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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments – As of December 31, 2024, we maintained letters of credit in the aggregate amount of $42.9 million primarily for the benefit of various insurance companies as collateral for retrospective premiums and retained losses that could become payable under the terms of the underlying insurance contracts and compliance with contractual obligations. These letters of credit expire annually at various times during the year and are typically renewed. As of December 31, 2024, no amounts had been drawn under the letters of credit. As of December 31, 2024, we had $35.0 million in surety bond exposure issued as financial assurance on an insurance agreement.
As of December 31, 2024, we had commitments to purchase major equipment totaling approximately $65.9 million.
Our completion services segment has entered into agreements to purchase minimum quantities of proppants from certain vendors. We purchased $103 million, $135 million and $93.0 million of proppants under take-or-pay or similar agreements during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, the remaining minimum obligation under these agreements was approximately $19.8 million, of which approximately, $17.4 million and $2.4 million relate to 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Contingencies – Our operations are subject to many hazards inherent in the businesses in which we operate, including inclement weather, blowouts, explosions, fires, loss of well control, motor vehicle accidents, equipment failure, unplanned power outages and surges, computer system disruptions or cybersecurity incidents, pollution, exposure and reservoir damage. These hazards could cause personal injury or death, work stoppage, and serious damage to equipment and other property, as well as significant environmental and reservoir damages. These risks could expose us to substantial liability for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, loss of oil and natural gas production, pollution and other environmental damages. An accident or other event resulting in significant environmental or property damage, or injuries or fatalities involving our employees or other persons could also trigger investigations by federal, state or local authorities. Such an accident or other event could cause us to incur substantial expenses in connection with the investigation, remediation and resolution, as well as cause lasting damage to our reputation, loss of customers and an inability to obtain insurance.
We have indemnification agreements with many of our customers, and we also maintain liability and other forms of insurance. In general, our contracts typically contain provisions requiring our customers to indemnify us for, among other things, reservoir and certain pollution damage. Our right to indemnification may, however, be unenforceable or limited due to negligent or willful acts or omissions by us, our subcontractors and/or suppliers. In addition, certain states, including Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming, have enacted statutes generally referred to as “oilfield anti-indemnity acts” expressly prohibiting certain indemnity agreements contained in or related to oilfield services agreements. Such oilfield anti-indemnity acts may restrict or void a party’s indemnification of us.
Our customers and other third parties may dispute, or be unable to meet, their indemnification obligations to us due to financial, legal or other reasons. Accordingly, we may be unable to transfer these risks to our customers and other third parties by contract or indemnification agreements. Incurring a liability for which we are not fully indemnified or insured could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
In addition, we maintain insurance coverage of the types and in the amounts we believe to be customary in the industry, but we do not insure against all risks, either because insurance is not available or because it is not commercially justifiable. The insurances that we maintain include coverage for fire, windstorm and other risks of physical loss to our equipment and certain other assets, employers’ liability, automobile liability, commercial general liability, workers’ compensation as well as insurance for other specific risks, together with excess loss liability insurance coverage. We have also elected to retain a greater amount of risk through increased deductibles as compared to prior years, or self-insurance on certain insurance policies. We cannot assure that any insurance obtained by us will be adequate to cover any losses or liabilities nor can we assure that any insurance obtained by us will continue to be made available for purchase or made available on acceptable terms. While we carry insurance to cover physical damage to, or loss of, a substantial portion of our equipment and certain other assets, such insurance does not cover the full replacement cost of such equipment or other assets, and in certain cases, such as losses arising from or attributable to fire and/or explosion resulting from our hydraulic fracturing operations at the wellsite, is subject to significantly higher deductibles than are applicable to our other coverages. We also self-insure a number of risks, including loss of earnings and business interruption and most of our cybersecurity risks, and we do not carry a significant amount of insurance to cover risks of underground reservoir damage.
Certain subsidiaries we acquired in the Ulterra acquisition are defendants in a claim brought by a subsidiary of NOV Inc. alleging breach of a license agreement related to certain patents. Such subsidiaries have asserted defenses to the claim and are defending vigorously against this claim.
The case is Grant Prideco, Inc., et al. v. Schlumberger Technology Corp., et al., in Texas State Court, District of Harris County, 11th Judicial District. On February 6, 2023, Grant Prideco, Inc., ReedHycalog UK, Ltd. ReedHycalog, LP, National Oilwell Varco, LP (“NOV”) sued Ulterra Drilling Technologies, LP (“Ulterra”) and several other companies. NOV seeks a declaration that United States Patent No. 8,721,752 (the “’752 Patent”) is a “Licensed RH Patent” per the terms of a license agreement between Ulterra and NOV. NOV also alleges a breach of contract based on the license agreement between NOV and Ulterra and seeks allegedly owed royalties since October 22, 2021. NOV also seeks attorney’s fees.
On February 27, 2023, Ulterra filed a plea to the jurisdiction, and subject thereto, an answer, affirmative defenses and counterclaims. Ulterra’s counterclaims include: (i) declaratory judgments of non-infringement of U.S. Pat. No. 7,568,534 and the ’752 patent; (ii) a declaratory judgment of no royalties after Oct. 22, 2021; (iii) a declaratory judgment that certain other identified patents are expired and therefore not infringed after Oct. 22, 2021; and (iv) a declaratory judgment of no breach of contract. On the same day, Ulterra filed a notice of removal in federal court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division (SDTX 4:23-cv-00730), as well as a corresponding notice in Texas state court. NOV moved to dismiss and remand the case back to state court. On February 17, 2024, the Court denied NOV’s motion.
Discovery is closed and dispositive motions are scheduled to be fully briefed by the end of March 2025. Trial is currently scheduled for March 31, 2025. An unfavorable judgment or resolution of this claim not covered by indemnity could have a material impact on our financial results.
Additionally, we are party to various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of our business. We do not believe that the outcome of these proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.