v3.20.2
Impairments
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Impairments [Abstract]  
Impairments
Note 8—Impairments
During the three-
 
and six-month periods ended June 30, 2020
 
and 2019, we recognized before-tax impairment
charges within the following segments:
Millions of Dollars
 
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
June 30
June 30
2020
2019
2020
2019
Lower 48
2
-
513
-
Europe and North Africa
(4)
1
6
2
$
(2)
1
519
2
We perform impairment reviews when triggering events arise that may impact the
 
fair value of our assets or
investments.
 
 
We observed volatility in commodity prices during the first six-months of 2020.
 
A decline in commodity
prices beginning in March prompted us to evaluate
 
the recoverability of the carrying value of our assets
 
and
whether an other than temporary impairment
 
occurred for investments in our portfolio.
 
For certain non-core
natural gas assets in the Lower 48, a significant decrease
 
in the outlook for current and long-term natural
 
gas
prices resulted in a decline in the estimated fair
 
values to amounts below carrying value.
 
Accordingly, in the
first quarter of 2020, we recorded impairments of
 
$
511
 
million related to these non-core natural gas assets,
primarily for the Wind River Basin operations area consisting of
 
developed properties in the Madden Field and
the Lost Cabin Gas Plant, which were written down
 
to fair value.
 
See Note 14—Fair Value Measurement, for
additional information.
 
A sustained decline in the current and long-term
 
outlook on commodity prices could trigger
 
additional
impairment reviews and possibly result in
 
future impairment charges.
 
We recorded a before-tax impairment in the first quarter of 2020 of $
31
 
million in our Asia Pacific and Middle
East segment related to the associated carrying value
 
of capitalized undeveloped leasehold costs for
 
the
Kamunsu East Field in Malaysia that is no longer
 
in our development plans.
 
This charge is included in the
“Exploration expenses” line on our consolidated income
 
statement and is not reflected in the table above.