CALGARY, Alberta – Imperial Oil Limited (TSE: IMO, NYSE American: IMO):
| Third quarter | Nine months | ||||||||
| millions of Canadian dollars, unless noted | 2021 | 2020 | ∆ | 2021 | 2020 | ∆ | |||
| Net income (loss) (U.S. GAAP) | 908 | 3 | +905 | 1,666 | (711) | +2,377 | |||
| Net income (loss) per common share, assuming dilution (dollars) | 1.29 | – | +1.29 | 2.31 | (0.97) | +3.28 | |||
| Capital and exploration expenditures | 277 | 141 | +136 | 699 | 679 | +20 | |||
Imperial reported estimated net income in the third quarter of $908 million and cash flow from operating activities of $1,947 million, up from net income of $366 million and cash flow from operating activities of $852 million in the second quarter of 2021. Third quarter results reflect increased production and throughput, the absence of significant planned turnaround activity and continued strength in commodity prices.
“Imperial’s strong operational performance enabled the company to capture significant value from the current commodity price environment,” said Brad Corson, chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Combined with our disciplined approach to cost management and capital spending, Imperial generated robust free cash flow1 of $1,688 million in the quarter.”
Upstream production for the third quarter averaged 435,000 gross oil-equivalent barrels per day, the highest third quarter production in over 30 years. At Kearl, quarterly total gross production averaged 274,000 barrels per day, benefiting from the elimination of its third quarter turnaround and achieving the facility’s second highest-ever quarterly production. At Cold Lake, quarterly gross production averaged 135,000 barrels per day, reflecting continued strong production performance partly offset by the completion of planned maintenance activity.
Following successful completion of the planned turnaround at Strathcona in the second quarter of 2021, overall refinery throughput in the third quarter increased to an average of 404,000 barrels per day with quarterly capacity utilization increasing to 94%. This represents the highest quarterly utilization since the fourth quarter of 2018. In addition, demand for fuel products continued to recover in the third quarter, with petroleum product sales averaging 485,000 barrels per day.
In August, Imperial announced plans for the construction of a world-class renewable diesel complex at the Strathcona refinery, leveraging blue hydrogen to help Canada meet its low-carbon fuel standards. “The Strathcona renewable diesel project not only demonstrates Imperial’s commitment and support for Canada’s ambition to achieve net-zero by 2050 and transition to lower-emission fuels, but is also expected to generate significant value for our company and shareholders” said Corson.
Chemical third quarter net income was $121 million, the highest quarterly net income in over 30 years. Chemical net income through the first nine months of 2021 was $297 million, exceeding the previous record set in 2018. Chemical results were primarily driven by continued strength in polyethylene margins and strong operating performance.
During the quarter, Imperial returned $508 million to shareholders through dividend payments and share repurchases, with year-to-date shareholder returns now exceeding $2 billion. The company also declared a fourth quarter dividend of 27 cents per share. “The steps the company has taken to increase production, reduce its cost structure and progress sustainability initiatives continue to strategically position Imperial to benefit from market conditions and create long-term value for shareholders,” said Corson.
| 1 | non-GAAP measure – See Attachment VI for definition and reconciliation |
Third quarter highlights
Operating Results
In early 2020, the balance of supply and demand for petroleum and petrochemical products experienced two significant disruptive effects. On the demand side, the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly through most areas of the world resulting in substantial reductions in consumer and business activity and significantly reduced demand for crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. This reduction in demand coincided with announcements of increased production in certain key oil-producing countries which led to increases in inventory levels and sharp declines in prices for crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products.
Through 2021, demand for petroleum and petrochemical products has continued to recover, with each of the company’s sequential quarterly financial results benefiting from stronger prices when compared to the prior quarter. The company continues to closely monitor industry and global economic conditions, including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Looking beyond the volatility marking recent economic conditions, the company’s annual planning process provides an opportunity to re-affirm the fundamentals of supply and demand that underpin our businesses. Consideration is given to a diverse set of risks and other factors that may influence future energy supply and demand trends, including technological advancements, regulation and government policies, climate change, greenhouse gas restrictions, and other general economic conditions. The company views climate change risks as a global issue that requires collaboration among governments, private companies, consumers and other stakeholders to create meaningful solutions. These should meet the world’s increasing demand for affordable and reliable energy while creating opportunities to transition to a lower carbon future. The variety of potential transition pathways for society to a lower-carbon future, influenced by assumptions regarding economic growth, technology and governmental policy, indicates a wide range of uncertainty for the types and demand levels of energy.
The board of directors evaluates climate change risk in the context of overall enterprise risk, including other operational, strategic, and financial risks. The company considers the interactions among these factors as it pursues a strategy that is resilient to a wide range of potential pathways for society’s energy transition while continuing to grow shareholder value. It takes into account emerging industry and economic conditions and market and government policy uncertainties in developing its strategic plans and longer-term price views as part of its annual business planning process. The company continues to make progress on its greenhouse gas emission reduction plans and efforts to position the company for success in a lower-carbon energy future. It expects to play an important role in providing energy and products that are critical to economic growth while minimizing environmental impacts and supporting society’s ambition to achieve a lower-carbon energy future. The company continues to analyze internal and external scenarios of future energy markets to create a deeper understanding of what resiliency requires and which opportunities could emerge, but the assumptions and outcome of any given scenario or set of scenarios come with a high degree of uncertainty.
To the extent the planning process results in any significant changes to the company’s current development plans for its portfolio, certain assets could be at risk for impairment. The company will complete any required asset recoverability assessments in connection with the preparation and review of the company’s year-end financial statements for inclusion in its 2021 Form 10-K. Until these activities are complete, it is not practicable to reasonably estimate the existence or range of potential future impairments.
Third quarter 2021 vs. third quarter 2020
The company recorded net income of $908 million or $1.29 per share on a diluted basis in the third quarter of 2021, up from net income of $3 million or $0.00 per share in the same period of 2020.
Upstream recorded net income of $524 million in the third quarter of 2021, compared to a net loss of $74 million in the same period of 2020. Improved results reflect higher realizations of about $730 million and higher volumes of about $350 million. These items were partially offset by higher operating expenses of about $210 million, higher royalties of about $190 million and unfavourable foreign exchange impacts of about $60 million.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) averaged US$70.52 per barrel in the third quarter of 2021, up from US$40.93 per barrel in the same quarter of 2020. Western Canada Select (WCS) averaged US$57.08 per barrel and US$31.81 per barrel for the same periods. The WTI / WCS differential averaged approximately US$13 per barrel for the third quarter of 2021, up from around US$9 in the same period of 2020.
The Canadian dollar averaged US$0.79 in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of US$0.04 from the third quarter of 2020.
Imperial’s average Canadian dollar realizations for bitumen increased in the quarter, generally in line with WCS. Bitumen realizations averaged $60.44 per barrel in the third quarter of 2021, up from $35.95 per barrel in the third quarter of 2020. The company’s average Canadian dollar realizations for synthetic crude increased generally in line with WTI, adjusted for changes in exchange rates and transportation costs. Synthetic crude realizations averaged $85.94 per barrel in the third quarter of 2021, up from $50.79 per barrel in the same period of 2020.
Total gross production of Kearl bitumen averaged 274,000 barrels per day in the third quarter (194,000 barrels Imperial’s share), up from 189,000 barrels per day (134,000 barrels Imperial’s share) in the third quarter of 2020. Higher production was primarily driven by the absence of a prior year third-party pipeline outage, market-demand production balancing, and impacts associated with planned turnaround activities.
Gross production of Cold Lake bitumen averaged 135,000 barrels per day in the third quarter, up from 131,000 barrels per day in the same period of 2020.
The company’s share of gross production from Syncrude averaged 78,000 barrels per day, up from 67,000 barrels per day in the third quarter of 2020. Higher production was primarily driven by the absence of the prior year turnaround.
Downstream recorded net income of $293 million in the third quarter of 2021, compared to net income of $77 million in the same period of 2020. Improved results primarily reflect higher margins of about $280 million.
Refinery throughput averaged 404,000 barrels per day, up from 341,000 barrels per day in the third quarter of 2020. Capacity utilization was 94 percent, up from 81 percent in the third quarter of 2020. Higher throughput was driven by increased demand.
Petroleum product sales were 485,000 barrels per day, up from 449,000 barrels per day in the third quarter of 2020. Improved petroleum product sales were mainly due to increased demand.
Chemical net income was $121 million in the third quarter, up from $27 million in the same quarter of 2020, primarily due to higher polyethylene margins.
Corporate and other expenses were $30 million in the third quarter, up from $27 million in the same period of 2020.
Cash flow generated from operating activities was $1,947 million in the third quarter, up from $875 million in the corresponding period in 2020, primarily reflecting higher Upstream realizations and Downstream margins.
Investing activities used net cash of $259 million in the third quarter, compared with $125 million used in the same period of 2020. Full-year 2021 capital and exploration expenditures are now expected to be around $1.1 billion, down from previous guidance of $1.2 billion.
Cash used in financing activities was $589 million in the third quarter, compared with $166 million used in the third quarter of 2020. Dividends paid in the third quarter of 2021 were $195 million. The per share dividend paid in the third quarter was $0.27, an increase of $0.05 from the same period of 2020. During the third quarter, the company, under its share purchase program, purchased about 9.0 million shares for $313 million, including shares purchased from Exxon Mobil Corporation. In the third quarter of 2020, the company did not purchase any shares under its share purchase program.
The company’s cash balance was $1,875 million at September 30, 2021, versus $817 million at the end of third quarter 2020.
Nine months highlights
Nine months 2021 vs. nine months 2020
Net income in the first nine months of 2021 was $1,666 million, or $2.31 per share on a diluted basis, compared to a net loss of $711 million or $0.97 per share in the first nine months of 2020.
Upstream recorded net income of $850 million for the first nine months of the year, compared to a net loss of $1,126 million in 2020. Improved results reflect higher realizations of about $2,570 million and higher volumes of about $620 million. These items were partially offset by higher royalties of about $490 million, higher operating expenses of about $490 million, and unfavourable foreign exchange impacts of about $180 million.
West Texas Intermediate averaged US$65.04 per barrel in the first nine months of 2021, up from US$38.10 per barrel in 2020. Western Canada Select averaged US$52.45 per barrel and US$24.72 per barrel for the same periods. The WTI / WCS differential of approximately US$13 per barrel in the first nine months of 2021, was generally in line with the same period of 2020.
The Canadian dollar averaged US$0.80 in the first nine months of 2021, an increase of US$0.06 from 2020.
Imperial’s average Canadian dollar realizations for bitumen increased in the first nine months of 2021, generally in line with WCS. Bitumen realizations averaged $55.30 per barrel, up from $22.24 per barrel in the same period of 2020. The company’s average Canadian dollar realizations for synthetic crude increased generally in line with WTI, adjusted for changes in exchange rates and transportation costs. Synthetic crude realizations averaged $77.62 per barrel, up from $49.06 per barrel in the same period of 2020.
Total gross production of Kearl bitumen averaged 260,000 barrels per day in the first nine months of 2021 (185,000 barrels Imperial’s share), up from 202,000 barrels per day (143,000 barrels Imperial’s share) in the same period of 2020. Higher production was primarily driven by the absence of prior year production balancing with market demands and the outage of a third-party pipeline.
Gross production of Cold Lake bitumen averaged 139,000 barrels per day in the first nine months of 2021, up from 131,000 barrels per day in the same period of 2020.
During the first nine months of 2021, the company’s share of gross production from Syncrude averaged 68,000 barrels per day, up from 63,000 barrels per day in the same period of 2020.
Downstream net income was $645 million for the first nine months of the year, up from $447 million in the same period of 2020. Results have improved due to higher margins of about $330 million, partially offset by unfavourable foreign exchange impacts of about $120 million.
Refinery throughput averaged 367,000 barrels per day in the first nine months of 2021, up from 334,000 barrels per day in the same period of 2020. Capacity utilization was 86 percent, up from 79 percent in the same period of 2020. Higher throughput was driven by reduced impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by a planned turnaround at Strathcona.
Petroleum product sales were 442,000 barrels per day in the first nine months of 2021, up from 423,000 barrels per day in the same period of 2020. Improved petroleum product sales were mainly due to reduced impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chemical net income was $297 million in the first nine months of 2021, up from $55 million in the same period of 2020, primarily due to higher polyethylene margins.
Corporate and other expenses were $126 million in the first nine months of 2021, up from $87 million in the same period of 2020, mainly due to higher share-based compensation costs.
Cash flow generated from operating activities was $3,844 million in the first nine months of 2021, up from $482 million in the same period of 2020, primarily reflecting higher Upstream realizations and Downstream margins.
Investing activities used net cash of $613 million in the first nine months of 2021, up from $605 million used in the same period of 2020. Full-year 2021 capital and exploration expenditures are now expected to be around $1.1 billion, down from previous guidance of $1.2 billion.
Cash used in financing activities was $2,127 million in the first nine months of 2021, up from $778 million used in the same period of 2020. Dividends paid in the first nine months of 2021 were $518 million. The per share dividend paid in the first nine months of 2021 was $0.71, up from $0.66 in the same period of 2020. During the first nine months of 2021, the company, under its share purchase program, purchased about 38.5 million shares for $1,484 million, including shares purchased from Exxon Mobil Corporation. In the first nine months of 2020, the company purchased about 9.8 million shares for $274 million, including shares purchased from Exxon Mobil Corporation.
At March 31, 2021, due to the termination of transportation services agreements related to a third-party pipeline project, the company recognized a liability of $62 million, previously reported as a contingent liability in Note 10 of Imperial’s Form 10-K. In connection with the same project, commitments under “Other long-term purchase agreements” as reported in Imperial’s Form 10-K decreased by approximately $2.9 billion. The majority of these commitments related to years 2026 and beyond.
Key financial and operating data follow.