
3.	IMPAIRMENTS

Aruba Refinery

In March 2012, we suspended the operations of the Aruba Refinery because of its inability to generate positive cash flows on a sustained basis subsequent to its restart in January 2011 and the sensitivity of its profitability to sour crude oil differentials, which had narrowed significantly in the fourth quarter of 2011. Shortly thereafter, we received a non-binding offer to purchase the refinery for $350 million, plus working capital as of the closing date. Because of our decision to suspend the operations and the possibility of selling the refinery, we evaluated the refinery for potential impairment as of March 31, 2012 and concluded that it was impaired. We recognized an asset impairment loss of $595 million in March 2012. We did not, however, classify the Aruba Refinery as “held for sale” in our balance sheet because all of the accounting criteria required for that classification had not been met.

In September 2012, we decided to reorganize the Aruba Refinery into a crude oil and refined products terminal in response to the withdrawal of the non-binding offer to purchase the refinery. We bifurcated the idled crude oil processing units and related infrastructure (refining assets) from the terminal assets and evaluated the refining assets for potential impairment as of September 30, 2012. We concluded that the refining assets were impaired and recognized an asset impairment loss of $308 million in September 2012. We also recognized an asset impairment loss of $25 million related to materials and supplies inventories that supported the refining operations, resulting in a total asset impairment loss of $333 million that was recognized in September 2012 related to the Aruba Refinery. The terminal assets were not impaired.

We have continued to maintain the refining assets to allow them to be restarted and do not consider them to be abandoned. Therefore, we have not reflected the Aruba Refinery as a discontinued operation in our financial statements. It is possible, however, that we may abandon these assets in the future. Should we ultimately decide to abandon these assets, we may be required under our land lease agreement with the Government of Aruba to dismantle and remove the abandoned assets, which would require us to recognize an asset retirement obligation, that would be immediately charged to expense. We do not expect these amounts to be material to our financial position or results of operations.

The variation in the customary relationship between income tax expense and income before income tax expense for the six months ended June 30, 2012 was primarily due to not recognizing a tax benefit associated with the asset impairment loss of $595 million related to the Aruba Refinery as we do not expect to realize this tax benefit.

Cancelled Capital Project

In March 2012, we wrote down the carrying value of equipment associated with a permanently cancelled capital project at one of our refineries, resulting in an asset impairment loss of $16 million.