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Property, Plant and Equipment
6 Months Ended
Jun. 29, 2019
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]  
Property, Plant and Equipment

3.

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT: Property, plant and equipment is recorded net of accumulated depreciation of $9.46 billion at June 29, 2019 ($9.19 billion at December 31, 2018).

Nucor performed an impairment assessment of its proved producing natural gas well assets in September 2018. One of the main assumptions that most significantly affects the undiscounted cash flows determination is management’s estimate of future pricing of natural gas and natural gas liquids. The pricing used in the impairment assessment was developed by management based on projected natural gas market supply and demand dynamics, in conjunction with a review of projections by market analysts. Management also makes key estimates on the expected reserve levels and on the expected drilling production costs. The impairment assessment was performed on each of Nucor’s three groups (“fields”) of wells, with each field defined by common geographic location.

As a result of the impairment assessment, Nucor recorded an impairment charge of $110.0 million relating to two fields of wells in the third quarter of 2018. The post-impairment combined carrying value of these two fields was $68.6 million at June 29, 2019 ($71.0 million at December 31, 2018). The third field was not impaired and had a carrying value of $49.5 million at June 29, 2019 ($51.8 million at December 31, 2018). Changes in the natural gas industry or a prolonged low price environment beyond what had already been assumed in the assessment could cause management to revise the natural gas and natural gas liquids price assumptions, the estimated reserves or the estimated drilling production costs. Unfavorable revisions to these assumptions or estimates could possibly result in an impairment of some or all of the fields of proved well assets.