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Accounting for Suspended Exploratory Wells | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting for Suspended Exploratory Wells [Abstract] |
Accounting for Suspended Exploratory Wells | Accounting for Suspended Exploratory Wells The company continues to capitalize exploratory well costs after the completion of drilling when (a) the well has found a sufficient quantity of reserves to justify completion as a producing well, and (b) the business unit is making sufficient progress assessing the reserves and the economic and operating viability of the project. If either condition is not met or if the company obtains information that raises substantial doubt about the economic or operational viability of the project, the exploratory well would be assumed to be impaired, and its costs, net of any salvage value, would be charged to expense. The following table indicates the changes to the company’s suspended exploratory well costs for the three years ended December 31, 2017:
| 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2015 |
Beginning balance at January 1 | $ | 3,540 |  | $ | 3,312 |  | $ | 4,195 |
Additions to capitalized exploratory well costs pending the determination of proved reserves | 323 |  | 465 |  | 869 |
Reclassifications to wells, facilities and equipment based on the determination of proved reserves | (113 | ) | (119 | ) | (164 | )
Capitalized exploratory well costs charged to expense | (39 | ) | (118 | ) | (1,397 | )
Other reductions* | (9 | ) | — |  | (191 | )
Ending balance at December 31 | $ | 3,702 |  | $ | 3,540 |  | $ | 3,312 |
* Represents property sales. The following table provides an aging of capitalized well costs and the number of projects for which exploratory well costs have been capitalized for a period greater than one year since the completion of drilling.
| At December 31 |
| 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2015 |
Exploratory well costs capitalized for a period of one year or less | $ | 307 |  | $ | 445 |  | $ | 489 |
Exploratory well costs capitalized for a period greater than one year | 3,395 |  | 3,095 |  | 2,823 |
Balance at December 31 | $ | 3,702 |  | $ | 3,540 |  | $ | 3,312 |
Number of projects with exploratory well costs that have been capitalized for a period greater than one year* | 32 |  | 35 |  | 39 |
* Certain projects have multiple wells or fields or both. Of the $3,395 of exploratory well costs capitalized for more than one year at December 31, 2017, $2,257 (17 projects) is related to projects that had drilling activities underway or firmly planned for the near future. The $1,138 balance is related to 15 projects in areas requiring a major capital expenditure before production could begin and for which additional drilling efforts were not underway or firmly planned for the near future. Additional drilling was not deemed necessary because the presence of hydrocarbons had already been established, and other activities were in process to enable a future decision on project development. The projects for the $1,138 referenced above had the following activities associated with assessing the reserves and the projects’ economic viability: (a) $190 (two projects) – undergoing front-end engineering and design with final investment decision expected within four years; (b) $99 (one project) – development concept under review by government; (c) $826 (seven projects) – development alternatives under review; (d) $23 (five projects) – miscellaneous activities for projects with smaller amounts suspended. While progress was being made on all 32 projects, the decision on the recognition of proved reserves under SEC rules in some cases may not occur for several years because of the complexity, scale and negotiations associated with the projects. More than half of these decisions are expected to occur in the next five years. The $3,395 of suspended well costs capitalized for a period greater than one year as of December 31, 2017, represents 158 exploratory wells in 32 projects. The tables below contain the aging of these costs on a well and project basis:
Aging based on drilling completion date of individual wells: | Amount |  |  |  | Number of wells |
1998-2006 | $ | 318 |  |  |  | 29 |
2007-2011 | 879 |  |  |  | 50 |
2012-2016 | 2,198 |  |  |  | 79 |
Total | $ | 3,395 |  |  |  | 158 |
Aging based on drilling completion date of last suspended well in project: | Amount |  |  |  | Number of projects |
2003-2009 | $ | 344 |  |  |  | 5 |
2010-2013 | 367 |  |  |  | 6 |
2014-2017 | 2,684 |  |  |  | 21 |
Total | $ | 3,395 |  |  |  | 32 |

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- Definition Accounting for suspended exploratory wells. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition The entire disclosure for parts or all of the information related to suspended well costs. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 932 -SubTopic 235 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1B -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68064819&loc=SL6806780-109447 + Details
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