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Third quarter and nine months 2022

Date:
1 November 2022

Performing while transforming

  • Net debt reduced to $22.0 billion
  • Further $2.5 billion share buyback announced
  • High-grading hydrocarbons portfolio - formation of Azule Energy; final investment decision at Cypre; agreed divestment of Algeria
  • Accelerating transformation to an IEC – agreed to acquire Archaea Energy - a leading US biogas producer; agreement with Hertz to advance North America fleet EV charging strategy
Financial summary
$ million
Third quarter 2022 Second quarter 2022 Third quarter 2021 Nine months 2022
Nine months 2021
Profit (loss) for the period attributable to bp shareholders
(2,163) 9,257 (2,544)  (13,290) 5,239 
Inventory holding (gains) losses*, net of tax 2,186 (1,607) (390) (2,085)  (2,468) 
Replacement cost (RC) profit (loss)*
23 7,650 (2,934) (15,375)  2,771 
Net (favourable) adverse impact of adjusting items*, net of tax  8,127 801 6,256  38,221  5,979 
Underlying RC profit*
8,150 8,451 3,322  22,846  8,750 
Operating cash flow*
8,288 10,863 5,976
27,361 17,496 
Capital expenditure*
(3,194) (2,838) (2,903)
(8,961) (9,215) 
Divestment and other proceeds(a)
606 722 313  2,509  5,367 
Surplus cash flow* 3,530 6,590 933 14,209 3,315
Net issue (repurchase) of shares(b)
(2,876) (2,288) (926)  (6,756) (1,426) 
Net debt*(c)
22,002 22,816 31,971 22,002  31,971 
Announced dividend per ordinary share (cents per share)  6.006 6.006 5.460
17.472  16.170 
Underlying RC profit per ordinary share* (cents)  43.15 43.58 16.48 118.61  43.22 
Underlying RC profit per ADS* (dollars)  2.59 2.61 0.99
7.12  2.59 

Underlying replacement cost profit* $8.2 billion

  • Underlying replacement cost profit was $8.2 billion, compared with $8.5 billion for the previous quarter. Compared to the second quarter, the result was impacted by weaker refining margins, an average oil trading result and lower liquids realizations, partly offset by an exceptional gas marketing and trading result and higher gas realizations.
  • Reported loss for the quarter was $2.2 billion, compared with a profit of $9.3 billion for the second quarter 2022. The reported result for the third quarter includes inventory holding losses net of tax of $2.2 billion and a charge for adjusting items* net of tax of $8.1 billion. This charge includes adverse fair value accounting effects* of $10.1 billion, primarily due to further increases in forward gas prices compared to the end of the second quarter, partly offset by $2.0 billion gain on sale relating to the formation of Azule Energy.

 

Operating cash flow* $8.3 billion; net debt* reduced to $22.0 billion

  • Operating cash flow in the quarter was $8.3 billion including a working capital build (after adjusting for inventory holding losses* and fair value accounting effects) of $6.2 billion, mainly due to the increase in the forward price of LNG.
  • Looking forward, the outlook for working capital remains subject to a number of factors, including price. However, following the build in working capital as a result of rising gas prices since 2021, we now expect the working capital movement to include a release of around $7 billion, weighted toward the second-half of 2023 and 2024, primarily as LNG cargoes are delivered.
  • Capital expenditure* in the quarter was $3.2 billion. bp now expects capital expenditure of around $15.5 billion in 2022, if the acquisition of Archaea Energy completes before year end.
  • During the third quarter, bp completed share buybacks of $2.9 billion. The $3.5 billion share buyback programme announced with the second quarter results was completed on 27 October 2022.
  • Net debt fell for the tenth successive quarter to reach $22.0 billion at the end of the third quarter.

 

Further $2.5 billion share buyback within disciplined financial frame

  • During the third quarter bp generated surplus cash flow* of $3.5 billion and intends to execute a $2.5 billion share buyback prior to announcing its fourth-quarter results, bringing total announced share buybacks from 2022 surplus cash flow to $8.5 billion, equivalent to 60% of 2022 surplus cash flow year to date.
  • For 2022 and subject to maintaining a strong investment grade credit rating, bp remains committed to using 60% of surplus cash flow for share buybacks and intends to allocate the remaining 40% to further strengthen the balance sheet.
  • In setting the buyback each quarter, the board will continue to take into account factors including the cumulative level of and outlook for surplus cash flow.
  • Against the authority granted at bp's 2022 annual general meeting to repurchase up to 1.95 billion shares, bp had repurchased 677 million shares at 31 October.

 

Progressing transformation to an Integrated Energy Company

  • In resilient hydrocarbons bp is accelerating its biogas strategy - part of its bioenergy transition growth engine - agreeing to acquire Archaea Energy a leading US biogas company. bp has also continued to make progress high-grading its portfolio: completing the creation of Azule Energy a 50:50 joint venture combining its Angolan assets with those of Eni; taking the final investment decision on the Cypre project offshore Trinidad; and announcing an agreement to sell its upstream business in Algeria to Eni.
  • In convenience and mobility bp continued to advance its growth strategy in EV charging and convenience: announcing plans to collaborate with Hertz in North America to install a national network of EV charging solutions for Hertz and its customers powered by bp pulse; and expanding its partnership with leading retailer REWE in Germany, to install fast, reliable, convenient charging for customers while they shop.
  • In low carbon energy bp continued to progress its renewables and hydrogen strategy. In Australia, bp closed its acquisition of a 40.5% stake in AREH, one of the world's largest planned renewables and green hydrogen* energy hubs. And in the UK, two bp-led projects - H2Teesside and Net Zero Teesside Power - have been shortlisted in Phase 2 of the UK government's cluster sequencing process for support of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS).
This quarter’s results reflect us continuing to perform while transforming. We remain focused on helping to solve the energy trilemma – secure, affordable and lower carbon energy. We are providing the oil and gas the world needs today – while at the same time - investing to accelerate the energy transition. Our agreement on Archaea Energy is the most recent step in our strategic transformation of bp.
Bernard Looney,chief executive officer
(a) Divestment proceeds are disposal proceeds as per the condensed group cash flow statement. See page 3 for more information on divestment and other proceeds.
(b) Nine months 2022 excludes the ordinary shares issued as non-cash consideration for the acquisition of the public units of BP Midstream Partners LP. See Note 7 for more information.
(c) See Note 9 for more information.
 
RC profit (loss), underlying RC profit (loss), surplus cash flow and net debt are non-GAAP measures. Inventory holding (gains) losses and adjusting items are non-GAAP adjustments.
 
* For items marked with an asterisk throughout this document, definitions are provided in the Glossary on page 33.

Further information

 

Contacts

 

bp press office, London: +44 (0)20 7496 4076, bppress@bp.com

Cautionary statement

In order to utilize the ‘safe harbor’ provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the ‘PSLRA’) and the general doctrine of cautionary statements, bp is providing the following cautionary statement: The discussion in this results announcement contains certain forecasts, projections and forward-looking statements - that is, statements related to future, not past events and circumstances - with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of bp and certain of the plans and objectives of bp with respect to these items. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as ‘will’, ‘expects’, ‘is expected to’, ‘aims’, ‘should’, ‘may’, ‘objective’, ‘is likely to’, ‘intends’, ‘believes’, ‘anticipates’, ‘plans’, ‘we see’ or similar expressions.


In particular, the following, among other statements, are all forward looking in nature: expectations regarding the conflict in Ukraine, related sanctions on Russia and inflationary pressures, including the impacts and consequences on demand and supply; plans, expectations and assumptions regarding oil and gas demand, supply, prices or volatility and storage levels; expectations regarding upstream production and bp’s customers & products business; expectations regarding future working capital; expectations regarding major projects; expectations regarding refining margins; expectations regarding bp’s business, financial performance, results of operations and cash flows; expectations regarding future project start-ups; expectations with regards to bp’s transformation to an IEC; expectations regarding price assumptions used in accounting estimates; bp’s plans and expectations regarding the amount and timing of share buybacks and quarterly and interim dividends; plans and expectations regarding bp’s credit rating, including in respect of maintaining a strong investment grade credit rating; plans and expectations regarding the allocation of surplus cash flow to share buybacks and strengthening the balance sheet; plans and expectations regarding bp’s exit of its shareholding in Rosneft and other investments in Russia; plans and expectations with respect to the total depreciation, depletion and amortization and other businesses & corporate underlying annual charge for 2022; plans and expectations regarding investments, collaborations and partnerships in charging infrastructure, including in North America, the UK, Germany and China; plans and expectations regarding the divestment programme, including the amount and timing of proceeds; plans and expectations regarding bp’s renewable energy business; expectations regarding the underlying effective tax rate for 2022; expectations regarding the timing and amount of future payments relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill; expectations regarding bp’s defined benefit pension plans; plans and expectations regarding capital expenditure, including that capital expenditure will be around $15.5 billion in 2022; plans and expectations regarding projects, joint ventures and other partnerships and agreements, including partnerships and other collaborations with Hertz, REWE, Renault Group and Avatr Technology Co. Ltd. as well as plans and expectations regarding the acquisition of Archaea Energy, the sale of its interest in the bp-Husky Toledo refinery to Cenovus Energy Inc. and related operational impacts, the sale of bp’s upstream business in Algeria to Eni, the Cypre subsea gas development in Trinidad and Tobago and its relation to bp’s Juniper platform, the purchase of EDF Energy Services, the Asian Renewable Energy Hub in Western Australia, the development of EV charge points, the HyGreen Teesside green hydrogen project and the Mad Dog Phase 2 project in the Gulf of Mexico.


By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will or may occur in the future and are outside the control of bp.


Actual results or outcomes, may differ materially from those expressed in such statements, depending on a variety of factors, including: the extent and duration of the impact of current market conditions including the volatility of oil prices, the effects of bp’s plan to exit its shareholding in Rosneft and other investments in Russia, the impact of COVID-19, overall global economic and business conditions impacting bp’s business and demand for bp’s products as well as the specific factors identified in the discussions accompanying such forward-looking statements; changes in consumer preferences and societal expectations; the pace of development and adoption of alternative energy solutions; developments in policy, law, regulation, technology and markets, including societal and investor sentiment related to the issue of climate change; the receipt of relevant third party and/or regulatory approvals; the timing and level of maintenance and/or turnaround activity; the timing and volume of refinery additions and outages; the timing of bringing new fields onstream; the timing, quantum and nature of certain acquisitions and divestments; future levels of industry product supply, demand and pricing, including supply growth in North America and continued base oil and additive supply shortages; OPEC+ quota restrictions; PSA and TSC effects; operational and safety problems; potential lapses in product quality; economic and financial market conditions generally or in various countries and regions; political stability and economic growth in relevant areas of the world; changes in laws and governmental regulations and policies, including related to climate change; changes in social attitudes and customer preferences; regulatory or legal actions including the types of enforcement action pursued and the nature of remedies sought or imposed; the actions of prosecutors, regulatory authorities and courts; delays in the processes for resolving claims; amounts ultimately payable and timing of payments relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill; exchange rate fluctuations; development and use of new technology; recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce; the success or otherwise of partnering; the actions of competitors, trading partners, contractors, subcontractors, creditors, rating agencies and others; bp’s access to future credit resources; business disruption and crisis management; the impact on bp’s reputation of ethical misconduct and non-compliance with regulatory obligations; trading losses; major uninsured losses; the possibility that international sanctions or other steps taken by governmental authorities or any other relevant persons may impact Rosneft’s business or outlook, bp’s ability to sell its interests in Rosneft, or the price for which bp could sell such interests; the possibility that actions of any competent authorities or any other relevant persons may limit bp’s ability to sell its interests in Rosneft, or the price for which it could sell such interests; the actions of contractors; natural disasters and adverse weather conditions; changes in public expectations and other changes to business conditions; wars and acts of terrorism; cyber-attacks or sabotage; and other factors discussed elsewhere in this report, as well as those factors discussed under “Risk factors” in bp’s Annual Report and Form 20-F 2021 as filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.