The nine-month 2012 production increase resulted from 41,000 BOE per day in higher domestic volumes, partially offset by lower volumes in the Middle East/North Africa and Latin America.
Daily sales volumes were 757,000 BOE in the first nine months of 2012, compared with 726,000 BOE for the same period in 2011.
Oxy's realized prices improved for crude oil but declined for natural gas and NGLs on a year-over-year basis. Worldwide crude oil prices were $101.20 per barrel for the nine months of 2012, compared with $97.33 per barrel for the nine months of 2011. Worldwide NGL prices were $45.21 per barrel for the nine months of 2012, compared with $55.63 per barrel in the nine months of 2011. Domestic gas prices declined 42 percent, from $4.24 per MCF in the nine months of 2011 to $2.47 per MCF in the nine months of 2012.
Chemicals
Chemical segment earnings were $540 million for the nine months of 2012, compared with $717 million for the same period in 2011. The reduction was primarily a result of lower export volumes and prices due to the economic conditions in Europe and Asia, partially offset by lower energy and feedstock costs.
Midstream, Marketing and Other
Midstream segment earnings were $364 million for the nine months of 2012, compared with $378 million for the same period in 2011.
Forward-Looking Statements
Portions of this press release contain forward-looking statements and involve risks and uncertainties that could materially affect expected results of operations, liquidity, cash flows and business prospects. Factors that could cause results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: global commodity pricing fluctuations; supply and demand considerations for Occidental’s products; general domestic political and regulatory approval conditions; higher-than-expected costs; international political conditions; not successfully completing, or any material delay of, any development of new fields, expansion projects, capital expenditures, efficiency-improvement projects, acquisitions or dispositions; potential failure to achieve expected production from existing and future oil and gas development projects or acquisitions; exploration risks such as drilling unsuccessful wells; any changes in general economic conditions domestically or internationally; the ability to attract trained engineers; potential liability for remedial actions under existing or future environmental regulations and litigation; potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; potential disruption or interruption of Occidental’s production or manufacturing or damage to facilities due to accidents, chemical releases, labor unrest, weather, natural disasters, political events or insurgent activity; failure of risk management; changes in law or regulations; or changes in tax rates. Words such as "estimate", "project", "predict", "will", "would", "should", "could", "may", "might", "anticipate", "plan", "intend", "believe", "expect",