Asset Retirement Obligations

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]

Asset Retirement Obligations

Note 11 — Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations (“AROs”) are recorded at fair value and consist of estimated costs for subsea infrastructure plug and abandonment (“P&A”) activities associated with our oil and gas properties. The estimated costs are discounted to present value using a credit-adjusted risk-free discount rate. After its initial recognition, an ARO liability is increased for the passage of time as accretion expense, which is a component of our depreciation and amortization expense. An ARO liability may also change based on revisions in estimated costs and/or timing to settle the obligations.

Our AROs relate to our Droshky oil and gas properties that we acquired from Marathon Oil Corporation (“Marathon Oil”) in January 2019. In connection with assuming the P&A obligations related to those assets, we are entitled to receive agreed-upon amounts from Marathon Oil as the P&A work is completed. The following table describes the changes in our AROs (both current and long-term) (in thousands):

	2021		2020
AROs at January 1,	$	30,913	$	28,258
Accretion expense		48		676
AROs at March 31,	$	30,961	$	28,934