Exxon действует в точном соответствии со своей учетной политикой, которая полностью соответствует принципам бухгалтерского учета, применяемого в США. И об этом прямо написано в каждом годовом отчете компании.

Depreciation, depletion and amortization, based on cost less estimated salvage value of the asset, are primarily determined under either the unit-of-production method or the straight-line method, which is based on estimated asset service life taking obsolescence into consideration. Maintenance and repairs, including planned major maintenance, are expensed as incurred. Major renewals and improvements are capitalized and the assets replaced are retired.

ExxonMobil uses the "successful efforts" method to account for its exploration and production activities. Under this method, costs are accumulated on a field-by-field basis. Costs incurred to purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire a property (whether unproved or proved) are capitalized when incurred. Exploratory well costs are carried as an asset when the well has found a sufficient quantity of reserves to justify its completion as a producing well and where ExxonMobil is making sufficient progress assessing the reserves and the economic and operating viability of the project. Exploratory well costs not meeting these criteria are charged to expense. Other exploratory expenditures, including geophysical costs and annual lease rentals, are expensed as incurred. Development costs, including costs of productive wells and development dry holes, are capitalized.

Acquisition costs of proved properties are amortized using a unit-of-production method, computed on the basis of total proved oil and gas reserves. Capitalized exploratory drilling and development costs associated with productive depletable extractive properties are amortized using unit-of-production rates based on the amount of proved developed reserves of oil, gas and other minerals that are estimated to be recoverable from existing facilities using current operating methods. Under the unit-of-production method, oil and gas volumes are considered produced once they have been measured through meters at custody transfer or sales transaction points at the outlet valve on the lease or field storage tank. In the event that the unit-of-production method does not result in an equitable allocation of cost over the economic life of an upstream asset, an alternative such as the straight-line method is used.

Production involves lifting the oil and gas to the surface and gathering, treating, field processing and field storage of the oil and gas. The production function normally terminates at the outlet valve on the lease or field production storage tank. Production costs are those incurred to operate and maintain ExxonMobil's wells and related equipment and facilities and are expensed as incurred. They become part of the cost of oil and gas produced. These costs, sometimes referred to as lifting costs, include such items as labor costs to operate the wells and related equipment; repair and maintenance costs on the wells and equipment; materials, supplies and energy costs required to operate the wells and related equipment; and administrative expenses related to the production activity.

ExxonMobil performs impairment assessments whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of its long-lived assets (or group of assets) may not be recoverable through future operations or disposition. Assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets for this assessment.

Potential trigger events for impairment evaluation include:

• a significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset;
• a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which an asset is being used or in its physical condition including a significant decrease in current and projected reserve volumes;
• a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate that could affect the value, including an adverse action or assessment by a regulator;
• an accumulation of project costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected;
• a current-period operating loss combined with a history and forecast of operating or cash flow losses; and
• a current expectation that, more likely than not, a long-lived asset will be sold or otherwise disposed of significantly before the end of its previously estimated useful life.

ExxonMobil performs asset valuation analyses on an ongoing basis as a part of its asset management program. These analyses and other profitability reviews assist ExxonMobil in assessing whether the carrying amounts of any of its assets may not be recoverable.

In general, ExxonMobil does not view temporarily low prices or margins as a trigger event for conducting impairment tests. The markets for crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products, have a history of significant price volatility. Although prices will occasionally drop significantly, industry prices over the long term will continue to be driven by market supply and demand.

On the supply side, industry production from mature fields is declining, but this is being offset by production from new discoveries and field developments. OPEC production policies also have an impact on world oil supplies. The demand side is largely a function of global economic growth. The relative growth/decline in supply versus demand will determine industry prices over the long term, and these cannot be accurately predicted.

If there were a trigger event, ExxonMobil estimates the future undiscounted cash flows of the affected properties to judge the recoverability of carrying amounts. Cash flows used in impairment evaluations are developed using estimates for future crude oil and natural gas commodity prices, refining and chemical margins, and foreign currency exchange rates. Volumes are based on projected field and facility production profiles, throughput, or sales. These evaluations make use of ExxonMobil's price, margin, volume, and cost assumptions developed in the annual planning and budgeting process, and are consistent with the criteria management uses to evaluate investment opportunities. Where unproved reserves exist, an appropriately risk-adjusted amount of these reserves may be included in the evaluation.

An asset group would be impaired if its undiscounted cash flows were less than the asset's carrying value. Impairments are measured by the amount by which the carrying value exceeds fair value. Cash flow estimates for impairment testing exclude the effects of derivative instruments.

Significant unproved properties are assessed for impairment individually, and valuation allowances against the capitalized costs are recorded based on the estimated economic chance of success and the length of time that ExxonMobil expects to hold the properties. Properties that are not individually significant are aggregated by groups and amortized based on development risk and average holding period.

Gains on sales of proved and unproved properties are only recognized when there is neither uncertainty about the recovery of costs applicable to any interest retained nor any substantial obligation for future performance by ExxonMobil.

Losses on properties sold are recognized when incurred or when the properties are held for sale and the fair value of the properties is less than the carrying value.

Interest costs incurred to finance expenditures during the construction phase of multiyear projects are capitalized as part of the historical cost of acquiring the constructed assets. The project construction phase commences with the development of the detailed engineering design and ends when the constructed assets are ready for their intended use. Capitalized interest costs are included in property, plant and equipment and are depreciated over the service life of the related assets.