Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Asset Retirement Obligations

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Asset Retirement Obligations
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]  
Asset Retirement Obligations

6.  Asset Retirement Obligations

Our ARO primarily represents the estimated present value of the amount we will incur to plug, abandon and remediate our producing properties at the end of their productive lives.  

A summary of the changes to our ARO is as follows (in thousands):  

 

Balance, December 31, 2017

$

300,446

 

Liabilities settled

 

(22,764

)

Accretion of discount

 

13,872

 

Liabilities assumed through purchase

 

3,597

 

Revisions of estimated liabilities (1)

 

18,065

 

Balance, September 30, 2018

 

313,216

 

Less current portion

 

30,207

 

Long-term

$

283,009

 

 

 

(1)

Upward revisions were primarily related to a non-operated field covering multiple wells, which experienced difficulties during the remediation process coupled with scope change due to the size of its platform.  In addition, another non-operated field experienced difficulties with a sub-contractor that had gone bankrupt and a replacement sub-contractor is attempting to re-negotiate the contract.  We do not have control over the remediation projects for non-operated properties.  Along with these two non-operated fields, we had upward revisions at two fields that were operated by us which experienced sustained casing pressure issues during the remediation process.