OREANDA-NEWS. February 22, 2013. Apache Corporation (NYSE, Nasdaq: APA) reported record overall production for its fourth consecutive year, as well as record oil and liquids production. Average daily production during 2012 increased to 779,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day, up 5.4 percent compared with the prior year's production, adjusted for dispositions. Oil and gas revenues were a record USD 16.9 billion, up from USD 16.8 billion in the prior year, reported the press-centre of Apache.   

These results contributed to full-year 2012 earnings of USD 1.9 billion or USD 4.92 per diluted common share, compared with USD 4.5 billion or USD 11.47 per share in 2011. Excluding certain items that management believes affect the comparability of operating results, such as the impact of a ceiling test write-down due primarily to substantially weaker Canadian natural gas prices, Apache reported adjusted earnings of USD 3.8 billion or USD 9.48 per share, compared with USD 4.7 billion or USD 11.83 per share in 2011. Cash from operations before changes in operating assets and liabilities was USD 10.2 billion, sustaining the record level achieved the prior year even with lower average North American natural gas prices.

"Having deepened and strengthened our global portfolio of growth projects since 2010, we are accelerating our operational momentum," said G. Steven Farris, chairman and chief executive officer. "Apache exited 2012 producing in excess of 800,000 boe per day, driven primarily by our North American oil production, which increased 12 percent during the year.
 
"We have an extensive pipeline of opportunities that will fuel our profitable growth for years to come. This includes more than 67,000 technically evaluated drilling locations in the onshore U.S. It also includes a robust group of world-class development projects throughout our global portfolio, including Wheatstone and Kitimat, our two liquefied natural gas projects with products indexed to crude oil prices."

Apache has become the leading oil and gas driller in the Permian Basin, operating more rigs than any industry competitor. Apache also is among the most active oil and gas companies in the Central Region's Anadarko Basin, as the company accelerates development of its horizontal drilling play inventory. Year-over-year production from these two regions increased 18 and 37 percent, respectively.

Earlier this month, a company subsidiary completed a transaction with Chevron Canada Ltd. to jointly build and operate the Kitimat LNG project, enhancing our efforts to move this project to sanction and monetize natural gas resources we discovered in the Horn River and Liard basins of northern British Columbia. The incremental resources targeted for monetization through Kitimat have the potential to triple Apache's total proved reserves.

In fourth-quarter 2012 earnings totaled USD 649 million or USD 1.64 per diluted share, compared with USD 1.17 billion or USD 2.98 per share in the prior-year period. Adjusted earnings for the period were USD 907 million, or USD 2.27 per share, compared with USD 1.2 billion, or USD 2.94 per share in the same period for 2011. Production reached a new quarterly milestone, averaging 800,000 boe per day, and cash from operations totaled USD 2.77 billion, compared with USD 2.66 billion in the same period of the prior year.

Apache's oil and natural gas liquids production was 51 percent of total volume in 2012 and contributed 81 percent of revenues reflecting the wide gap between global crude oil and North American natural gas prices.

During 2012 the company added 372 MMboe of reserves, or 131 percent of production, through discoveries and extensions and 73 MMboe through acquisitions for a reserve replacement rate of 156 percent, excluding revisions. Low prices throughout the year for Canadian natural gas resulted in a ceiling test write-down and were the primary driver of negative revisions totaling 299 MMboe. Apache ended the year with proved reserves of 2.9 billion boe, after producing 285 MMboe. The company invested \\$9.0 billion on exploration and development during the year.