Exxon Mobil Corporation today announced fourth-quarter 2022 earnings of $12.8 billion, or $3.09 per share assuming dilution, resulting in full-year earnings of $55.7 billion, or $13.26 per share assuming dilution. Fourth-quarter results included unfavorable identified items of $1.3 billion associated with additional European taxes on the energy sector and asset impairments, partly offset by one-time adjustments related to the Sakhalin-1 expropriation. Capital and exploration expenditures were $7.5 billion in the fourth quarter, bringing full-year 2022 investments to $22.7 billion, consistent with the company's guidance.

• Delivered industry-leading 2022 earnings, cash flow from operations, total shareholder return, and return on capital employed(1)
• Generated earnings of $55.7 billion and $76.8 billion of cash flow from operating activities in 2022 by leveraging an advantaged portfolio and delivering strong operational performance
• Increased year-over-year Guyana and Permian production by over 30%
• Achieved best-ever annual refining throughput in North America and the highest globally since 2012(2)
• Operated Permian assets achieved zero routine flaring as of year-end 2022(3)
• Started up one of the largest advanced recycling facilities in North America, capable of processing more than 80 million pounds of plastic waste per year

“The hard work and commitment of our people enabled us to deliver industry-leading operating and financial results and shareholder returns in 2022,” said Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer. 

“While our results clearly benefited from a favorable market, the counter-cyclical investments we made before and during the pandemic provided the energy and products people needed as economies began recovering and supplies became tight. We leaned in when others leaned out. Our plan for 2023 calls for further progress on our strategic objectives, which include leading the industry in safety, operating, and financial performance. We will continue to invest in our advantaged projects to deliver profitable growth, help meet society’s growing needs, and reduce emissions in our operations, while providing innovative solutions that help others reduce theirs.” 

(1) One-year (2022) results with industry peer group estimated using nine month 2022 annualized figures or announced programs (shareholder distributions); industry peer group includes BP, Chevron, Shell, and TotalEnergies.
(2) Best-ever annual refining throughput in North America and the highest globally since 2012, both based on current refinery circuit.
(3) References to routine flaring herein are consistent with the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring Initiative/Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership’s (GGFRP) principle of routine flaring, and excludes safety and non-routine flaring.

Full-year Financial Highlights

• Full-year 2022 earnings were $55.7 billion compared with $23.0 billion in 2021, an increase of $32.7 billion. Identified items unfavorably impacted earnings by $3.4 billion mainly from Sakhalin-1 impairments in the first quarter. Earnings excluding these identified items were $59.1 billion, an increase of $36.1 billion from prior year.
• Other factors impacting results were price and margin improvements driven by recovering demand and tight supply, the favorable mark-to-market impact of unsettled derivatives, and volume increases on strong refining throughput and growth of advantaged assets. Structural cost savings and disciplined expense management helped to offset inflation and higher operating costs from growth projects and capacity additions. In addition, results also benefited from lower Corporate and Financing costs as well as net favorable one-time items.
• Structural cost savings now total $7 billion compared to 2019. The company achieved an additional $2 billion of savings during the year and is on track to deliver $9 billion of total annual savings in 2023 vs. 2019.
• Leading peers(1) with 87% total shareholder return for the year as well as 25% return on capital employed, the highest one-year return since 2012.
• Cash increased by $22.9 billion in 2022 with free cash flow of $62.1 billion. Shareholder distributions were $29.8 billion, including $14.9 billion in dividends and $14.9 billion of share repurchases. The company also increased and extended its share-repurchase program with up to $35 billion of cumulative share repurchases in 2023-2024.
• The Corporation declared a first-quarter dividend of $0.91 per share, payable on March 10, 2023, to shareholders of record of Common Stock at the close of business on February 14, 2023. 
• Net-debt-to-capital ratio improved to about 5%, reflecting 2022 debt retirements of $7.2 billion and a period-end cash balance of $29.7 billion, further strengthening the balance sheet and providing greater financial flexibility.
• Non-core asset sales and divestments generated $5.2 billion of cash proceeds during the year.

(1) One-year (2022) results with industry peer group estimated using nine month 2022 annualized figures or announced programs (shareholder distributions); industry  peer group includes BP, Chevron, Shell, and TotalEnergies.

Progress Toward Net Zero

• Permian operated assets achieved a major milestone in the fourth quarter by achieving zero routine flaring.(1) This is a key part of ongoing efforts to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions from our Permian operated unconventional assets by 2030. The company remains on track to meet its goal of achieving zero routine flaring across all its global Upstream operated assets by 2030 in support of the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring Initiative.
• The company reduced methane emissions intensity at all operated assets by more than 40% compared to 2016 levels.(2)

Biofuels and Hydrogen

• ExxonMobil announced the next step in the development of the world’s largest low-carbon hydrogen production facility with a contract award for front-end engineering and design. The integrated ExxonMobil Baytown facility is expected to produce 1 billion cubic feet of low-carbon hydrogen per day, that would make it the largest low-carbon hydrogen project in the world with an expected startup in 2027-2028. More than 98% of the associated CO2 produced by the facility, or around 7 million metric tons per year, is expected to be captured and permanently stored. The carbon capture and storage network being developed for the project will be made available for use by third-party CO2 emitters in the area in support of their decarbonization efforts.(3)
• ExxonMobil's majority-owned affiliate, Imperial Oil Ltd., will invest about $560 million to move forward with construction of the largest renewable diesel facility in Canada. The project at Imperial’s Strathcona Refinery is expected to produce 20,000 barrels of renewable diesel per day primarily from locally sourced feedstocks. This is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Canadian transportation sector by about 3 million metric tons per year.(4)

Carbon Capture and Storage

• ExxonMobil and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced a joint effort to deploy MHI’s leading carbon capture technology as part of ExxonMobil’s end-to-end carbon capture and storage solution for industrial customers.  
• The company advanced its evaluation of carbon capture and storage projects in the United Kingdom and Indonesia. In the United Kingdom, ExxonMobil, along with Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and the University of Southampton, announced the first major decarbonization initiative that would substantially reduce carbon emissions from industry, transportation, and households across Southern England. In Indonesia, ExxonMobil and the state-owned energy company, Pertamina, agreed to progress a previously announced regional carbon capture and storage hub offshore Java for domestic and international CO2.
• (1) References to routine flaring herein are consistent with the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring Initiative/Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership’s (GGFRP) principle of routine flaring, and excludes safety and non-routine flaring.
• (2) 2021 vs. 2016 levels (at ExxonMobil operated assets); we are working to continuously improve our performance and methods to detect, measure, and address greenhouse gas emissions.
• (3) The Baytown hydrogen facility has not reached final investment decision.  Individual opportunities may advance based on a number of factors, including supportive policy, technology, and market conditions.
• (4) Calculated using Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulation and in comparison to conventional fuels.

Upstream Earnings and volume summary

• Upstream fourth-quarter 2022 earnings were $8.2 billion compared to $12.4 billion in the third quarter, a decrease of $4.2 billion. Earnings decreased mainly from lower prices with both crude and gas realizations down, 15% and 13% respectively, on higher global inventories. Positive unsettled derivatives mark-to-market effects of $1.6 billion were driven by the decline in gas prices and more than offset year-end inventory impacts and seasonally higher expenses. Identified items unfavorably impacted earnings by $1.1 billion, mainly from additional European taxes on the energy sector partly offset by net favorable divestments and adjustments related to the Sakhalin-1 expropriation. Earnings excluding these identified items decreased $3.1 billion from $11.8 billion to $8.8 billion.
• Production in the fourth quarter was 3.8 million oil-equivalent barrels per day. Growth more than offset divestment impacts, as production increased by more than 100,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day compared to the prior quarter.
• The Permian delivered record production in the quarter of more than 560,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day and the company also loaded the first LNG cargo from the Coral South LNG development in Mozambique. 
• Compared to the same quarter last year, earnings increased $2.1 billion. The improvement was driven by a 46% increase in natural gas realizations and an increase of nearly 10% in crude realizations. Results benefited from $1.4 billion positive unsettled derivatives mark-to-market effects, which more than offset the impact of year-end inventory impacts and higher expenses. Excluding divestments and the Sakhalin-1 expropriation, oil-equivalent production grew by 217,000 barrels per day, driven by the company's advantaged growth projects in the Permian and Guyana. Earnings excluding identified items were $8.8 billion for the quarter, an increase of $2.1 billion compared to the same quarter last year.
• Full-year earnings were $36.5 billion, an increase of $20.7 billion versus 2021 despite a $2.4 billion unfavorable impact from identified items, most notably additional European taxes on the energy sector and the Sakhalin-1 impairment. Earnings excluding identified items were $39.4 billion, an increase of $23.1 billion.
• Other factors impacting full-year results were improved liquids and natural gas realizations, reflecting tight supply and recovering demand, and favorable unsettled derivatives mark-to-market effects of $2.8 billion resulting from lower gas prices and the absence of unfavorable 2021 impacts. In addition, structural cost savings and disciplined expense management largely offset higher expenses associated with advantaged growth projects and inflation. Excluding impacts from divestments and the Sakhalin-1 expropriation, oil-equivalent production grew by about 170,000 barrels per day from continued investment in advantaged growth projects in the Permian and Guyana. Production in the Permian grew about 90,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day and Guyana production grew about 70,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day with Liza Phase 2 starting up ahead of schedule and both Liza Phase 1 and 2 producing above the investment basis.

KeyFacts Energy: ExxonMobil US country profile