Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates with regard to these financial statements include the fair value determination of acquired assets and liabilities, the estimate of proved oil and gas reserves and related present value estimates of future net cash flows therefrom, assessing asset retirement obligations, and the estimate of income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Oil and Gas Property

Oil and Gas Property

The Company follows the full-cost method of accounting for its oil and gas property. Under this method of accounting, all costs incurred for both successful and unsuccessful exploration and development activities, including salaries, benefits and other internal costs directly identified with these activities, and oil and gas property acquisitions are capitalized. The net book value of oil and gas properties, less related deferred income taxes, may not exceed a calculated “ceiling.” The ceiling limitation is the estimated after-tax future net cash flows from proved oil and gas reserves, discounted at 10 percent per annum and adjusted for designated cash flow hedges. Estimated future net cash flows are calculated using end-of-period costs and an unweighted arithmetic average of commodity prices in effect on the first day of each of the previous 12 months, held flat for the life of the production, except where prices are defined by contractual arrangements. For a discussion of the calculation of estimated future net cash flows, please refer to Note 14—Supplemental Oil and Gas Disclosures to the consolidated financial statements contained in Apache’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.

Any excess of the net book value of proved oil and gas properties, less related deferred income taxes, over the ceiling is charged to expense and reflected as “Additional depreciation, depletion, and amortization” (DD&A) in the accompanying statement of consolidated operations. Such limitations are imposed separately on a country-by-country basis and are tested quarterly. In the second quarter of 2015, the Company recorded $4.3 billion ($2.8 billion net of tax), $835 million ($617 million net of tax), and $663 million ($331 million net of tax) in non-cash write-downs of the carrying value of the Company’s U.S., Canada, and North Sea proved oil and gas properties, respectively. In the first quarter of 2015, the Company recorded $5.3 billion ($3.4 billion net of tax), $1.4 billion ($1.0 billion net of tax), and $632 million ($316 million net of tax) in non-cash write-downs of the carrying value of the Company’s U.S., Canada, and North Sea proved oil and gas properties, respectively. In the second quarter of 2014, the Company recorded a $203 million ($77 million net of tax) non-cash write-down of the carrying value of the Company’s North Sea proved oil and gas properties.

New Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Adopted

New Pronouncements Issued But Not Yet Adopted

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2015-03, which simplifies the presentation of debt issuance costs. The new standard requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the associated debt liability, whereas they are currently being presented as a component of “deferred charges and other” on the balance sheet. The new standard creates consistency in the way debt issuance costs and debt discounts are presented on the balance sheet and better aligns U.S. GAAP with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). ASU 2015-03 is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company will apply the change retrospectively and does not expect the adoption of this amendment to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a joint revenue recognition standard, ASU 2014-09. The new standard removes inconsistencies in existing standards, changes the way companies recognize revenue from contracts with customers, and increases disclosure requirements. The guidance requires companies to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In July 2015, the FASB announced a delay in the effective date of the revenue standard by one year. The deferral results in the new revenue standard being effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard is required to be adopted using either the full retrospective approach, with all prior periods presented adjusted, or the modified retrospective approach, with a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings on the opening balance sheet. The Company is currently evaluating the level of effort needed to implement the standard, the impact of adopting this standard on its consolidated financial statements, and whether to use the full retrospective approach or the modified retrospective approach.