Guarantees	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Guarantees [Abstract]
Guarantees	Note 11—Guarantees At September 30, 2019, we were liable for certain contingent obligations under various contractual arrangements as described below. We recognize a liability, at inception, for the fair value of our obligation as a guarantor for newly issued or modified guarantees. Unless the carrying amount of the liability is noted below, we have not recognized a liability because the fair value of the obligation is immaterial. In addition, unless otherwise stated, we are not currently performing with any significance under the guarantee and expect future performance to be either immaterial or have only a remote chance of occurrence. APLNG Guarantees At September 30, 2019, we had outstanding multiple guarantees in connection with our 37.5 percent ownership interest in APLNG. The following is a description of the guarantees with values calculated utilizing September 2019 exchange rates: During the third quarter of 2016, we issued a guarantee to facilitate the withdrawal of our pro-rata portion of the funds in a project finance reserve account. We estimate the remaining term of this guarantee is 11 years. Our maximum exposure under this guarantee is approximately $170 million and may become payable if an enforcement action is commenced by the project finance lenders against APLNG. At September 30, 2019, the carrying value of this guarantee was approximately $14 million. For additional information, see Note 6—Investments, Loans and Long-Term Receivables. In conjunction with our original purchase of an ownership interest in APLNG from Origin Energy in October 2008, we agreed to reimburse Origin Energy for our share of the existing contingent liability arising under guarantees of an existing obligation of APLNG to deliver natural gas under several sales agreements with remaining terms of up to 23 years. Our maximum potential liability for future payments, or cost of volume delivery, under these guarantees is estimated to be $720 million ($1.3 billion in the event of intentional or reckless breach), and would become payable if APLNG fails to meet its obligations under these agreements and the obligations cannot otherwise be mitigated. Future payments are considered unlikely, as the payments, or cost of volume delivery, would only be triggered if APLNG does not have enough natural gas to meet these sales commitments and if the co-venturers do not make necessary equity contributions into APLNG. We have guaranteed the performance of APLNG with regard to certain other contracts executed in connection with the project’s continued development. The guarantees have remaining terms of up to 26 years or the life of the venture. Our maximum potential amount of future payments related to these guarantees is approximately $130 million and would become payable if APLNG does not perform. Other Guarantees We have other guarantees with maximum future potential payment amounts totaling approximately $800 million, which consist primarily of guarantees of the residual value of leased office buildings, guarantees of the residual value of corporate aircraft, and a guarantee for our portion of a joint venture’s project finance reserve accounts. These guarantees have remaining terms of up to three years and would become payable if, upon sale, certain asset values are lower than guaranteed amounts, business conditions decline at guaranteed entities, or as a result of nonperformance of contractual terms by guaranteed parties. In conjunction with the disposition of our two U.K. subsidiaries to Chrysaor E&P Limited, we will temporarily continue to support various guarantees and letters of credit which were provided for the benefit of entities that are now affiliates of Chrysaor E&P Limited. Our maximum potential payment exposure under these obligations is approximately $148 million. Chrysaor E&P Limited has agreed to fully indemnify ConocoPhillips for any losses suffered by us related to these obligations. Indemnifications Over the years, we have entered into agreements to sell ownership interests in certain corporations, joint ventures and assets that gave rise to qualifying indemnifications. These agreements include indemnifications for taxes, environmental liabilities, employee claims and litigation. The terms of these indemnifications vary greatly. The majority of these indemnifications are related to environmental issues, the term is generally indefinite and the maximum amount of future payments is generally unlimited. The carrying amount recorded for these indemnifications at September 30, 2019, was approximately $90 million. We amortize the indemnification liability over the relevant time period, if one exists, based on the facts and circumstances surrounding each type of indemnity. In cases where the indemnification term is indefinite, we will reverse the liability when we have information the liability is essentially relieved or amortize the liability over an appropriate time period as the fair value of our indemnification exposure declines. Although it is reasonably possible future payments may exceed amounts recorded, due to the nature of the indemnifications, it is not possible to make a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments. Included in the recorded carrying amount at September 30, 2019, were approximately $30 million of environmental accruals for known contamination that are included in the “Asset retirement obligations and accrued environmental costs” line on our consolidated balance sheet. For additional information about environmental liabilities, see Note 12—Contingencies and Commitments.

Guarantees

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Note 11—Guarantees

At September 30, 2019, we were liable for certain contingent obligations under various contractual arrangements as described below. We recognize a liability, at inception, for the fair value of our obligation as a guarantor for newly issued or modified guarantees. Unless the carrying amount of the liability is noted below, we have not recognized a liability because the fair value of the obligation is immaterial. In addition, unless otherwise stated, we are not currently performing with any significance under the guarantee and expect future performance to be either immaterial or have only a remote chance of occurrence.

APLNG Guarantees

At September 30, 2019, we had outstanding multiple guarantees in connection with our 37.5 percent ownership interest in APLNG. The following is a description of the guarantees with values calculated utilizing September 2019 exchange rates:

During the third quarter of 2016, we issued a guarantee to facilitate the withdrawal of our pro-rata portion of the funds in a project finance reserve account. We estimate the remaining term of this guarantee is 11 years. Our maximum exposure under this guarantee is approximately $170 million and may become payable if an enforcement action is commenced by the project finance lenders against APLNG. At September 30, 2019, the carrying value of this guarantee was approximately $14 million. For additional information, see Note 6—Investments, Loans and Long-Term Receivables.

In conjunction with our original purchase of an ownership interest in APLNG from Origin Energy in October 2008, we agreed to reimburse Origin Energy for our share of the existing contingent liability arising under guarantees of an existing obligation of APLNG to deliver natural gas under several sales agreements with remaining terms of up to 23 years. Our maximum potential liability for future payments, or cost of volume delivery, under these guarantees is estimated to be $720 million ($1.3 billion in the event of intentional or reckless breach), and would become payable if APLNG fails to meet its obligations under these agreements and the obligations cannot otherwise be mitigated. Future payments are considered unlikely, as the payments, or cost of volume delivery, would only be triggered if APLNG does not have enough natural gas to meet these sales commitments and if the co-venturers do not make necessary equity contributions into APLNG.

We have guaranteed the performance of APLNG with regard to certain other contracts executed in connection with the project’s continued development. The guarantees have remaining terms of up to 26 years or the life of the venture. Our maximum potential amount of future payments related to these guarantees is approximately $130 million and would become payable if APLNG does not perform.

Other Guarantees

We have other guarantees with maximum future potential payment amounts totaling approximately $800 million, which consist primarily of guarantees of the residual value of leased office buildings, guarantees of the residual value of corporate aircraft, and a guarantee for our portion of a joint venture’s project finance reserve accounts. These guarantees have remaining terms of up to three years and would become payable if, upon sale, certain asset values are lower than guaranteed amounts, business conditions decline at guaranteed entities, or as a result of nonperformance of contractual terms by guaranteed parties.

In conjunction with the disposition of our two U.K. subsidiaries to Chrysaor E&P Limited, we will temporarily continue to support various guarantees and letters of credit which were provided for the benefit of entities that are now affiliates of Chrysaor E&P Limited. Our maximum potential payment exposure under these obligations is approximately $148 million. Chrysaor E&P Limited has agreed to fully indemnify ConocoPhillips for any losses suffered by us related to these obligations.

Indemnifications

Over the years, we have entered into agreements to sell ownership interests in certain corporations, joint ventures and assets that gave rise to qualifying indemnifications. These agreements include indemnifications

for taxes, environmental liabilities, employee claims and litigation. The terms of these indemnifications vary greatly. The majority of these indemnifications are related to environmental issues, the term is generally indefinite and the maximum amount of future payments is generally unlimited. The carrying amount recorded for these indemnifications at September 30, 2019, was approximately $90 million. We amortize the indemnification liability over the relevant time period, if one exists, based on the facts and circumstances surrounding each type of indemnity. In cases where the indemnification term is indefinite, we will reverse the liability when we have information the liability is essentially relieved or amortize the liability over an appropriate time period as the fair value of our indemnification exposure declines. Although it is reasonably possible future payments may exceed amounts recorded, due to the nature of the indemnifications, it is not possible to make a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments. Included in the recorded carrying amount at September 30, 2019, were approximately $30 million of environmental accruals for known contamination that are included in the “Asset retirement obligations and accrued environmental costs” line on our consolidated balance sheet. For additional information about environmental liabilities, see Note 12—Contingencies and Commitments.