For the first quarter of 2013, daily oil and gas production volumes averaged 763,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), compared with 755,000 BOE in the first quarter of 2012. The first quarter 2013 production increase resulted from higher volumes of 23,000 BOE per day from domestic operations while international production was 15,000 BOE per day lower. The lower international production volumes were due to the combined effect of maintenance turnarounds in Qatar and the impact of full cost recovery in Oman and our Dolphin operations. The turnarounds were executed successfully and production has returned to normal levels.
Daily sales volumes increased slightly from 745,000 BOE in the first quarter of 2012 to 746,000 BOE in the first quarter of 2013. Sales volumes were lower than production volumes due to the timing of liftings in Middle East/North Africa.
Oxy’s realized price for worldwide crude oil was $98.07 per barrel for the first quarter of 2013, compared with $107.98 per barrel for the first quarter of 2012. NGL prices were $40.27 per barrel in the first quarter of 2013, compared with $52.51 per barrel in the first quarter of 2012. Domestic gas prices were higher in the first quarter of 2013 at $3.08 per MCF, compared with $2.84 in the first quarter of 2012.
First quarter 2013 realized prices were higher than fourth quarter 2012 prices for worldwide oil, while NGLs prices were lower and domestic natural gas prices were flat. On a sequential quarterly basis, prices increased 2 percent for oil and decreased 11 percent for NGLs.
Chemical
Chemical segment earnings for the first quarter of 2013 were $159 million, compared with $184 million in the first quarter of 2012. The lower earnings resulted from weaker chlorinated organics demand and pricing combined with higher natural gas costs, partially offset by higher caustic soda exports.
Midstream, Marketing and Other
Midstream segment earnings were $215 million for the first quarter of 2013, compared with $131 million for the first quarter of 2012. The increase mainly reflected improved marketing and trading performance.
About Oxy
Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, Middle East/North Africa and Latin America regions. Oxy is one of the largest U.S. oil and gas companies, based on equity market capitalization. Oxy's wholly owned subsidiary OxyChem manufactures and markets chlor-alkali products and vinyls. Oxy is committed to safeguarding the environment, protecting the safety and
health of employees and neighboring communities and upholding high standards of social responsibility in all of the company's worldwide operations.
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. Actual results may differ from anticipated results, sometimes materially, and reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. 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; higher-than-expected costs; the regulatory approval environment; not successfully completing, or any material delay of, field developments, expansion projects, capital expenditures, efficiency projects, acquisitions or dispositions; lower-than-expected production from development projects or acquisitions; exploration risks; general economic slowdowns domestically or internationally; political conditions and events; inability to attract trained engineers; environmental liability; litigation; disruption or interruption of production or manufacturing or facility damage due to accidents, chemical releases, labor unrest, weather, natural disasters, cyber attacks 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", "aim", "goal", "target", "objective", "likely" or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Unless legally required, Occidental does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Material risks that may affect Occidental’s results of operations and financial position appear in Part 1, Item 1A "Risk Factors" of the 2012 Form 10-K. Occidental posts or provides links to important information on its website at www.oxy.com.
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Contacts:
Melissa E. Schoeb (media)
melissa_schoeb@oxy.com
310-443-6504
or
Chris Stavros (investors)
chris_stavros@oxy.com
212-603-8184
For further analysis of Occidental's quarterly performance, please visit the
website: www.oxy.com