OREANDA-NEWS. June 06, 2013. Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) reported the company's 2012 operational and social performance and future growth plans at its 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

"Chevron's 2012 results demonstrate that we have the people, portfolio and financial strength to deliver superior stockholder value," said John Watson, chairman of the board and CEO. "Our planned growth will increase our capacity to deliver affordable energy, a cornerstone of economic prosperity."      

Watson discussed Chevron's strong 2012 financial and operational performance, with earnings exceeding USD 26 billion and return on capital employed (ROCE) approaching 19 percent. In 2012, the company marked its 25th consecutive year of annual dividend payment increases, which included last year's annual dividend increase of 13.6 percent. Chevron announced another quarterly dividend increase of 11.1 percent in April 2013. Watson also said that for the fourth consecutive year, Chevron led its peers in five-year total stockholder return.

Watson reiterated Chevron's long-standing dedication to safe, reliable operations, noting that Chevron was an industry leader in safety in 2012. He also reinforced the company's commitment to learn from operational incidents and take definitive corrective actions.  Watson also discussed the partnerships Chevron has formed to address health, education and economic development in the communities where the company operates. Over the past seven years, Chevron has invested more than USD 1 billion in projects essential to sustainable communities, and last year the company purchased USD 60 billion in goods and services around the globe, providing meaningful stimulus for local economies.     

George Kirkland, Chevron vice chairman and executive vice president for Upstream and Gas, discussed Chevron's strong queue of projects to meet the world's future energy needs. Chevron plans to invest USD 36.7 billion in 2013, with 90 percent of that amount expected to fund upstream activities.  The company has invested nearly USD 111 billion over the past five years to develop crude oil and natural gas resources around the world.

Kirkland noted that Chevron Upstream had industry-leading performance in both safety and financial performance in 2012.  Earnings per barrel have averaged almost seven dollars per barrel higher than the average of the company's peer group over the past three years.  Cash margins also have been the highest of its peers for three years and ROCE for the last two years. 

Chevron is on track to deliver on its commitment to produce 3.3 million barrels of oil-equivalent per day by 2017, more than 98 percent of which will come from fields that are online today or from projects under construction or in detailed design.  Over the next five years, 50 projects with a Chevron investment of more than USD 250 million each are scheduled to start production, 16 of which have a net Chevron investment exceeding USD 1 billion. Construction on the Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia is over 60 percent complete, with startup expected in late 2014.  Start up of the Wheatstone LNG project, also in Western Australia, is planned for 2016. 

Kirkland also discussed Chevron's Downstream and Chemicals business, which performed very well in 2012, marked by an improvement in ROCE of more than 10 percentage points since 2009.  Chevron Downstream and Chemicals growth projects focus on lubricants and chemicals, including the Pascagoula, Miss., base oil plant, which is scheduled to start up later this year and is expected to position Chevron as the world's largest manufacturer of premium base oil.  Chevron Oronite's Singapore manufacturing plant, already the largest in the Asia-Pacific, is expanding further, with additional capacity scheduled to come online in phases in 2014 and 2016.

Stockholders voted on 13 items and supported the board's recommendation on each. As of May 29, 2013, the preliminary report of the Inspector of Election was as follows:

Item 1: An average of 97 percent of the votes cast were voted for each of the 11 nominees for election to the board of directors.

Item 2: Approximately 99 percent of the votes cast were voted to ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the company.

Item 3: Approximately 94 percent of the votes cast were voted to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation for the company's named executive officers.

Item 4: Approximately 91 percent of the votes cast were voted to approve amendments to the company's Long-Term Incentive Plan. 

Item 5: Approximately 69 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding shale energy operations. 

Item 6: Approximately 92 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding offshore oil wells.

Item 7: Approximately 92 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding climate risk. 

Item 8: Approximately 75 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding lobbying disclosure.
 
Item 9: Approximately 96 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding the use of corporate funds for political purposes. 

Item 10: Approximately 73 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding cumulative voting.

Item 11: Approximately 67 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding special meetings.

Item 12: Approximately 78 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding an independent director with environmental expertise.

Item 13: Approximately 78 percent of the votes cast were voted against the stockholder proposal regarding country selection guidelines. 

Final voting results will be reported on Form 8-K, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.chevron.com. Specific information about the proposals before Chevron stockholders this year may be found in the Investor Relations section of the company's website under Stockholder Services – "Annual Meeting Materials."

Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.