Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Each of these risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our common stock.
Risks Related to our Business and Industry
The cyclicality and volatility of the industries in which we participate may cause significant fluctuations in our operating results.
Our business operations are subject to the cyclical and volatile nature of the supply-demand balance in the chemical and refining industries. Our future operating results are expected to continue to be affected by this cyclicality and volatility. The chemical and refining industries historically have experienced alternating periods of capacity shortages, causing prices and profit margins to increase, followed by periods of excess capacity, resulting in oversupply, declining capacity utilization rates and declining prices and profit margins.
In addition to changes in the supply and demand for products, changes in energy prices and other worldwide economic conditions can cause volatility. These factors result in significant fluctuations in profits and cash flow from period to period and over business cycles.
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New capacity additions around the world may lead to periods of oversupply and lower profitability. The timing and extent of any changes to currently prevailing market conditions are uncertain and supply and demand may be unbalanced at any time. As a consequence, we are unable to accurately predict the extent or duration of future industry cycles or their effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
A sustained decrease in the price of crude oil may adversely impact the results of our operations, primarily in North America.
Energy costs generally follow price trends of crude oil and natural gas. These price trends may be highly volatile and cyclical. In the past, raw material and energy costs have experienced significant fluctuations that adversely affected our business segments’ results of operations. For example, we have benefited from the favorable ratio of U.S. crude oil prices to natural gas prices in the past. If the price of crude oil remains lower relative to U.S. natural gas prices or if the demand for natural gas and NGLs increases, this may have a negative impact on our results of operations.
Costs and limitations on supply of raw materials and energy may result in increased operating expenses.
The costs of raw materials and energy represent a substantial portion of our operating expenses. Due to the significant competition we face and the commodity nature of many of our products we are not always able to pass on raw material and energy cost increases to our customers. When we do have the ability to pass on the cost increases, we are not always able to do so quickly enough to avoid adverse impacts on our results of operations. For example during 2022, increases in costs for energy and raw materials, and the related decline in demand for our products, resulted in the reduction of operating rates or delayed restart of operations at several of our sites in Europe.
Cost increases for raw materials, energy, or broad-based price inflation also increase working capital needs, which could reduce our liquidity and cash flow. Even if we are able to increase our sales prices to reflect these increases, demand for products may decrease as consumers and customers reduce their consumption or use substitute products, which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations. In addition, producers in natural gas cost-advantaged regions, such as the Middle East and North America, benefit from the lower prices of natural gas and NGLs. Competition from producers in these regions may cause us to reduce exports from Europe and elsewhere. Any such reductions may increase competition for product sales within Europe and other markets, which can result in lower margins in those regions.
For some of our raw materials and utilities there are a limited number of suppliers and, in some cases, the supplies are specific to the particular geographic region in which a facility is located. It is also common in the chemical and refining industries for a facility to have a sole, dedicated source for its utilities, such as steam, electricity and gas. Having a sole or limited number of suppliers may limit our negotiating power, particularly in the case of rising raw material costs. Any new supply agreements we enter into may not have terms as favorable as those contained in our current supply agreements.
Additionally, there is concern over the reliability of water sources, including around the U.S. Gulf Coast where several of our facilities are located. The decreased availability or less favorable pricing for water as a result of population growth, drought or regulation could negatively impact our operations, including by impacting our ability to produce or transport our products.
If our raw material or utility supplies were disrupted, our businesses would likely incur increased costs to procure alternative supplies or incur excessive downtime, which would have a negative impact on plant operations. Disruptions of supplies may occur as a result of transportation issues resulting from natural disasters, water levels, and interruptions in marine water routes, among other causes, that can affect the operations of vessels, barges, rails, trucks and pipeline traffic. These risks are particularly prevalent in the U.S. Gulf Coast area. Additionally, increasing exports of NGLs and crude oil from the U.S. or greater restrictions on hydraulic fracturing could restrict the availability of our raw materials, thereby increasing our costs.
With increased volatility in raw material costs, our suppliers could impose more onerous terms on us, resulting in shorter payment cycles and increasing our working capital requirements.
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Our ability to source raw materials may be adversely affected by political instability, civil disturbances or other governmental actions.
We obtain a portion of our principal raw materials from sources in the Middle East and Central and South America that may be less politically stable than other areas in which we conduct business. Political instability, civil disturbances and actions by governments in these areas are more likely to substantially increase the price and decrease the supply of raw materials necessary for our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Incidents of civil unrest, including terrorist attacks and demonstrations that have been marked by violence, have occurred in a number of countries in the Middle East and South America. Some political regimes in these countries are threatened or have changed as a result of such unrest. Political instability and civil unrest could continue to spread in the region and involve other areas. Such unrest, if it continues to spread or grow in intensity, could lead to civil wars, regional conflicts or regime changes resulting in governments that are hostile to countries in which we conduct substantial business, such as in the U.S., Europe or their respective trading partners.
Our business is capital intensive and we rely on cash generated from operations and external financing to fund our growth and ongoing capital needs. Limitations on access to external financing could adversely affect our operating results.
We require significant capital to operate our current business and fund our growth strategy. Moreover, interest payments, dividends, capital requirements of our joint ventures, the expansion of our current business or other business opportunities may require significant amounts of capital. If we need external financing, our access to credit markets and pricing of our capital is dependent upon maintaining sufficient credit ratings from credit rating agencies and the state of the capital markets generally. There can be no assurances that we would be able to incur indebtedness on terms we deem acceptable, and it is possible that the cost of any financings could increase significantly, thereby increasing our expenses and decreasing our net income. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or raise adequate external financing, including as a result of significant disruptions in the global credit markets, we could be forced to restrict our operations and growth opportunities, which could adversely affect our operating results.
We may use our $3,250 million revolving credit facility, which backs our commercial paper program, to meet our cash needs, to the extent available. As of December 31, 2022, we had no borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under the facility and $200 million, net of discount, outstanding under our commercial paper program, leaving an unused and available credit capacity of $3,050 million. We may also meet our cash needs by selling receivables under our $900 million U.S. Receivables Facility. As of December 31, 2022, we had availability of $794 million under this facility. In the event of a default under our credit facilities or any of our senior notes, we could be required to immediately repay all outstanding borrowings and make cash deposits as collateral for all obligations the facility supports, which we may not be able to do. Any default under any of our credit arrangements could cause a default under many of our other credit agreements and debt instruments. Without waivers from lenders party to those agreements, any such default could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue to operate.
Risks Related to our Operations
Our operations are subject to risks inherent in chemical and refining businesses, and we could be subject to liabilities for which we are not fully insured or that are not otherwise mitigated.
We maintain property, business interruption, product, general liability, casualty and other types of insurance that we believe are appropriate for our business and operations as well as in line with industry practices. However, we are not fully insured against all potential hazards incident to our business, including losses resulting from natural disasters or climate-related exposures, wars or terrorist acts. Changes in insurance market conditions have caused, and may in the future cause, premiums and deductibles for certain insurance policies to increase substantially and, in some instances, for certain insurance to become unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage. If we were to incur a significant liability for which we were not fully insured, we might not be able to finance the
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amount of the uninsured liability on terms acceptable to us or at all, and might be obligated to divert a significant portion of our cash flow from normal business operations.
Our business, including our results of operations and reputation, could be adversely affected by safety or product liability issues.
Failure to appropriately manage occupational safety, process safety, product safety, human health, product liability and environmental risks inherent in the chemical and refining businesses and associated with our products, product life cycles and production processes could result in unexpected incidents including releases, fires, or explosions resulting in personal injury, loss of life, environmental damage, loss of revenue, legal liability, and/or operational disruption. Public perception of the risks associated with our products and production processes could impact product acceptance and influence the regulatory environment in which we operate. While we have management systems, procedures and controls to manage these risks, issues could be created by events outside of our control, including natural disasters, severe weather events and acts of sabotage.
Further, because a part of our business involves licensing polyolefin process technology, our licensees are exposed to similar risks involved in the manufacture and marketing of polyolefins. Hazardous incidents involving our licensees, if they do result or are perceived to result from use of our technologies, may harm our reputation, threaten our relationships with other licensees and/or lead to customer attrition and financial losses. Our policy of covering these risks through contractual limitations of liability and indemnities and through insurance may not always be effective. As a result, our financial condition and results of operation would be adversely affected, and other companies with competing technologies may have the opportunity to secure a competitive advantage.
Interruptions of operations at our facilities may result in increased liabilities or lower operating results.
We own and operate large-scale facilities. Our operating results are dependent on the continued operation of our various production facilities and the ability to complete construction and maintenance projects on schedule. Interruptions at our facilities may materially reduce the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility, or our business as a whole, during and after the period of such operational difficulties. In recent years, we have had to shut down plants on the U.S. Gulf Coast, including the temporary shutdown of a portion of our Houston refinery, as a result of various hurricanes and cold weather events striking Texas and Louisiana. In addition, because the Houston refinery is our only refining operation, an outage at the refinery could have a particularly negative impact on our operating results as we do not have the ability to increase refining production elsewhere.
Our operations are subject to hazards inherent in chemical manufacturing and refining and the related storage and transportation of raw materials, products and wastes. These potential hazards include:
•pipeline leaks and ruptures;
•explosions;
•fires;
•severe weather and natural disasters;
•mechanical failure;
•unscheduled downtimes;
•supplier disruptions;
•labor shortages or other labor difficulties;
•transportation interruptions;
•remediation complications;
•increased restrictions on, or the unavailability of, water for use at our manufacturing sites or for the transport of our products or raw materials;
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•chemical and oil spills;
•discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances or gases;
•shipment of incorrect or off-specification product to customers;
•storage tank leaks;
•other environmental risks; and
•cyber-attack or other terrorist acts.
Some of these hazards may cause severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment, personal injury, loss of life, environmental damage, legal liability resulting from government action or litigation, loss of revenue, suspension of operations or the shutdown of affected facilities.
Large capital projects can take many years to complete, and market conditions could deteriorate significantly between the project approval date and the project startup date, negatively impacting project returns. If we are unable to complete capital projects at their expected costs and in a timely manner, or if the market conditions assumed in our project economics deteriorate, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
Delays or cost increases related to capital spending programs involving engineering, procurement and construction of facilities could materially adversely affect our ability to achieve forecasted internal rates of return and operating results. For example, higher costs arising from delaying construction of our world-scale PO/TBA plant in Houston due to COVID-19, more extensive civil construction, and unexpected tariffs on materials increased our costs and impacted our projected rate of return on the project. Delays in making required changes or upgrades to our facilities could subject us to fines or penalties as well as affect our ability to contract with our customers and supply certain products we produce. Such delays or cost increases may arise as a result of unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
•denial of or delay in receiving requisite regulatory approvals and/or permits;
•unplanned increases in the cost of construction materials or labor;
•disruptions in transportation of components or construction materials;
•adverse weather conditions, natural disasters or other events (such as equipment malfunctions, explosions, fires or spills) affecting our facilities, or those of vendors or suppliers;
•shortages of sufficiently skilled labor, or labor disagreements resulting in unplanned work stoppages; and
•nonperformance by, or disputes with, vendors, suppliers, contractors or subcontractors.
Any one or more of these factors could have a significant impact on our ongoing capital projects. If we were unable to make up the delays associated with such factors or to recover the related costs, or if market conditions change, it could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Shared control or lack of control of joint ventures may delay decisions or actions regarding our joint ventures.
A portion of our operations are conducted through joint ventures, where control may be exercised by or shared with unaffiliated third parties. We cannot control the actions or ownership of our joint venture partners, including any nonperformance, default or bankruptcy of joint venture partners. The joint ventures that we do not control may also lack financial reporting systems to provide adequate and timely information for our reporting purposes.
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Our joint venture partners may have different interests or goals than we do and may take actions contrary to our requests, policies or objectives. Differences in views among the joint venture participants also may result in delayed decisions or in failures to agree on major matters, potentially adversely affecting the business and operations of the joint ventures and in turn our business and operations. We may develop a dispute with any of our partners over decisions affecting the venture that may result in litigation, arbitration or some other form of dispute resolution. If a joint venture participant acts contrary to our interest, it could harm our brand, business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be required to record material charges against our earnings due to any number of events that could cause impairments to our assets.
We may be required to reduce production or idle facilities for extended periods of time or exit certain businesses as a result of the cyclical nature of our industry. Specifically, oversupplies of or lack of demand for particular products or high raw material prices may cause us to reduce production. We may choose to reduce production at certain facilities because we have off-take arrangements at other facilities, which make any reductions or idling unavailable at those facilities. Any decision to permanently close facilities or exit a business would likely result in impairment and other charges to earnings. For example, in April 2022, the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company approved a plan to exit the refining business, resulting in the recognition of $187 million of expense. See Notes 7, 12 and 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the planned exit.
Temporary outages at our facilities can last for several quarters and sometimes longer. These outages could cause us to incur significant costs, including the expenses of maintaining and restarting these facilities. In addition, we have significant obligations under take-or-pay agreements. Even though we may reduce production at facilities, we may be required to continue to purchase or pay for utilities or raw materials under these arrangements.
Acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and stock price.
We continually evaluate the performance and strategic fit of all of our businesses and evaluate whether our businesses would benefit from acquisitions to enhance growth or dispositions that would align our footprint with our overall business strategy. These transactions pose risks and challenges that could negatively impact our business and financial statements.
Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including meeting our standards for compliance, problems combining the purchased operations, technologies or products, unanticipated costs and liabilities, diversion of management’s attention from our core businesses, and potential loss of key employees. There can be no assurance that we will be able to integrate successfully any businesses, products, technologies, or personnel that we might acquire. The integration of businesses that we may acquire is likely to be a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process and we may not realize the anticipated revenues, synergies, or other benefits associated with our acquisitions if we do not manage and operate the acquired business up to our expectations. If we are unable to efficiently operate as a combined organization utilizing common information and communication systems, operating procedures, financial controls, and human resources practices, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Dispositions of assets or businesses involve risks, including difficulties in the separation of operations, services, products and personnel, the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns, the disruption of our business, the potential loss of key employees and the retention of uncertain environmental or other contingent liabilities related to the divested business. In addition, they may result in significant asset impairment charges, including those related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. For example, in April 2022 we agreed to the sale of our Australian polypropylene business that resulted in a $69 million non-cash impairment charge, which impacted earnings. In the event we are unable to successfully divest a business or product line, we may be forced to wind down such business or product line, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
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We cannot assure you that we will be successful in managing these or any other significant risks that we encounter in acquiring or divesting a business or product line, and any transaction we undertake could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and may also result in a diversion of management attention, operational difficulties and losses.
Risks related to the Global Economy and Multinational Operations
Economic disruptions and downturns in general, and particularly continued global economic uncertainty or economic turmoil in emerging markets, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, operating results, financial condition and cash flows.
Our results of operations can be materially affected by adverse conditions in the financial markets and depressed economic conditions generally. Economic downturns in the businesses and geographic areas in which we sell our products could substantially reduce demand for our products and result in decreased sales volumes and increased credit risk. Recessionary environments adversely affect our business because demand for our products is reduced, particularly from our customers in industrial markets generally and the automotive and housing industries specifically, and may result in higher costs of capital. A significant portion of our revenues and earnings are derived from our business in Europe. In addition, most of our European transactions and assets, including cash reserves and receivables, are denominated in euros.
We also derive significant revenues from our business in emerging markets, particularly the emerging markets in Asia and South America. Any broad-based downturn in these emerging markets, or in a key market such as China, could require us to reduce export volumes into these markets and could also require us to divert product sales to less profitable markets. Any of these conditions could ultimately harm our overall business, prospects, operating results, financial condition and cash flows.
We sell products in highly competitive global markets and face significant price pressures.
We sell our products in highly competitive global markets. Due to the commodity nature of many of our products, competition in these markets is based primarily on price and, to a lesser extent, on product performance, product quality, product deliverability, reliability of supply and customer service. Often, we are not able to protect our market position for these products by product differentiation and may not be able to pass on cost increases to our customers due to the significant competition in our business.
In addition, we face increased competition from companies that may have greater financial resources and different cost structures or strategic goals than us. These include large integrated oil companies (some of which also have chemical businesses), government-owned businesses, and companies that receive subsidies or other government incentives to produce certain products in a specified geographic region. Continuing competition from these companies, especially in our olefin and refining businesses, could limit our ability to increase product sales prices in response to raw material and other cost increases, or could cause us to reduce product sales prices to compete effectively, which would reduce our profitability. Competitors with different cost structures or strategic goals than we have may be able to invest significant capital into their businesses, including expenditures for research and development. In addition, specialty products we produce may become commoditized over time. Increased competition could result in lower prices or lower sales volumes, which would have a negative impact on our results of operations.
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We operate internationally and are subject to exchange rate fluctuations, exchange controls, political risks and other risks relating to international operations.
We operate internationally and are subject to the risks of doing business on a global level. These risks include fluctuations in currency exchange rates, economic instability and disruptions, restrictions on the transfer of funds and the imposition of trade restrictions or duties and tariffs, and complex regulations concerning privacy and data security. Additional risks from our multinational business include transportation delays and interruptions, war, terrorist activities, epidemics, pandemics, political instability, import and export controls, sanctions, changes in governmental policies, labor unrest and current and changing regulatory environments.
We generate revenues from export sales and operations that may be denominated in currencies other than the relevant functional currency. Exchange rates between these currencies and functional currencies in recent years have fluctuated significantly and may do so in the future. It is possible that fluctuations in exchange rates will result in reduced operating results. Additionally, we operate with the objective of having our worldwide cash available in the locations where it is needed, including the United Kingdom for our parent company’s significant cash obligations as a result of dividend payments. It is possible that we may not always be able to provide cash to other jurisdictions when needed or that such transfers of cash could be subject to additional taxes, including withholding taxes.
Our operating results could be negatively affected by the laws, rules and regulations, as well as political environments, in the jurisdictions in which we operate. There could be reduced demand for our products, decreases in the prices at which we can sell our products and disruptions of production or other operations. Trade protection measures such as quotas, duties, tariffs, safeguard measures or anti-dumping duties imposed in the countries in which we operate could negatively impact our business. Additionally, there may be substantial capital and other costs to comply with regulations and/or increased security costs or insurance premiums, any of which could reduce our operating results.
We obtain a portion of our principal raw materials from international sources that are subject to these same risks. Our compliance with applicable customs, currency exchange control regulations, transfer pricing regulations or any other laws or regulations to which we may be subject could be challenged. Furthermore, these laws may be modified, the result of which may be to prevent or limit subsidiaries from transferring cash to us.
Furthermore, we are subject to certain existing, and may be subject to possible future, laws that limit or may limit our activities while some of our competitors may not be subject to such laws, which may adversely affect our competitiveness.
Changes in tax laws and regulations could affect our tax rate and our results of operations.
The Company operates in multiple jurisdictions with complex legal and tax regulatory environments and is subject to taxes in the U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions. Significant changes to tax laws and regulations in these jurisdictions or their interpretation could have a material impact on our effective income tax rate. Our future effective income tax rates could also fluctuate based on, among other factors, changes in pre-tax income in countries with varying statutory tax rates, changes in valuation allowances, changes in foreign exchange gains/losses, the amount of exempt income, and changes in unrecognized tax benefits associated with uncertain tax positions. Our tax returns are periodically audited or subjected to review by tax authorities, and any adverse result of these examinations could also have an impact on our effective income tax rate and our results of operations. We regularly evaluate the likelihood of an adverse result of an examination, however, there is no assurance as to the ultimate outcome and impact.
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Risks Related to Health, Safety, and the Environment
We cannot predict with certainty the extent of future costs under environmental, health and safety and other laws and regulations, and cannot guarantee they will not be material.
We may face liability arising out of the normal course of business, including alleged personal injury or property damage due to exposure to chemicals or other hazardous substances at our current or former facilities, or exposure to products or chemicals that we manufacture, handle or own. In addition, because our products are components of a variety of other end-use products, we, along with other members of the chemical industry, are subject to potential claims related to those end-use products. Any substantial increase in the success of these types of claims could negatively affect our operating results.
We are subject to extensive national, regional, state and local environmental laws, regulations, directives, rules and ordinances concerning pollution, protection of the environment, hazardous materials, health and safety, the security of our facilities, and the safety of our products. We generally expect that these requirements are likely to become more stringent over time. Changes to such laws could result in restrictions on our operations, denial of permits, loss of business opportunities, increased operating costs or additional capital expenditures. We could incur significant costs or operational restrictions due to violations of or liabilities under such laws and regulations in the form of fines, penalties, and injunctive relief. Any substantial liability under such laws could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, we are required to have permits for our businesses and are subject to licensing regulations. These permits and licenses are subject to renewal, modification and in some circumstances, revocation. Further, the permits and licenses are often difficult, time consuming and costly to obtain and could contain conditions that limit our operations.
We may incur substantial costs to comply with climate change legislation and related regulatory initiatives.
There has been a broad range of proposed or promulgated international, national and state laws focusing on greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emission reduction and global climate change. These proposed or promulgated laws apply or could apply in countries where we have interests or may have interests in the future. Laws and regulations in this field continue to evolve and, while they are likely to be increasingly widespread and stringent, at this stage it is not possible to accurately estimate either a timetable for implementation or our future compliance costs relating to implementation. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to undertake ambitious efforts to reduce GHG emissions and strengthen adaptation to the effects of climate change.
Jurisdictions in which we operate, including, in particular, the European Union (EU), are preparing national legislation and protection plans to implement their emission reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement. In June 2021, the European Climate Law set legally binding targets of net zero GHG emissions by 2050, and a 55% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. In December 2022, the EU announced forthcoming regulations to support the 2030 climate target, including a revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), and the introduction of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Our operations in Europe participate in the ETS and we meet our obligations through a combination of free and purchased emission allowances. We anticipate the forthcoming regulations will result in an accelerated reduction of our free allowances and higher market prices for purchased allowances. These and other future regulations could result in increased costs, additional capital expenditures, and/or restrictions on operations.
In the U.S., addressing climate change is a stated priority of President Biden, and in February 2021, the U.S. recommitted to the Paris Agreement after having withdrawn in August 2017. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as several state governments have promulgated regulations directed at GHG emissions reductions from certain types of facilities. Additional regulations could be forthcoming at the U.S. federal or state level that could result in increased operating costs for compliance, required acquisition or trading of emission allowances, or compliance costs associated with additional regulatory frameworks for a range of potential carbon reduction projects, including carbon capture, use, and sequestration projects. Additionally, demand for the products we produce may be reduced.
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Non-Governmental Organizations have been active in filing lawsuits against governments and private parties in various jurisdictions around the world seeking enforcement of existing laws and new requirements to reduce GHG emissions. In one case decided in the Netherlands in May 2021, plaintiffs obtained a ruling ordering Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. These types of laws, regulations, and litigation results could increase the cost of purchased energy and increase costs of compliance in various locations.
Compliance with climate regulations may result in increased permitting necessary for the operation of our business or for any of our growth plans. Difficulties in obtaining such permits could have an adverse effect on our future growth. In addition, any future potential climate regulations, legislation, or litigation results could impose additional operating restrictions or delays in implementing growth projects or other capital investments, require us to incur increased costs, and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Legislation and regulatory initiatives could lead to a decrease in demand for our products.
New or revised governmental regulations and independent studies relating to the effect of our products on health, safety and the environment may affect demand for our products and the cost of producing our products. Initiatives by governments and private interest groups will potentially result in increased toxicological testing and risk assessments of a wide variety of chemicals, including chemicals used or produced by us. New or revised legislation or regulations could result in additional use restrictions and/or bans of certain chemicals. For example, in the EU, the European Commission as part of its Green Deal published the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability Towards a Toxic-Free Environment (“CSS”). The CSS sets forth far-reaching plans for introducing significant changes to the EU regulatory frameworks for chemicals including the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH”), and the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (“CLP”) that could result in increased compliance costs, additional restrictions, and/or bans of chemicals used or produced by us. In the U.S., changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s risk evaluation process under the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”) could also result in additional restrictions and/or bans of chemicals used or produced by us.
Assessments under TSCA, REACH or similar programs or regulations in other state or national jurisdictions may result in heightened concerns about the chemicals we use or produce and may result in additional requirements or bans being placed on the production, handling, labeling or use of those chemicals. Such concerns and additional requirements could also increase the cost incurred by our customers to use our chemical products and otherwise limit the use of these products, which could lead to a decrease in demand for these products. Such a decrease in demand could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
The physical impacts of climate change can negatively impact our facilities and operations.
Potential physical impacts of climate change include increased frequency and severity of hurricanes and floods as well as freezing conditions, tornadoes, and global sea level rise. Although we have preparedness plans in place designed to minimize impacts and enhance safety, should an event occur, it could have the potential to disrupt our supply chain and operations. A number of our facilities are located on the U.S. Gulf Coast, which has been impacted by hurricanes that have required us to temporarily shut down operations at those sites. Our sites rely on rivers for transportation that may experience restrictions in times of drought or other unseasonal weather variation. In addition, scarcity of water and drought conditions due to climate change could reduce the availability of fresh water needed to produce our products which could increase our costs of operations.
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Increased regulation or deselection of plastic could lead to a decrease in demand growth for some of our products.
There is a growing concern with the accumulation of plastic, including microplastics, and plastic waste in the environment. Additionally, plastics have recently faced increased public backlash and scrutiny, as well as governmental investigations and enforcement, and private litigation. Policy measures to address this concern are being discussed or implemented by governments at all levels. For example, on March 2, 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a resolution to develop a new international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution with the ambition to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024. The European Union has been undertaking a series of actions under its Circular Economy Action Plan, including adoption of the Single Use Plastics Directive in 2019, which introduced policy measures for single use plastics including bans, product design requirements, extended producer responsibility obligations, and labeling requirements, and adoption of a proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in 2022. In addition, a host of single-use plastic bans and taxes have been passed by countries around the world and states and municipalities throughout the U.S. Consumer deselection, increased regulation of, or prohibition on, the manufacturing or use of plastic or plastic products could limit the use of these products or increase the costs incurred by our customers to use such products, and could lead to a decrease in demand for PE, PP, and other products we make. Such a decrease in demand could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Failure to effectively and timely achieve our GHG emissions reduction goals could damage our reputation and have an adverse effect on the demand for our products.
In December 2022, we announced that we were increasing our GHG emissions reduction targets for 2030, while maintaining our previously announced goal to achieve net zero scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2050. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on many factors, including the availability of technology, our ability to secure permits and emissions credits, evolving regulatory requirements, competitor actions, customer preferences, and our ability to reduce emissions from our operations through modernization and innovation, reduce the emissions intensity of the electricity we buy, and invest in renewables and low carbon energy. We may also not timely adapt to changes or methods in carbon pricing that could increase our costs and reduce our competitiveness. The cost associated with our GHG emissions reduction goals could be significant. Failure to achieve our emissions targets could result in reputational harm, enforcement or litigation, changing investor sentiment regarding investment in LyondellBasell or a negative impact on access to and cost of capital.
Failure to achieve our circularity goals could have an adverse effect on the demand for our products.
In September 2020, we announced a circularity goal of marketing at least two million metric tons of recycled and renewable-based polymers annually by 2030. Many of our customers also have goals to increase the recycled and renewable content in their own products and packaging. Our ability to achieve this goal depends on many factors, including the availability of collection and sortation infrastructure, evolving regulations on chemical recycling and recycled content, our ability to grow our circular and low carbon solutions business established in 2022, make investments in new technologies, expand the global footprint of our recycling facilities and joint ventures, secure access to feedstock, and manufacture recycled and low carbon products at commercial scale.
General Risk Factors
The COVID-19 pandemic could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In early 2020, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant economic disruption and adversely impacted the global economy, leading to reduced consumer spending and volatility in the global financial and commodities markets. The return to pre-pandemic economic activity continues to depend on the severity and transmission rate of the virus, the continued effectiveness of vaccines and treatments, and policy decisions made by governments in reaction to evolving local conditions. Any further global supply chain or economic disruption as a result of COVID-19 could have a material negative impact on our business, results of operations, access to sources of liquidity and financial condition.
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Increased IT and cybersecurity threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime could pose a risk to our systems, networks, data, products, facilities and services.
Increased global information cybersecurity threats and more sophisticated, targeted computer crime pose a risk to the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data, operations and infrastructure. While we attempt to mitigate these risks by employing a number of measures, including security measures, employee training, comprehensive monitoring of our networks and systems, and maintenance of backup and protective systems, our employees, systems, networks, products, facilities and services remain potentially vulnerable to ransomware, sophisticated espionage or cyber-assault. Depending on their nature and scope, such threats could potentially lead to the compromise of confidential information, improper use of our systems and networks, manipulation and destruction of data, defective products, production downtimes and operational disruptions, which in turn could adversely affect our reputation, competitiveness and results of operations.
Many of our businesses depend on our intellectual property. Our future success will depend in part on our ability to develop new technologies and protect our intellectual property rights, and our inability to do so could reduce our ability to maintain our competitiveness and margins.
We have a significant worldwide patent portfolio of issued and pending patents and our future results could be impacted by our ability to successfully develop and protect new processes and technologies. Our patents and patent applications, together with proprietary technical know-how, are significant to our competitive position, particularly with regard to PO, intermediate chemicals, polyolefins, licensing and catalysts. We rely on the patent, copyright and trade secret laws of the countries in which we operate to protect our investment in research and development, manufacturing and marketing. We operate plants, sell catalysts and products, participate in joint ventures, and license our process technology in many foreign jurisdictions, including those having heightened risks for intellectual property. In some of these instances, we must disclose at least a portion of our technology to third parties or regulatory bodies. In these cases, we rely primarily on contracts and trade secret laws to protect the associated trade secrets. However, we may be unable to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property without authorization. Proceedings to protect these rights could be costly, and we may not prevail.
The failure of our patents or confidentiality agreements to protect our processes, apparatuses, technology, trade secrets or proprietary know-how could result in significantly lower revenues, reduced profit margins and cash flows and/or loss of market share. We also may be subject to claims that our technology, patents or other intellectual property infringes on a third party’s intellectual property rights. Unfavorable resolution of these claims could result in restrictions on our ability to deliver the related service or in a settlement that could be material to us.
Adverse results of legal proceedings could materially adversely affect us.
We are subject to and may in the future be subject to a variety of legal proceedings and claims that arise out of the ordinary conduct of our business. Results of legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Irrespective of its merits, litigation may be both lengthy and disruptive to our operations and may cause significant expenditure and diversion of management attention. We may be faced with significant monetary damages or injunctive relief against us that could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations should we fail to prevail in certain matters.
If we lose key employees or are unable to attract and retain the employees we need, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain key personnel, and we rely heavily on our management team. The inability to recruit and retain key personnel or the unexpected loss of key personnel may adversely affect our operations. In addition, because of the reliance on our management team, our future success depends in part on our ability to identify and develop talent to succeed senior management. The retention of key personnel and appropriate senior management succession planning will continue to be critically important to the successful implementation of our strategies.
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There is substantial and continuous competition for diverse, talented engineering, manufacturing, and operations employees. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining such personnel, and we may experience increased compensation and training costs that may not be offset by either improved productivity or higher sales. We have from time to time experienced, and we may continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications, and may not be able to fill positions in desired geographic areas or at all.
Significant changes in pension fund investment performance or assumptions relating to pension costs may adversely affect the valuation of pension obligations, the funded status of pension plans, and our pension cost.
Our pension cost is materially affected by the discount rates used to measure pension obligations, the level of plan assets available to fund those obligations at the measurement date and the expected long-term rates of return on plan assets. Significant changes in investment performance or a change in the portfolio mix of invested assets may result in corresponding increases and decreases in the value of plan assets, particularly equity securities, or in a change of the expected rate of return on plan assets. Any changes in key actuarial assumptions, such as the discount rate or mortality rate, would impact the valuation of pension obligations, affecting the reported funded status of our pension plans as well as the net periodic pension cost in the following fiscal years.
Many of our current pension plans have projected benefit obligations that exceed the fair value of the plan assets. As of December 31, 2022, the aggregate deficit was $662 million. Any declines in the fair values of the pension plans’ assets could require additional payments by us in order to maintain specified funding levels.
Our pension plans are subject to legislative and regulatory requirements of applicable jurisdictions, which could include, under certain circumstances, local governmental authority to terminate the plan.
See Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding pensions and other post-retirement benefits.
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Environmental Matters
From time to time, we and our joint ventures receive notices or inquiries from government entities regarding alleged violations of environmental laws and regulations pertaining to, among other things, the disposal, emission and storage of chemical and petroleum substances, including hazardous wastes. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and the proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that we reasonably believe could exceed $300,000. The matters below are disclosed solely pursuant to that requirement and we do not believe that any of these proceedings will have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements.
In connection with an enforcement initiative of EPA regarding flare emissions at petrochemical plants, we have settled with EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice in order to resolve claims initiated in July 2014, related to alleged improper operation and maintenance of flares at four of our U.S. facilities. The consent decree related to the settlement was entered by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in January 2022. Under the terms of the settlement, we paid a penalty of $3.4 million in January 2022 and will conduct fence line monitoring and make investments in equipment at the facilities. The consent decree was amended in September 2022 to include flares at an additional facility, including a penalty of $324,000 that we paid in October 2022.
In March 2018, the Cologne, Germany local court issued a regulatory fine notice of €1.8 million arising from a pipeline leak near our Wesseling, Germany facility. We expect the Cologne prosecutor to issue a corresponding payment request, which will resolve the matter.
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In February 2020, the State of Texas filed suit against Houston Refining, LP, a subsidiary of LyondellBasell, in Travis County District Court seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief for violations of the Texas Clean Air Act related to several emission events. In July 2020, Harris County, Texas petitioned to intervene in the lawsuit and the State added additional claims to its petition relating to self-reported deviations of Houston Refining’s air operating permit. We are currently engaged in settlement negotiations to resolve the matter.
On July 27, 2021, approximately 160,000 pounds of liquid process material containing primarily acetic acid was released from a reactor at the La Porte acetic acid unit. In October 2021, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) issued a Notice of Enforcement for the incident. In November 2021, the State of Texas filed a petition on behalf of the TCEQ seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties for unauthorized air pollution and regulatory nuisance related to the incident. We are currently engaged in settlement discussions with the State to resolve this matter.
In April 2022, the State of Texas filed suit against Equistar Chemicals, LP, in Travis County District Court seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief for alleged violations of the Texas Clean Air Act related to multiple emissions events at Equistar’s Bayport Plant.
Litigation and Other Matters
Information regarding our litigation and other legal proceedings can be found in Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market and Dividend Information
Our shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on October 14, 2010 under the symbol “LYB.”
The payment of dividends or distributions in the future will be subject to the requirements of Dutch law and the discretion of our Board of Directors. The declaration of any future cash dividends and, if declared, the amount of any such dividends, will depend upon general business conditions, our financial condition, our earnings and cash flow, our capital requirements, financial covenants and other contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends or distributions.
We intend to continue to declare and pay quarterly dividends, with the goal of increasing the dividend over time, after giving consideration to our cash balances and expected results from operations. However, there can be no assurance that any dividends or distributions will be declared or paid in the future.
Holders
As of February 21, 2023, there were approximately 5,200 record holders of our shares, including Cede & Co. as nominee of the Depository Trust Company.
Equity Compensation Plan
See Part III, Item 11. Executive Compensation for information relating to the Company’s equity compensation plans.
United Kingdom Tax Considerations
As a result of its United Kingdom tax residency, dividend distributions by LyondellBasell Industries N.V. to its shareholders are not subject to withholding tax, as the United Kingdom currently does not levy a withholding tax on dividend distributions.
Performance Graph
The performance graph and the information contained in this section is not “soliciting material,” is being furnished, not filed, with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
The graph below shows the relative investment performance of LyondellBasell Industries N.V. shares, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Chemicals Index since December 31, 2017. The graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2017 and any dividends paid were reinvested at the date of payment. The graph is presented pursuant to SEC rules and is not meant to be an indication of our future performance.
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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On May 27, 2022, our shareholders approved a share repurchase authorization of up to 34,026,947 of our ordinary shares, through November 27, 2023, which superseded any prior repurchase authorizations. The maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased is not necessarily an indication of the number of shares that will ultimately be purchased.
Item 6. Reserved
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Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
GENERAL
This discussion should be read in conjunction with the information contained in our Consolidated Financial Statements, and the accompanying notes elsewhere in this report. Unless otherwise indicated, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar words are used to refer to LyondellBasell Industries N.V. together with its consolidated subsidiaries (“LyondellBasell N.V.”).
The discussion summarizing the significant factors affecting the results of operations and financial condition for the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to 2020 have been excluded from this Form 10-K and can be found in Part II, “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 24, 2022, of which Item 7 is incorporated herein by reference.
OVERVIEW
In 2022, our balanced business portfolio, consistent cash generation and strong balance sheet enabled us to successfully navigate through challenging market conditions while continuing to provide significant returns for our shareholders. During the year, petrochemical markets were pressured by high and volatile energy and feedstock costs as well as reduced global demand for our products. Our O&P-Americas and O&P-EAI segments encountered headwinds from reduced demand in Europe and Asia as well as global capacity additions. Our I&D segment benefited from improved oxyfuels margins which were partially offset by lower margins for other products due to lower demand. Margins in our Refining segment benefited from increased global mobility and favorable markets.
During 2022 we generated $6.1 billion in cash from operating activities. We remain committed to a disciplined approach to capital allocation. In 2022, approximately $1.9 billion was reinvested in the business and $3.7 billion was returned to shareholders through quarterly dividends, a special dividend and share repurchases.
In 2022, we launched a comprehensive review of our strategy. Initial strategic actions included the decision to exit the refining business and the sale of the Australian polypropylene business. We also formed a circular and low carbon solutions business within our O&P-Americas and O&P-EAI segments. This business was created to accelerate progress in capturing value from serving the rapidly growing customer demand for recycled and renewable solutions.
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Results of operations for the periods discussed are presented in the table below.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 50,451 $ 46,173
Selling, general and administrative expenses 1,310 1,255
Research and development expenses 124 124
Interest income 29 9
Other (expense) income, net (72) 62
Income from equity investments 5 461
Income from continuing operations before income taxes 4,776 6,786
Provision for income taxes 882 1,163
Income from continuing operations 3,894 5,623
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (5) (6)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax –
Financial derivatives 208 72
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale debt securities — (1)
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans 346 224
Foreign currency translations (123) (155)
Total other comprehensive income, net of tax 431 140
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Revenues—Revenues increased $4,278 million, or 9%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Average sales prices in 2022 were higher for many of our products as sales prices generally correlate with crude oil prices, which increased relative to 2021. These higher prices led to a 13% increase in revenue. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a 4% decrease in revenue.
Cost of Sales—Cost of sales increased $6,450 million, or 17%, in 2022 compared to 2021. This increase primarily related to higher feedstock and energy costs. Fluctuations in our cost of sales are generally driven by changes in feedstock and energy costs. Feedstock and energy related costs generally represent approximately 70% to 80% of cost of sales, other variable costs account for approximately 10% of cost of sales on an annual basis and fixed operating costs, consisting primarily of expenses associated with employee compensation, depreciation and amortization, and maintenance, range from approximately 10% to 20% in each annual period.
Impairments—During 2022 we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $69 million related to the sale of our Australian polypropylene manufacturing facility. During 2021 we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $624 million related to our Houston refinery. See Notes 7 and 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding impairment charges.
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Operating Income—Operating income decreased by $1,672 million or 25% in 2022 compared to 2021. In 2022, Operating income decreased for our O&P-Americas, O&P-EAI, Technology and APS segments by $2,470 million, $1,214 million, $140 million and $85 million, respectively. These decreases were partially offset by increases in Operating income for our Refining and I&D segments of $1,585 million and $637 million, respectively. Results for each of our business segments are discussed further in the Segment Analysis section below.
Interest Expense—Interest expense decreased $232 million or 45% in 2022 compared to 2021 primarily driven by debt extinguishment costs of $130 million recognized in 2021 related to the redemption of certain guaranteed notes, including a cash tender offer, coupled with a decrease in the weighted average outstanding debt balance in 2022 compared to 2021. See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Income from Equity Investments—Income from equity method investments decreased $456 million, or 99%, in 2022 compared to 2021, primarily due to lower polyolefin spreads for our joint ventures in our O&P—EAI segment, particularly those in Asia and Saudi Arabia.
Income Taxes—Our effective income tax rates of 18.5% in 2022 and 17.1% in 2021 resulted in tax provisions of $882 million and $1,163 million, respectively. In 2021, we benefited from return to accrual adjustments primarily associated with a step-up of certain Italian assets to fair market value and benefits from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as “CARES Act” of 1.8% and 0.9%, respectively. These increases were coupled with a decrease in exempt income in 2022 resulting in a 2% increase in the effective tax rate, partially offset by changes in pretax income in countries with varying statutory tax rates and fluctuations in uncertain tax positions of 2.1% and 1.8%, respectively.For additional information, see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Comprehensive Income—Comprehensive income decreased by $1,437 million in 2022 compared to 2021, primarily due to a decrease in net income. The activities from the remaining components of Comprehensive income are discussed below.
Financial derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, primarily our forward-starting interest rate swaps, led to an increase in Comprehensive income of $136 million in 2022 compared to 2021, due to periodic changes in the benchmark interest rates.
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans led to an increase in Comprehensive income of $122 million in 2022 compared to 2021, primarily resulting from changes in actuarial assumptions and pension settlements.
In 2022, a decrease in foreign currency translation losses led to an increase in Comprehensive income of $32 million compared to 2021, primarily due to continued strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the euro and the pre-tax gain from the effective portion of our net investment hedges in 2022.
See Notes 13, 14 and 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussions.
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Segment Analysis
We use earnings from continuing operations before interest, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) as our measure of profitability for segment reporting purposes. This measure of segment operating results is used by our chief operating decision maker to assess the performance of, and allocate resources to, our operating segments. Intersegment eliminations and items that are not directly related or allocated to business operations, such a s foreign exchange gains (losses) and components of pension and other post-retirement benefit costs other than service cost, are included in “Other.” For additional information related to our operating segments, as well as a reconciliation of EBITDA to its nearest generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) measure, Income from continuing operations before income taxes, see Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our continuing operations are managed through six reportable segments: O&P-Americas, O&P-EAI, I&D, APS, Refining and Technology. The following tables reflect selected financial information for our reportable segments.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues:
Other, including segment eliminations (7,074) (6,489)
Operating income (loss):
Other, including segment eliminations (20) (35)
Depreciation and amortization:
Income (loss) from equity investments:
APS — (1)
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Year Ended December 31,
Other (expense) income, net:
O&P-Americas $ (28) $ 28
O&P-EAI — 11
Refining (7) (7)
Technology (4) —
Other, including intersegment eliminations 4 25
EBITDA:
Other, including intersegment eliminations (16) (10)
Olefins and Polyolefins-Americas Segment
Overview—EBITDA decreased in 2022 relative to 2021 primarily driven by lower olefins margins.
In calculating the impact of margin and volume on EBITDA, consistent with industry practice, management offsets revenues and volumes related to ethylene co-products against the cost to produce ethylene. Volume and price impacts of ethylene co-products are reported in margin.
Ethylene Raw Materials—Ethylene and its co-products are produced from two major raw material groups:
•NGLs, principally ethane and propane, the prices of which are generally affected by natural gas prices; and
•crude oil-based liquids (“liquids” or “heavy liquids”), including naphtha, condensates and gas oils, the prices of which are generally related to crude oil prices.
We have flexibility to vary the raw material mix and process conditions in our U.S. olefins plants in order to maximize profitability as market prices fluctuate for both feedstocks and products. Although prices of crude-based liquids and natural gas liquids are generally related to crude oil and natural gas prices, during specific periods the relationships among these materials and benchmarks may vary significantly. In 2022 and 2021, approximately 70% and 60%, respectively, of the raw materials used in our North American crackers was ethane.
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The following table sets forth selected financial information for the O&P-Americas segment including Income from equity investments, which is a component of EBITDA.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 13,935 $ 15,002
Income from equity investments 98 115
Revenues—Revenues decreased by $1,067 million, or 7%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Lower average sales prices for all businesses resulted in the 7% decrease in revenue primarily driven by reduced demand and increased market supply.
EBITDA—EBITDA decreased by $2,539 million, or 48%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Lower olefins results led to a 33% decrease in EBITDA primarily due to margin compression driven by lower ethylene prices coupled with higher feedstock and energy costs. Lower polyethylene and polypropylene results led to a 9% and 5% decrease in EBITDA, respectively, primarily driven by lower demand, an increase in industry capacity and higher energy costs.
Olefins and Polyolefins-Europe, Asia, International Segment
Overview—EBITDA decreased in 2022 compared to 2021 mainly as a result of lower volumes and margins across all businesses, lower income from equity investments and unfavorable impacts of foreign exchange.
In calculating the impact of margin and volume on EBITDA, consistent with industry practice, management offsets revenues and volumes related to ethylene co-products against the cost to produce ethylene. Volume and price impacts of ethylene co-products are reported in margin.
Ethylene Raw Materials—In Europe, naphtha is the primary raw material for our ethylene production and represents approximately 70% of the raw materials used in 2022 and 2021.
The following table sets forth selected financial information for the O&P-EAI segment including Income from equity investments, which is a component of EBITDA.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 12,823 $ 13,490
(Loss) income from equity investments (68) 313
Revenues—Revenues decreased by $667 million, or 5%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a revenue decrease of 8%. Lower volumes resulted in a revenue decrease of 8% primarily due to lower demand along with planned and unplanned maintenance. During 2022, we had planned and unplanned maintenance resulting in ethylene cracker operating rates of approximately 67% of capacity compared to 89% of capacity during 2021. Higher average sales prices resulted in a 11% increase in revenue as sales prices generally correlate with crude oil prices, which on average, increased compared to 2021.
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EBITDA—EBITDA decreased by $1,637 million, or 94%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Lower polyolefin results led to a 39% decrease in EBITDA. Approximately 60% of the change was driven by decreased margins resulting from higher energy costs and lower spreads with the remainder due to a decrease in volumes driven by lower demand. Lower olefins results led to a 20% decrease in EBITDA, approximately half of the change was driven by lower volumes due to unplanned maintenance and reduced operating rates to manage working capital. The other half of the change was due to lower margins resulting from higher feedstock and energy costs which outpaced increased ethylene prices. Lower income from our equity investments led to a decrease in EBITDA of 22% mainly attributable to lower polyolefin spreads across all joint ventures, particularly those located in Asia and Saudi Arabia. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a 10% decrease in EBITDA.
In the second quarter of 2022, we recognized a $69 million non-cash impairment charge in conjunction with the sale of our polypropylene manufacturing facility located in Australia, resulting in a 4% decrease in EBITDA for 2022 compared to 2021.
Intermediates and Derivatives Segment
Overview—EBITDA increased in 2022 compared to 2021, primarily driven by increased oxyfuels and related products margin, partially offset by decreases in margin for propylene oxide and derivatives and intermediate chemicals.
The following table sets forth selected financial information for the I&D segment including Income from equity investments, which is a component of EBITDA.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 12,950 $ 10,180
(Loss) income from equity investments (25) 34
Revenues—Revenues increased by $2,770 million, or 27%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Higher average sales prices resulted in a 25% increase in revenue as sales prices generally correlate with crude oil prices, which, on average, increased compared to the same period in 2021, coupled with lower industry supply. Sales volumes improved resulting in a 6% increase in revenue as 2021 was impacted by unusually cold temperatures and associated electrical power outages that led to shutdowns of our manufacturing facilities in Texas. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a revenue decrease of 4%.
EBITDA—EBITDA increased $494 million, or 36%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Oxyfuels and related products increased EBITDA by 53% primarily driven by margin improvement as a result of higher gasoline prices. Propylene oxide and derivatives and intermediate chemicals results declined each resulting in a 5% reduction in EBITDA driven by reduced margins from higher energy and feedstock costs. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a 4% decrease in EBITDA. Lower income from our equity investments led to a decrease in EBITDA of 4% mainly attributable to lower margins in Asia. During 2022 and 2021, we recognized LIFO inventory charges of $26 million and $93 million, respectively, which resulted in a 5% increase in EBITDA.
Advanced Polymer Solutions Segment
Overview—EBITDA decreased in 2022 compared to 2021, primarily due to a decline in compounding and solutions results partially offset by improved advanced polymers results. In the first quarter of 2023, our Catalloy and polybutene-1 products, previously reflected in our APS segment, will be transferred to and reflected in our O&P-Americas and O&P-EAI segments. Our reporting structure will be revised in the first quarter of 2023 to reflect this change.
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The following table sets forth selected financial information for the APS segment:
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 5,231 $ 5,145
Loss from equity investments — (1)
Revenues—Revenues increased in 2022 by $86 million, or 2%, compared to 2021. Higher average sales prices resulted in a 13% increase in revenue as sales prices generally correlate with prices for crude oil and its derivatives, which, on average, increased compared to 2021. Foreign exchange impacts resulted in a revenue decrease of 8%. Sales volumes declined resulting in a 3% decrease in revenue stemming from lower demand.
EBITDA—EBITDA decreased in 2022 by $97 million, or 24%, compared to 2021. Compounding and solutions results led to a 29% reduction in EBITDA. Approximately 55% of the change was driven by higher raw material and energy costs with the remainder due to lower volumes as demand declined. Advanced polymers results increased by 4% driven by margin improvements for Catalloy due to higher sales prices. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a EBITDA decrease of 9%. During 2022 and 2021, we recognized $28 million and $55 million, respectively, of LIFO inventory charges which resulted in a 7% increase in EBITDA.
Refining Segment
Overview—EBITDA increased in 2022 relative to 2021 primarily due to higher margins.
The following table sets forth selected financial information and heavy crude oil processing rates for the Refining segment and the U.S. refining market margins for the applicable periods. “Brent” is a light sweet crude oil and is one of the main benchmark prices for purchases of oil worldwide. “Maya” is a heavy sour crude oil grade produced in Mexico that is a relevant benchmark for heavy sour crude oils in the U.S. Gulf Coast market. References to industry benchmarks for refining market margins are to industry prices reported by Platts, a division of S&P Global.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 11,893 $ 8,002
Thousands of barrels per day
Heavy crude oil processing rates 238 231
Market margins, dollars per barrel
Brent - Maya differential 11.71 6.48
Revenues—Revenues increased by $3,891 million, or 49%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Higher product prices led to a revenue increase of 45% as the average Brent crude oil price increased approximately $28.11 per barrel. Sales volumes increased resulting in a 4% increase in revenue due to improved demand as refined products markets recovered from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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EBITDA—EBITDA increased by $1,545 million or 248%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Margin improvements drove a 173% increase in EBITDA primarily due to an increase in the Maya 2-1-1 market margin driven by higher demand for transportation fuels. Additionally, during 2022 we incurred costs related to our planned exit from the refining business, which resulted in a 25% decrease in EBITDA compared to 2021. See Notes 7, 12 and 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the planned exit. The remaining change is due to non-cash impairment charges of $624 million recorded in 2021 with no similar charge incurred in 2022. For additional information see Notes 7 and 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Technology Segment
Overview—The Technology segment recognizes revenues related to the sale of polyolefin catalysts and the licensing of chemical and polyolefin process technologies. These revenues are offset in part by the costs incurred in the production of catalysts, licensing and services activities and research and development (“R&D”) activities. In 2022 and 2021, our Technology segment incurred approximately 55% of all R&D costs. EBITDA decreased in 2022 compared to 2021 driven by lower licensing revenues and the unfavorable impacts of foreign exchange.
The following table sets forth selected financial information for the Technology segment.
Year Ended December 31,
Sales and other operating revenues $ 693 $ 843
Revenues—Revenues decreased by $150 million, or 18%, in 2022 compared to 2021. Lower licensing revenues resulting from fewer contracts reaching significant milestones drove an 11% decrease in revenue. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in a 10% decrease in revenue. Changes in average catalyst sales price resulted in a 2% increase in revenue. Higher catalyst volumes resulted in a 1% increase in revenue primarily driven by increased demand.
EBITDA—EBITDA in 2022 decreased by $148 million, or 29%, compared to 2021. Lower licensing revenues resulting from fewer contracts reaching significant milestones drove a 16% decrease in EBITDA. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts resulted in an EBITDA decrease of 11%.
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FINANCIAL CONDITION
Operating, investing and financing activities of continuing operations, which are discussed below, are presented in the following table:
Year Ended December 31,
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating Activities—Cash provided by operating activities of $6,119 million in 2022 primarily reflected earnings adjusted for non-cash items and cash used by the main components of working capital–Accounts receivable, Inventories and Accounts payable.
In 2022, the main components of working capital provided $450 million of cash driven by a decrease in Accounts receivable, partially offset by a decrease in Accounts payable. The decrease in Accounts receivable was primarily due to lower revenues across most businesses primarily driven by lower average sales prices. The decrease in Accounts payable was driven by lower production volumes as a result of lower operating rates.
Cash provided by operating activities of $7,695 million in 2021 primarily reflected earnings adjusted for non-cash items and cash provided by the main components of working capital.
In 2021, the main components of working capital used $960 million of cash driven by an increase in Inventories and Accounts receivable, partially offset by an increase in Accounts payable. The increase in Inventories was primarily due to an increase in raw material costs coupled with an increase in inventory to levels required to support improved demand and in anticipation of turnarounds in 2022. The increase in Accounts receivable was driven by higher revenues across most businesses primarily driven by higher average sales prices. The increase in Accounts payable was primarily driven by increased raw material and energy costs.
Other operating activities in 2021 includes an $870 million tax refund received in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the effects of changes in income tax accruals primarily driven by increased pretax income. For additional information see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Investing Activities—Capital expenditures in 2022 totaled $1,890 million compared to $1,959 million in 2021. Approximately 50% and 60% of our capital expenditures in 2022 and 2021, respectively, was for profit-generating growth projects, primarily our PO/TBA plant, with the remaining expenditures supporting sustaining maintenance. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding capital spending by segment.
We invest cash in investment-grade and other high-quality instruments that provide adequate flexibility to redeploy funds as needed to meet our cash flow requirements while maximizing yield.
In 2022 and 2021, we received proceeds of $8 million and $335 million, respectively, from the liquidation of our investment in equity securities. Additionally, in 2021 we received proceeds of $346 million, upon the maturities of certain of our available-for-sale debt securities.
In 2021, we made an equity contribution of $104 million to form Ningbo ZRCC LyondellBasell New Material Company Limited, a 50/50 joint venture with Sinopec. For additional information related to our Equity investments, see Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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In 2022, foreign currency contracts with an aggregate notional value of €500 million expired. Upon settlement of these foreign currency contracts, we paid €500 million ($501 million at the expiry spot rate) to our counterparties and received $614 million from our counterparties.
In 2021, foreign currency contracts with an aggregate notional value of €300 million expired. Upon settlement of these foreign currency contracts, we paid €300 million ($355 million at the expiry spot rate) to our counterparties and received $358 million from our counterparties.
Financing Activities—We made dividend payments totaling $3,246 million, which included a combination of a special dividend of $5.20 per share and an increased quarterly dividend, and $1,486 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Additionally, in 2022 and 2021, we made payments of $420 million and $463 million to repurchase outstanding ordinary shares, respectively. For additional information related to our share repurchases and dividend payments, see Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
In 2022 and 2021, we made net repayments of $4 million and $296 million, respectively, through the issuance and repurchase of commercial paper instruments under our commercial paper program.
In 2022, we received a return of collateral of $238 million related to the positions held with our counterparties for certain forward-starting interest rate swaps.
In 2021, we prioritized debt reduction resulting in a $4 billion decrease in our outstanding long-term debt. For a detailed discussion of financing activities for 2021, see Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
In November 2021, foreign currency contracts previously designated as cash flow hedges with an aggregate notional value of $855 million expired. Upon settlement of these foreign currency contracts we paid €790 million ($904 million at the expiry spot rate) to our counterparties and received $855 million from our counterparties.
For additional information related to our swaps and currency contracts, see Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
We plan to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, debt service, dividends and other cash requirements with our current available liquidity and cash from operations, which could be affected by general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Debt repayment, and the purchase of shares under our share repurchase authorization, may be funded from cash and cash equivalents, cash from our short-term investments, cash from operating activities, proceeds from the issuance of debt, or a combination thereof.
We intend to continue to declare and pay quarterly dividends, with the goal of increasing the dividend over time, after giving consideration to our cash balances and expected results from operations. Our focus on funding our dividends while remaining committed to a strong investment grade balance sheet continues to be the foundation of our capital allocation strategy.
Cash and Liquid Investments
As of December 31, 2022, we had Cash and cash equivalents totaling $2,151 million, which includes $1,044 million in jurisdictions outside of the U.S., primarily held within the United Kingdom. There are currently no legal or economic restrictions that would materially impede our transfers of cash.
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Credit Arrangements
At December 31, 2022, we had total debt, including current maturities, of $11,321 million, and $227 million of outstanding letters of credit, bank guarantees and surety bonds issued under uncommitted credit facilities.
We had total unused availability under our credit facilities of $3,844 million at December 31, 2022, which included the following:
•$3,050 million under our $3,250 million Senior Revolving Credit Facility, which backs our $2,500 million commercial paper program. Availability under this facility is net of outstanding borrowings, outstanding letters of credit provided under the facility and notes issued under our commercial paper program. At December 31, 2022, we had $200 million of outstanding commercial paper, net of discount, and no borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under this facility; and
•$794 million under our $900 million U.S. Receivables Facility. Availability under this facility is subject to a borrowing base of eligible receivables, which is reduced by outstanding borrowings and letters of credit, if any. At December 31, 2022 we had no borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under this facility.
At any time and from time to time, we may repay or redeem our outstanding debt, including purchases of our outstanding bonds in the open market, through privately negotiated transactions or a combination thereof, in each case using cash and cash equivalents, cash from our short-term investments, cash from operating activities, proceeds from the issuance of debt or proceeds from asset divestitures. Any repayment or redemption of our debt will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. In connection with such repurchases or redemptions, we may incur cash and non-cash charges, which could be material in the period in which they are incurred.
In accordance with our current interest rate risk management strategy and subject to management’s evaluation of market conditions and the availability of favorable interest rates among other factors, we may from time to time enter into interest rate swap agreements to economically convert a portion of our fixed rate debt to variable rate debt or convert a portion of our variable rate debt to fixed rate debt.
Share Repurchases
In May 2022, our shareholders approved a proposal to authorize us to repurchase up to 34.0 million ordinary shares, through November 27, 2023, which superseded any prior repurchase authorizations. Our share repurchase authorization does not have a stated dollar amount, and purchases may be made through open market purchases, private market transactions or other structured transactions. Repurchased shares could be retired or used for general corporate purposes, including for various employee benefit and compensation plans. The maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased is not necessarily an indication of the number of shares that will ultimately be purchased. In 2022, we purchased 4.4 million shares under our share repurchase authorization for $406 million.
As of February 21, 2023, we had approximately 31.7 million shares remaining under the current authorization. The timing and amounts of additional shares repurchased, if any, will be determined based on our evaluation of market conditions and other factors, including any additional authorizations approved by our shareholders. For additional information related to our share repurchase authorizations, see Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Capital Budget
In 2023, we are planning to invest approximately $1.6 billion in capital expenditures. Approximately 70% of the 2023 budget is planned for sustaining maintenance, with the remaining budget supporting profit-generating growth projects.
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Cash Requirements from Contractual and Other Obligations
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into contractual arrangements that may require us to make future cash payments under certain circumstances. Our cash requirements related to contractual and other obligations primarily consist of purchase obligations, principal and interest payments on outstanding debt, lease payments, pension and other post-retirement benefits and income taxes. For more information regarding our debt arrangements, lease obligations, pension and other post-retirement benefits and income taxes, see Notes 11, 12, 14 and 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, respectively.
We are party to obligations to purchase raw materials, utilities and industrial gases which are designed to ensure sources of supply and are not expected to be in excess of normal requirements. These purchase arrangements include provisions which state minimum purchase quantities; however, in the event we do not take the contractual minimum volumes, we are obligated to compensate the vendor only for any resulting economic losses they suffer. No material fees were paid to vendors for such losses in 2022. Assuming that contractual minimum volumes are purchased at contract prices as of December 31, 2022, these commitments represent approximately 20% of our annual Cost of sales with a weighted average remaining term of 7 years.
We also have purchase obligations under take-or-pay agreements which require us to either buy and take delivery of a minimum quantity of goods or to pay for any shortfall. These arrangements primarily relate to product off-take agreements with joint ventures located in Poland. No material shortfall was paid for quantities not taken under these contracts in 2022. When valued using a contract price as of December 31, 2022, these commitments represent approximately 5% of our annual Cost of sales with a weighted average remaining term of 14 years.
CURRENT BUSINESS OUTLOOK
In January 2023, demand from consumer packaging, oxyfuels and refining markets remained stable. Moderating energy and feedstock costs are providing some offsets to tepid global demand. Nonetheless, challenging market conditions are expected to persist through the first half of 2023. We are aligning production with global demand trends and expect first quarter average utilization rates for assets operated by us to be 80% for each of our O&P-Americas, O&P-EAI and I&D segments. Start-up activities for the new PO/TBA capacity remain on track for the end of the first quarter 2023, with approximately half of the assets nameplate capacity expected to be produced and sold during the first year of operations. We expect typical spring and summer seasonal demand improvements and are prepared to leverage any increased economic activity in China as the year progresses.
During 2022, we introduced our value enhancement program that is anticipated to generate approximately $575 million in recurring annual Net income improvement by the end of 2025, which, after adding back income taxes and depreciation and amortization of $140 million and $35 million, respectively, results in $750 million of EBITDA. By the end of 2023, we anticipate that our value enhancement program will achieve annual recurring Net income of approximately $115 million, which, after adding back income taxes and depreciation and amortization of approximately $25 million and $10 million, respectively, results in $150 million of EBITDA. We estimate costs of $150 million in 2023 to achieve this milestone.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
We have related party transactions with our joint venture partners. We believe that such transactions are effected on terms substantially no more or less favorable than those that would have been agreed upon by unrelated parties on an arm’s length basis. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional related party disclosures.
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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Management applies those accounting policies that it believes best reflect the underlying business and economic events, consistent with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., see Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Inherent in such policies are certain key assumptions and estimates made by management and updated periodically based on its latest assessment of the current and projected business and general economic environment.
Management believes the following accounting policies and estimates, and the judgments and uncertainties affecting them, are critical in understanding our reported operating results and financial condition.
Inventories—We account for our raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods inventories using the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method of accounting.
The cost of raw materials, which represents a substantial portion of our operating expenses, and energy costs generally follow price trends for crude oil and/or natural gas. Crude oil and natural gas prices are subject to many factors, including changes in economic conditions.
Since our inventory consists of manufactured products derived from crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids and correlated materials, as well as the associated feedstocks and intermediate chemicals, our inventory market values are generally influenced by changes in the benchmark of crude oil and heavy liquid values and prices for manufactured finished goods. The degree of influence of a particular benchmark may vary from period to period, as the composition of the dollar value LIFO pools change. An actual valuation of inventory under the LIFO method is performed at the end of each year based on the inventory levels and costs at that time. Accordingly, interim LIFO calculations are based on our estimates of expected inventory levels and costs at the end of the year.
The impact of the measurement of each LIFO pool at the lower of cost or market value (“LCM”) is a function of the current market prices and the composition, or product mix, of inventory within the pool at the balance sheet date. Due to the compositions of our LIFO pools, changes in market prices from period-to-period do not necessarily correlate with LCM charges. Additionally, an LCM condition may arise due to a volumetric or price decline in a particular material that had previously provided a positive impact within a pool. In the measurement of an LCM adjustment, the numeric input value for determining the crude oil market price includes pricing that is weighted by volume of inventories held at a point in time, including WTI, Brent and Maya crude oils.
As indicated above, fluctuation in the prices of crude oil, natural gas and correlated products from period to period may result in the recognition of charges to adjust the value of inventory to the lower of cost or market in periods of falling prices and the reversal of those charges in subsequent interim periods as market prices recover. Accordingly, our cost of sales and results of operations may be affected by such fluctuations.
No LCM inventory valuation charges were recorded in 2022 or 2021, and we do not believe any of our inventory balance at year-end is at risk for impairment. Given the inherent volatility in the prices of our finished goods and raw materials, sustained price declines could result in LCM inventory valuation charges.
Long-Lived Assets Impairment Assessment—The need to test for impairment can be based on several indicators, including a significant reduction in prices of or demand for products produced, a weakened outlook for profitability, a significant reduction in margins, an expectation that a long-lived asset will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life, other changes to contracts or changes in the regulatory environment. If the sum of the undiscounted estimated pre-tax cash flows for an asset group is less than the asset group’s carrying value, fair value is calculated for the asset group using an income approach or a market approach when appropriate, and the carrying value is written down to the calculated fair value. For purposes of impairment evaluation, long-lived assets including finite-lived intangible assets must be grouped at the lowest level for which independent cash flows can be identified.
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Significant judgment is involved in developing estimates of future cash flows since the results are based on forecasted financial information prepared using significant assumptions which may include, among other things, projected changes in supply and demand fundamentals (including industry-wide capacity, our planned utilization rate and end-user demand), new technological developments, capital expenditures, new competitors with significant raw material or other cost advantages, changes associated with world economies, the cyclical nature of the chemical and refining industries, uncertainties associated with governmental actions and other economic conditions. Such estimates are consistent with those used in our financial planning and business performance reviews.
When an income approach is used to estimate fair value of our long-lived assets, the cash flows are discounted using a rate that is based on a variety of factors, including market and economic conditions, operational risk, regulatory risk and political risk. This discount rate is also compared to recent observable market transactions, if possible.
Houston Refinery Impairment—During the fourth quarter of 2021, we identified impairment triggers relating to our Houston refinery’s asset group which resulted in non-cash impairment charges of $624 million. Refer to Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
In 2021, the estimate of the Houston refinery’s undiscounted pre-tax cash flows was based on significant assumptions including management’s best estimates of the expected future cash flows, the estimated useful lives of the asset group, and the residual value of the refinery. These estimates required considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions such as future commodity prices, margins on refined products, operating rates and capital expenditures including repairs and maintenance. As a result, there can be no assurance that the estimates and assumptions made for purposes of our impairment determination will prove to be an accurate prediction of the future. The Houston refinery’s estimated fair value was calculated using a market approach which utilized unobservable inputs, which generally consist of market information provided by unrelated third parties. Should our estimates and assumptions significantly change in future periods, it is possible that we may determine future impairment charges. An estimate of the sensitivity to net income resulting from impairment calculations is not practicable, given the numerous assumptions, including pricing, volumes, discount rates, and market information provided by unrelated third parties that can materially affect our estimates. That is, unfavorable adjustments to some of the above listed assumptions may be offset by favorable adjustments in other assumptions.
Equity Method Investments Impairment—Investments in nonconsolidated entities accounted for under the equity method are assessed for impairment when there are indicators of a loss in value, such as a lack of sustained earnings capacity or a current fair value less than the investment’s carrying amount. When it is determined such a loss in value is other than temporary, an impairment charge is recognized for the difference between the investment’s carrying value and its estimated fair value. When determining whether a decline in value is other than temporary, management considers factors such as the duration and extent of the decline, the investee’s financial condition and near-term prospects, and our ability and intention to retain our investment for a period that will be sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in the value of the investment. Management’s estimate of fair value of an investment is based on the income approach and/or market approach. For the income approach, the fair value is typically based on the present value of expected future cash flows using discount rates believed to be consistent with those used by principal market participants. For the market approach, since quoted market prices are usually not available, we utilize market multiples of revenue and earnings derived from comparable publicly-traded industrial gases companies.
In response to challenging market conditions in China, during 2022 we assessed our equity method investment in Bora LyondellBasell Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (“BLYB”) for impairment and concluded that our $345 million investment in BLYB is not impaired. However, certain circumstances beyond our control could change in the near-term resulting in the need to recognize a non-cash impairment in subsequent periods.
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Goodwill—As of December 31, 2022, we had goodwill of $1,827 million. Of this amount, $1,357 million is related to the acquisition of A. Schulman Inc. in 2018, which is included in our APS segment. The remaining goodwill at December 31, 2022 primarily represents the tax effect of the differences between the tax and book basis of our assets and liabilities resulting from the revaluation of those assets and liabilities to fair value in connection with the Company’s emergence from bankruptcy and fresh-start accounting in 2010. Additional information on the amount of goodwill allocated to our reporting units appears in Notes 7 and 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We evaluate the recoverability of the carrying value of goodwill annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the goodwill of a reporting unit may not be fully recoverable. We have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Qualitative factors assessed for each of the reporting units include, but are not limited to, changes in long-term commodity prices, discount rates, competitive environments, planned capacity, cost factors such as raw material prices, and financial performance of the reporting units. If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, a quantitative test is required.
We also have the option to proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test. Under the quantitative impairment test, the fair value of each reporting unit, calculated using a discounted cash flow model, is compared to its carrying value, including goodwill. The discounted cash flow model inherently utilizes a significant number of estimates and assumptions, including operating margins, tax rates, discount rates, capital expenditures and working capital changes. If the carrying value of the reporting unit including goodwill exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge equal to the excess would be recognized, up to a maximum amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.
For 2022 and 2021, management performed a qualitative impairment assessment of our reporting units, which indicated that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units was greater than their carrying value including goodwill. Accordingly, a quantitative goodwill impairment test was not required, and no goodwill impairment was recognized in 2022 or 2021. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements regarding subsequent events impacting our reporting units.
Long-Term Employee Benefit Costs—Our costs for long-term employee benefits, particularly pension and other post-retirement medical and life insurance benefits, are incurred over long periods of time, and involve many uncertainties over those periods. The net periodic benefit cost attributable to current periods is based on several assumptions about such future uncertainties and is sensitive to changes in those assumptions. It is management’s responsibility, often with the assistance of independent experts, to select assumptions that in its judgment represent its best estimates of the future effects of those uncertainties and to review those assumptions periodically to reflect changes in economic or other factors.
The current benefit service costs, as well as the existing liabilities, for pensions and other post-retirement benefits are measured on a discounted present value basis. The discount rate is a current rate, related to the rate at which the liabilities could be settled. Our assumed discount rate is based on yield information for high-quality corporate bonds with durations comparable to the expected cash settlement of our obligations. For the purpose of measuring the benefit obligations at December 31, 2022, we used a weighted average discount rate of 5.50% for the U.S. plans, which reflects the different terms of the related benefit obligations. The weighted average discount rate used to measure obligations for non-U.S. plans at December 31, 2022, was 3.99%, reflecting market interest rates. The discount rates in effect at December 31, 2022 will be used to measure net periodic benefit cost during 2023.
The benefit obligation and the net periodic benefit cost of other post-retirement medical benefits are also measured based on assumed rates of future increase in the per capita cost of covered health care benefits. As of December 31, 2022, the assumed rate of increase for our U.S. plans was 6.5%, decreasing to 4.5% in 2031 and thereafter.
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The net periodic benefit cost of pension benefits included in expense is affected by the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets assumption. Investment returns that are recognized currently in net income represent the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets applied to a market-related value of plan assets, which is defined as the market value of assets. The expected rate of return on plan assets is a longer-term rate and is expected to change less frequently than the current assumed discount rate, reflecting long-term market expectations, rather than current fluctuations in market conditions.
The weighted average expected long-term rate of return on assets in our U.S. plans of 7.25% is based on the average level of earnings that our independent pension investment advisor advised could be expected to be earned over time. The weighted average expected long-term rate of return on assets in our non-U.S. plans of 1.85% is based on expectations and asset allocations that vary by region. The asset allocations are summarized in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The actual rate of return on plan assets may differ from the expected rate due to the volatility normally experienced in capital markets. Management’s goal is to manage the investments over the long term to achieve optimal returns with an acceptable level of risk and volatility.
Net periodic pension cost recognized each year includes the expected asset earnings, rather than the actual earnings or loss. Along with other gains and losses, this unrecognized amount, to the extent it cumulatively exceeds 10% of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market related value of the plan assets for the respective plan, is recognized as additional net periodic benefit cost over the average remaining service period of the participants in each plan.
The following table reflects the sensitivity of the benefit obligations and the net periodic benefit costs of our pension plans to changes in the actuarial assumptions:
Effects onBenefit Obligationsin 2022 Effects on NetPeriodic PensionCosts in 2023
Millions of dollars U.S. Non-U.S. U.S. Non-U.S.
Projected benefit obligations at December 31, 2022 $ 1,140 $ 1,276 $ — $ —
Projected net periodic pension costs in 2023 — — 57 47
Discount rate increases by 100 basis points (94) (163) (7) (7)
The sensitivity of our post-retirement benefit plans obligations and net periodic benefit costs to changes in actuarial assumptions are reflected in the following table:
Effects onBenefit Obligationsin 2022 Effects on NetPeriodic BenefitCosts in 2023
Millions of dollars U.S. Non-U.S. U.S. Non-U.S.
Projected benefit obligations at December 31, 2022 $ 153 $ 41 $ — $ —
Projected net periodic benefit costs in 2023 — — (2) 2
Discount rate increases by 100 basis points (11) (8) — (1)
Discount rate decreases by 100 basis points 12 8 1 1
Additional information on the key assumptions underlying these benefit costs appears in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Accruals for Taxes Based on Income—The determination of our provision for income taxes and the calculation of our tax benefits and liabilities is subject to management’s estimates and judgments due to the complexity of the tax laws and regulations in the tax jurisdictions in which we operate. Uncertainties exist with respect to interpretation of these complex laws and regulations.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis, and are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to reverse.
We recognize future tax benefits to the extent that the realization of these benefits is more likely than not. Our current provision for income taxes is impacted by the recognition and release of valuation allowances related to net deferred tax assets in certain jurisdictions. Further changes to these valuation allowances may impact our future provision for income taxes, which will include no tax benefit with respect to losses incurred and no tax expense with respect to income generated in these countries until the respective valuation allowance is eliminated.
We recognize the financial statement benefits with respect to an uncertain income tax position that we have taken or may take on an income tax return when we believe it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained with the tax authorities.
ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING CHANGES
For a discussion of the potential impact of new accounting pronouncements on our Consolidated Financial Statements, see Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
See Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our management of commodity price risk, foreign exchange risk and interest rate risk.
Commodity Price Risk—Prices for our products and raw materials are subject to changes in supply and demand. Natural gas, crude oil, utilities, and refined products, along with feedstocks for ethylene and propylene production, constitute the main commodity exposures. Pricing terms in our raw material contracts are generally indexed to market prices. Changes in market prices for raw materials generally correlate with market prices for our products. In certain sales contracts, we may negotiate pricing terms to better align with changes in raw material costs. We also selectively enter commodity swap, option and futures contracts to manage commodity price risk. The impact of a 10% change in commodity prices at December 31, 2022 and 2021 would not materially impact the fair values of our commodity derivative contracts.
Foreign Exchange Risk—We manufacture and market our products in many countries throughout the world and, as a result, are exposed to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. Many of our operating entities use the euro as their functional currency. Translation adjustments are deferred in Accumulated other comprehensive income.
We enter foreign currency derivatives that are designated as net investment hedges to reduce the volatility in Shareholders’ equity resulting from translation adjustments associated with our net investments in foreign operations. We also enter foreign currency contracts that are designated as cash flow hedges to manage the variability in cash flows associated with intercompany debt balances. The table below illustrates the impact on Other comprehensive loss of a 10% fluctuation in the foreign currency rate associated with the hedges at December 31:
Net investment hedges:
Cross currency basis swaps € 617 € 617 euro/U.S. dollar rate $ 67 $ 71
Cross currency swaps € 750 € 750 euro/U.S. dollar rate $ 75 $ 92
Forward exchange contracts € 1,350 € 1,250 euro/U.S. dollar rate $ 138 $ 142
Cash flow hedges:
Some of our consolidated entities enter transactions that are not denominated in their functional currency. This results in exposure to foreign currency risk for financial instruments, including, but not limited to, third-party and intercompany receivables and payables and intercompany loans.
Our policy is to maintain a balanced position in foreign currencies to minimize exchange gains and losses arising from changes in exchange rates. We maintain risk management control practices to monitor the foreign currency risk attributable to our inter-company and third party outstanding foreign currency balances. These practices involve the centralization of our exposure to underlying currencies that are not subject to central bank and/or country specific restrictions. By centralizing most of our foreign currency exposure into one subsidiary, we are able to take advantage of natural offsets thereby reducing the overall impact of changes in foreign currency rates on our earnings.
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To minimize the effects of our net currency exchange exposures, we enter into forward exchange contracts and cross-currency swaps. We also engage in short-term forward exchange contracts to manage our net exposure to foreign currencies as economic hedges. Changes in the fair value of these foreign currency contracts are reported in the Consolidated Statements of Income and offset the currency exchange results recognized on foreign currency balances.
Other (expense) income, net, in the Consolidated Statements of Income reflects net foreign currency losses of $14 million and $2 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, our foreign currency contracts that are accounted for as economic hedges mature between January 2023 and September 2023, inclusively, and had an aggregate notional amount of $396 million. A 10% fluctuation compared to the U.S. dollar would have resulted in an additional impact to earnings of approximately $17 million and $4 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Interest Rate Risk—We are exposed to interest rate risk with respect to our fixed-rate and variable-rate debt. Fluctuations in interest rates impact the fair value of fixed-rate debt and expose us to the risk that we may need to refinance debt at higher rates. Fluctuations in interest rates impact interest expense from our variable-rate debt. To minimize earnings at risk as part of our interest rate risk management strategy, we target to maintain floating-rate debt, through the use of interest rate swaps and issuance of variable-rate debt, equal to our cash and cash equivalents, as those assets earn interest based on floating-rates.
Pre-issuance interest rate—To mitigate the risk that benchmark interest rates may increase in connection with future financing activities, we adopted a pre-issuance interest rate strategy, under which we entered forward-starting interest rate swaps that are designated as cash flow hedges. We estimate that a 10% change in market interest rates as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, would change the fair value of these forward-starting interest rate swaps by approximately $23 million and $48 million, respectively.
Fixed-rate debt—We enter into interest rate swaps that effectively convert our fixed-rate debt to variable-rate debt. These interest rate swaps are designated as fair value hedges. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the total notional amount of these interest rate swaps was$2,164 million and $1,163 million, respectively.
At December 31, 2022, after giving consideration to the fixed-rate debt that we have effectively converted to variable-rate debt, approximately 81% of our debt portfolio, on a gross basis, incurred interest at a fixed-rate and the remaining 19% of the portfolio incurred interest at a variable-rate. We estimate that a 10% change in market interest rates as of December 31, 2022, would change the fair value of these interest rate swaps by approximately $35 million; while an equivalent change in market interest rates as of December 31, 2021, would not materially impact the fair value of these interest rate swaps.
Variable-rate debt—At December 31, 2022, our variable-rate debt consisted of $200 million outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program. We also have available borrowing capacity under our $3,250 million Senior Revolving Credit Facility and our $900 million U.S. Receivables Facility. At December 31, 2022, there were no outstanding borrowings under these facilities. Based on our average variable-rate debt outstanding per year, we estimate that a 10% change in market interest rates as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 would not materially impact the fair value of these facilities.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements
Page
LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting 58
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 238) 59
Consolidated Financial Statements:
Consolidated Statements of Income 62
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 63
Consolidated Balance Sheets 64
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 66
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity 68
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 69
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MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL
OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
Management of the Company, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 based on the Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013. Based on our evaluation, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included herein.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of LyondellBasell Industries N.V.
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of LyondellBasell Industries N.V. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of income, of comprehensive income, of shareholders' equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.
Basis for Opinions
The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
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Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Taxation - Provisions for unrecognized tax benefits
As described in Notes 2, 9, 10, and 16 to the consolidated financial statements, as of December 31, 2022, the Company has recorded an income tax provision of $882 million, income tax receivables of $285 million, income tax payables of $242 million, and net deferred tax liabilities of $2,701 million related to which they have reported $271 million of unrecognized tax benefits. The Company operates in multiple jurisdictions throughout the world, and its tax returns are periodically audited or subjected to review by tax authorities. As a result, there is an uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Management recognizes uncertain income tax positions when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the position or a portion thereof will be sustained upon examination. As disclosed by management, there continues to be increased attention to the tax practices of multinational companies, in particular in the U.S. and Europe where the Company operates.
The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the provision for unrecognized tax benefits is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when determining provisions for unrecognized tax benefits, including a high degree of estimation uncertainty relative to the complexity of tax laws, frequency of tax audits, and potential for adjustments as a result of such tax audits; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s timely identification of tax uncertainties; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.
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Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the identification and recognition of the liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits and controls addressing completeness of the uncertain tax positions. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s assessment of the technical merits of tax positions and estimates of the amount of tax benefit expected to be sustained; (ii) testing the completeness of management’s assessment of both the identification and possible outcomes of uncertain tax positions; and (iii) evaluating the status and results of tax audits with the relevant tax authorities. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating the completeness of the Company’s uncertain tax positions, including evaluating the reasonableness of management’s assessment of whether tax positions are more likely than not of being sustained and the amount of potential benefit to be realized, as well as the determination and the application of relevant tax laws.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Houston, Texas
February 23, 2023
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2008.
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LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
Year Ended December 31,
Millions of dollars, except earnings per share 2022 2021 2020
Sales and other operating revenues:
Operating costs and expenses:
Selling, general and administrative expenses 1,310 1,255 1,140
Other (expense) income, net (72) 62 85
Income from equity investments 5 461 256
Income from continuing operations before income taxes 4,776 6,786 1,386
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 882 1,163 (43)
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (5) (6) (2)
Dividends on redeemable non-controlling interests (7) (7) (7)
Net income attributable to the Company shareholders $ 3,882 $ 5,610 $ 1,420
Earnings per share:
Net income (loss) attributable to the Company shareholders —
Basic:
Diluted:
See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Year Ended December 31,
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax—
Unrealized (losses) gains on available-for-sale debt securities — (1) 1
Defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit plans 346 224 (41)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax 431 140 (159)
Dividends on redeemable non-controlling interests (7) (7) (7)
See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31,
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,151 $ 1,472
Restricted cash 5 5
Short-term investments — 9
Accounts receivable:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,292 1,022
See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31,
Millions of dollars, except shares and par value data 2022 2021
LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE NON-CONTROLLING INTERESTS AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt $ 432 $ 6
Accounts payable:
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable non-controlling interests 114 116
Shareholders’ equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,372) (1,803)
Total Company share of shareholders’ equity 12,615 11,858
Non-controlling interests 14 14
See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Amortization of debt-related costs 14 35 21
Share-based compensation 70 66 55
Inventory valuation charges — — 16
Equity investments—
Distributions of earnings, net of tax 349 315 159
Deferred income tax provision (benefit) 369 (198) 331
Changes in assets and liabilities that provided (used) cash:
Cash flows from investing activities:
Expenditures for property, plant and equipment (1,890) (1,959) (1,947)
Purchases of available-for-sale debt securities — — (270)
Purchases of equity securities — — (608)
Proceeds from equity securities 8 335 313
Acquisition of equity method investment (4) (106) (2,440)
Proceeds from settlement of net investment hedges 614 358 —
Payments for settlement of net investment hedges (501) (355) —
Net cash used in investing activities $ (1,977) $ (1,502) $ (4,906)
See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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LYONDELLBASELL INDUSTRIES N.V.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repurchases of Company ordinary shares $ (420) $ (463) $ (4)
Purchase of non-controlling interest — — (30)