Chevron Corporation: 10-K Risk Factor Changes

Chevron is exposed to the effects of changing commodity prices Chevron is primarily in a commodities business that has a history of price volatility. The most significant factor that affects the company’s results of operations is the price of crude oil, which can be influenced by general economic conditions and level of economic growth, including low or negative growth; industry production and inventory levels; technology advancements, including those in pursuit of a lower carbon economy; production quotas or other actions that might be imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries or other producers; weather-related damage and disruptions due to other natural or human causes beyond our control; competing fuel prices; geopolitical risks; the pace of energy transition; customer and consumer preferences and the use of substitutes; and governmental regulations, policies and other actions regarding the development of oil and gas reserves, as well as greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Chevron evaluates the risk of changing commodity prices as a core part of its business planning process. An investment in the company carries significant exposure to fluctuations in global crude oil prices.

Extended periods of low prices for crude oil can have a material adverse impact on the company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. Among other things, the company’s upstream earnings, cash flows, and capital expenditure programs could be negatively affected, as could its production and proved reserves. Upstream assets may also become impaired. Downstream earnings could be negatively affected because they depend upon the supply and demand for refined products and the associated margins on refined product sales. A significant or sustained decline in liquidity could adversely affect the company’s credit ratings, potentially increase financing costs and reduce access to capital markets. The company may be unable to realize anticipated cost savings, expenditure reductions and asset sales that are intended to compensate for such downturns, and such downturns may also slow the pace and scale at which we are able to invest in our business, including our Chevron New Energies organization. In some cases, transferred liabilities, including for abandonment and decommissioning of divested oil and gas assets, have returned and may continue to return to the company when an acquirer of those assets subsequently declares bankruptcy. In addition, extended periods of low commodity prices can have a material adverse impact on the results of operations, financial condition and liquidity of the company’s suppliers, vendors, partners and equity affiliates upon which the company’s own results of operations and financial condition depend.

The scope of Chevron’s business will decline if the company does not successfully develop resources The company is in an extractive business; therefore, if it is not successful in replacing the crude oil and natural gas it produces with good prospects for future organic opportunities or through acquisitions, exploration or technology, the company’s business will decline. Creating and maintaining an inventory of economic projects depends on many factors, including obtaining and renewing rights to explore, develop and produce hydrocarbons; drilling success; reservoir optimization; technology advancements; ability to bring long-lead-time, capital-intensive projects to completion on budget and on schedule; partner alignment, including strategic support; and efficient and profitable operation of mature properties.

The company’s operations could be disrupted by natural or human causes beyond its control Chevron operates in both urban areas and remote and sometimes inhospitable regions. The company’s operations are therefore subject to disruption from natural or human causes beyond its control, including risks from hurricanes, severe storms, floods, heat waves, other forms of severe weather, wildfires, ambient temperature increases, sea level rise, war or other military conflicts such as the war between Israel and Hamas and the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, accidents, civil unrest, political events, fires, earthquakes, system failures, cyber threats, terrorist acts and epidemic or pandemic diseases, some of which may be impacted by climate change and any of which could result in suspension of operations or harm to people or the natural environment.

Chevron’s risk management systems are designed to assess potential physical and other risks to its operations and assets and to plan for their resiliency. While capital investment reviews and decisions incorporate potential ranges of physical risks such as storm severity and frequency, sea level rise, air and water temperature, precipitation, fresh water access, wind speed, and earthquake severity, among other factors, it is difficult to predict with certainty the timing, frequency or severity of such events, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the company's results of operations or financial condition.

Cyberattacks targeting Chevron’s operational technology networks or other digital infrastructure could have a material adverse impact on the company’s business and results of operations There are numerous and evolving risks to Chevron’s cybersecurity and privacy from cyber threat actors, including criminal hackers, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage and employee malfeasance. These cyber threat actors, whether internal or external to Chevron, are becoming more sophisticated and coordinated in their attempts to access the company’s information technology (IT) systems and data, including the IT systems of cloud providers and other third parties with whom the company conducts business through, without limitation, malicious software; data privacy breaches by employees, insiders or others with authorized access; cyber or phishing-attacks; ransomware; attempts to gain unauthorized access to our data and systems; and other electronic security breaches. The cyber risk landscape changes over time due to a variety of internal and external factors, including during political tensions, war or other military conflicts, or civil unrest. Although Chevron devotes significant resources to prevent unwanted intrusions and to protect its systems and data, whether such data is housed internally or by external third parties, the company has experienced and will continue to experience cyber incidents of varying degrees in the conduct of its business. Cyber threat actors could compromise the company’s operational technology networks or other critical systems and infrastructure, resulting in disruptions to its business operations, injury to people, harm to the environment or its assets, disruptions in access to its financial reporting systems, or loss, misuse or corruption of its critical data and proprietary information, including without limitation its intellectual property and business information and that of its employees, customers, partners and other third parties. Any of the foregoing can be exacerbated by a delay or failure to detect a cyber incident or the full extent of such incident. Further, the company is increasingly experiencing cyber incidents related to its third-party vendors. Some third-party vendors house the company’s critical data and proprietary information on their IT systems, including the cloud; others have access to Chevron’s IT systems or provide software through which threat actors could gain access or introduce malware to Chevron’s IT systems. Regardless of the precise method or form, cyber events could result in significant financial losses, legal or regulatory violations, reputational harm, and legal liability and could ultimately have a material adverse effect on the company’s business and results of operations.

The company’s operations have inherent risks and hazards that require significant and continuous oversight Chevron’s results depend on its ability to identify and mitigate the risks and hazards inherent to operating in the energy industry. The company seeks to minimize these operational risks by carefully designing and building its facilities and conducting its operations in a safe and reliable manner. However, failure to manage these risks effectively could impair our ability to operate and result in unexpected incidents, including releases, explosions or mechanical failures resulting in personal injury, loss of life, environmental damage, loss of revenues, legal liability and/or disruption to operations. Chevron has implemented and maintains a system of corporate policies, standards, processes and systems, behaviors and compliance mechanisms to manage safety, health, environmental, reliability and efficiency risks; to verify compliance with applicable laws and policies; and to respond to and learn from unexpected incidents. In certain situations where Chevron is not the operator, the company may have limited influence and control over third parties, which may limit its ability to manage and control such risks.

The company does not insure against all potential losses, which could result in significant financial exposure The company does not have commercial insurance or third-party indemnities to fully cover all operational risks or potential liability in the event of a significant incident or series of incidents causing catastrophic loss. As a result, the company is, to a substantial extent, self-insured for such events. The company relies on existing liquidity, financial resources and borrowing capacity to meet short-term obligations that would arise from such an event or series of events. The occurrence of a significant incident, series of events, or unforeseen liability for which the company is self-insured, not fully insured or for which insurance recovery is significantly delayed could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Chevron may not complete the acquisition of Hess Corporation within the time frame the company anticipates or at all, which could have adverse effects on Chevron The completion of the acquisition of Hess Corporation (Hess) is subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Hess stockholders of the adoption of the merger agreement. Additionally, Hess and Chevron have been engaged in discussions with Exxon Mobil Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation regarding a right of first refusal provision in the joint operating agreement for the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. If these discussions do not result in an acceptable resolution and arbitration (if pursued) does not result in a confirmation that such right of first refusal provision is inapplicable to the merger, then there would be a failure of a closing condition under the Merger Agreement, in which case the merger would not close. For additional information, please see the section entitled “The Merger—Stabroek JOA” in Chevron’s preliminary registration statement on Form S-4 to be filed on February 26, 2024.

Further, on December 7, 2023, Chevron and Hess each received a request for additional information and documentary materials (Second Request) from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in connection with the FTC’s review of the merger. Issuance of the Second Request extends the waiting period imposed by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, until 30 days after Chevron and Hess have substantially complied with the Second Request, unless that period is extended voluntarily by Chevron and Hess or terminated sooner by the FTC.

The failure to satisfy all of the required conditions could delay the completion of the acquisition for a significant period of time or prevent it from occurring at all. In addition, the terms and conditions of the required regulatory authorizations and consents for the acquisition that are granted, if any, may impose requirements, limitations or costs or place restrictions on the conduct of the company’s business after the transaction or materially delay the completion of the acquisition. A delay in completing the acquisition could cause the company to realize some or all of the benefits later than we otherwise expect to realize them if the acquisition is successfully completed within the anticipated timeframe, which could result in additional transaction costs or in other negative effects associated with uncertainty about completion of the acquisition.

Acquisitions may cause Chevron’s financial results to differ from the company’s expectations or the expectations of the investment community, the company may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, and the acquisition may disrupt the company’s current plans or operations The success of prior acquisitions, such as PDC Energy, Inc. (PDC), and the pending acquisition of Hess will depend, in part, on Chevron’s ability to successfully integrate each of the businesses of PDC and Hess and realize the anticipated benefits, including synergies. Difficulties in integrating PDC and Hess may result in the failure to realize anticipated synergies in the expected timeframes, in operational challenges, and in the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business concerns, as well as in unforeseen expenses associated with the acquisitions, which may have an adverse impact on the company’s financial results.