no longer meet the SEC definition of proved reserves due to 2017 average prices are included in the $16.7 billion of Upstream capital expenditures reported above but are excluded from amounts related to progressing the development of proved undeveloped reserves.

One of ExxonMobil’s requirements for reporting proved reserves is that management has made significant funding commitments toward the development of the reserves. ExxonMobil has a disciplined investment strategy and many major fields require long lead‑time in order to be developed. Development projects typically take several years from the time of recording proved undeveloped reserves to the start of production and can exceed five years for large and complex projects. Proved undeveloped reserves in Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, and Qatar have remained undeveloped for five years or more primarily due to constraints on the capacity of infrastructure, as well as the time required to complete development for very large projects. The Corporation is reasonably certain that these proved reserves will be produced; however, the timing and amount recovered can be affected by a number of factors including completion of development projects, reservoir performance, regulatory approvals, government policies, consumer preferences, the pace of co‑venturer/government funding, and significant changes in long-term oil and natural gas price levels. Of the proved undeveloped reserves that have been reported for five or more years, over 80 percent are contained in the aforementioned countries. In Canada, proved undeveloped reserves are related to drilling activities in the offshore Hebron field and onshore Cold Lake operations. In Kazakhstan, the proved undeveloped reserves are related to the remainder of the initial development of the producing offshore Kashagan field which is included in the North Caspian Production Sharing Agreement and the Tengizchevroil joint venture which includes a production license in the Tengiz – Korolev field complex. The Tengizchevroil joint venture is producing, and proved undeveloped reserves will continue to move to proved developed as approved development phases progress. In Australia, proved undeveloped reserves are associated with future compression for the Gorgon Jansz LNG project. In the Netherlands, the Groningen gas field has proved undeveloped reserves related to installation of future compression.

3. Oil and Gas Production, Production Prices and Production Costs

A. Oil and Gas Production

The table below summarizes production by final product sold and by geographic area for the last three years.

 

 

(1)   Other Americas includes natural gas production available for sale for 2017, 2016 and 2015 of 24 million, 22 million, and 21 million cubic feet daily, respectively.

B. Production Prices and Production Costs

The table below summarizes average production prices and average production costs by geographic area and by product type for the last three years.

 

Average production prices have been calculated by using sales quantities from the Corporation’s own production as the divisor. Average production costs have been computed by using net production quantities for the divisor. The volumes of crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) production used for this computation are shown in the oil and gas production table in section 3.A. The volumes of natural gas used in the calculation are the production volumes of natural gas available for sale and are also shown in section 3.A. The natural gas available for sale volumes are different from those shown in the reserves table in the “Oil and Gas Reserves” part of the “Supplemental Information on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities” portion of the Financial Section of this report due to volumes consumed or flared. Gas is converted to an oil-equivalent basis at six million cubic feet per one thousand barrels.