Valero Energy Corporation: 10-K Risk Factor Changes

2024 vs 2023  ·  SEC EDGAR  ·  2026-10-16
Other years: 2026 vs 2025 · 2025 vs 2024
⚠ AI Risk Brief Interpretation layer — deterministic data below

Valero removed pandemic and trade risks, strengthened climate and ESG disclosures; net effect more concerning.

Direction ↑ More concerning
✓ Deterministic extraction — no AI-generated data

Classification is based on semantic text similarity scoring and may include approximations. “No match” means no high-confidence textual match was found — not necessarily that a section was removed.

0
New Risks
2
Removed
16
Modified
7
Unchanged
🟡 Modified Disclosure change7/10

Our operations depend on the reliable supply of natural gas and electricity, which exposes us to various risks.

high match confidence

Sentence-level differences:

  • Reworded sentence: "Our operations depend on the reliable supply of natural gas and electricity."
  • Reworded sentence: "As electrification continues to grow, or if there are increased restrictions or costs imposed on the ability of utilities or power suppliers to utilize certain energy sources (such as through restrictions on fossil fuel or nuclear-generated electricity or ESG pressure not to use such sources of electricity generation), there will likely be increased strains on and risks to the integrity, reliability, and resilience of electrical grids, and increased volatility and tightness in natural gas and electricity supplies across the world."

Current (2024):

View prior text (2023)

Our operations depend on the use of natural gas and reliable electricity. We consume a significant volume of natural gas and a significant amount of electricity to operate our refineries and plants, and natural gas and electricity prices have a large effect on the cost of our operations. We also purchase other commodities whose price may vary depending on the prices of natural gas or electricity. Prices for both natural gas and electricity can be volatile and therefore represent ongoing challenges to our operating results. Additionally, the availability of natural gas and electricity can be affected by numerous events such as weather (e.g., hurricanes and periods of considerable heat or cold, like Winter Storm Uri in 2021), pipeline and other logistics interruptions, electric grid outages, cybersecurity incidents, intermittent electricity generation (particularly from wind and solar), hostilities, sanctions, and supply and demand imbalances for electricity and natural gas. For example, the real-time market structure of the primary grid provider in Texas exposes many of our refineries and operations located in Texas to “scarcity pricing” during periods of supply and demand imbalance. As electrification continues to grow, or if there are increased restrictions or costs imposed on the ability of utilities or power suppliers to utilize certain energy sources (such as through restrictions on fossil fuel or nuclear-generated electricity or ESG pressure not to use such sources of electricity generation), there will likely be increased strains on, and risks to the integrity, reliability, and resilience of electrical grids, and increased volatility and tightness in natural gas and electricity supplies across the world, and such events could negatively affect the cost, reliability, and availability of our natural gas and electricity supplies. Increased electrification will also likely increase the intermittency and variability of electricity and power supplies, which would exacerbate the foregoing challenges. Additionally, increased government regulations and public opposition to pipeline construction and electricity generation and transmission projects may result in the underinvestment in, or unavailability of, the infrastructure and logistics assets needed to obtain natural gas feedstocks and electricity in a reliable and cost-efficient manner. Although we actively manage these costs through contracting and hedging our exposure to price volatility as appropriate, and by pursuing projects that reduce our reliance on third parties and fortify the resilience of our assets, increases in prices for natural gas and electricity, or disruptions to our supply thereof, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity.

🟡 Modified We are subject to risks arising from legal, political, and regulatory developments regarding climate, GHG emissions, and the environment. 🔒
🔴 No Match in Current Filing Public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have had and may continue to have, adverse impacts on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. 🔒
🔴 No Match in Current Filing Actions by the U.S. government to enter into, withdraw from, or modify current or future trade agreements could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. 🔒

And 14 more changes in the full comparison.

17 changes in this historical filing

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