Variable Interest Entities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

11. VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

Consolidated VIEs

In the normal course of business, we have financial interests in certain entities that have been determined to be VIEs. We consolidate a VIE when we have a variable interest in an entity for which we are the primary beneficiary such that we have (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses of or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In order to make this determination, we evaluated our contractual arrangements with the VIE, including arrangements for the use of assets, purchases of products and services, debt, equity, or management of operating activities.

The following discussion summarizes our involvement with the consolidated VIEs:

•DGD is a joint venture with a subsidiary of Darling that owns and operates two plants that process waste and renewable feedstocks (predominately animal fats, used cooking oils, and inedible distillers corn oils) into renewable diesel and renewable naphtha. One plant is located next to our St. Charles Refinery (the DGD St. Charles Plant) and the other plant is the DGD

Port Arthur Plant. Our significant agreements with DGD include an operations agreement that outlines our responsibilities as operator of both plants.

As operator, we operate the plants and perform certain day-to-day operating and management functions for DGD as an independent contractor. The operations agreement provides us (as operator) with certain power to direct the activities that most significantly impact DGD’s economic performance. Because this agreement conveys such power to us and is separate from our ownership rights, we determined that DGD was a VIE. For this reason and because we hold a 50 percent ownership interest that provides us with significant economic rights and obligations, we determined that we are the primary beneficiary of DGD. DGD has risk associated with its operations because it generates revenues from external customers.

•Central Mexico Terminals is a collective group of three subsidiaries of Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (IEnova), a Mexican company and indirect subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a U.S. public company. We have terminaling agreements with Central Mexico Terminals that represent variable interests because we have determined them to be finance leases due to our exclusive use of the terminals. Although we do not have an ownership interest in the entities that own each of the three terminals, the finance leases convey to us (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of all three terminals and (ii) the ability to influence the benefits received or the losses incurred by the terminals because of our use of the terminals. As a result, we determined each of the entities was a VIE and that we are the primary beneficiary of each. Substantially all of Central Mexico Terminals’ revenues will be derived from us; therefore, we believe there is limited risk to us associated with Central Mexico Terminals’ operations.

•We also have financial interests in other entities that have been determined to be VIEs because the entities’ contractual arrangements transfer the power to us to direct the activities that most significantly impact their economic performance or reduce the exposure to operational variability and risk of loss created by the entity that otherwise would be held exclusively by the equity owners. Furthermore, we determined that we are the primary beneficiary of these VIEs because (i) certain contractual arrangements (exclusive of our ownership rights) provide us with the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of these entities and/or (ii) our 50 percent ownership interests provide us with significant economic rights and obligations.

The assets of the consolidated VIEs can only be used to settle their own obligations and the creditors of the consolidated VIEs have no recourse to our other assets. We generally do not provide financial guarantees to the VIEs. Although we have provided credit facilities to some of the VIEs in support of their construction or acquisition activities, these transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows are impacted by the performance of the consolidated VIEs, net of intercompany eliminations, to the extent of our ownership interest in each VIE.

The following table presents summarized balance sheet information for the significant assets and liabilities of the consolidated VIEs, which are included in our balance sheets (in millions):


	DGD		Central Mexico Terminals		Other		Total
December 31, 2022
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	133	$	—	$	16	$	149
Other current assets	1,106		7		32		1,145
Property, plant, and equipment, net	3,785		681		79		4,545
Liabilities
Current liabilities, including current portion of debt and finance lease obligations	$	626	$	737	$	21	$	1,384
Debt and finance lease obligations, less current portion	693		—		—		693




December 31, 2021
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	21	$	—	$	15	$	36
Other current assets	558		10		13		581
Property, plant, and equipment, net	2,629		676		91		3,396
Liabilities
Current liabilities, including current portion of debt and finance lease obligations	$	398	$	729	$	9	$	1,136
Debt and finance lease obligations, less current portion	264		—		20		284

Nonconsolidated VIEs

We hold variable interests in VIEs that have not been consolidated because we are not considered the primary beneficiary. These nonconsolidated VIEs are not material to our financial position or results of operations and are accounted for as equity investments.

On April 19, 2021, we sold a 24.99 percent membership interest in MVP Terminalling, LLC (MVP), a nonconsolidated joint venture, for $270 million that resulted in a gain of $62 million, which is included in “other income, net” for the year ended December 31, 2021. MVP owns and operates a marine terminal (the MVP Terminal) located on the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena, Texas. We retained a 25.01 percent membership interest in MVP.