Occidental Petroleum Corporation announced core income of $1.6 billion for the first quarter of 2011, compared with $1.1 billion for the first quarter of 2010. Net income for the first quarter of 2011 was $1.5 billion, compared with $1.1 billion for the first quarter of 2010.
In announcing the results, Dr. Ray R. Irani, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “The first quarter of 2011 core income of $1.6 billion was 45-percent higher than the first quarter of 2010. Our oil and gas production for the first quarter of 2011 increased over 4 percent, as compared to the first quarter of 2010, to 730,000 BOE per day.”
Oil and gas segment earnings were $2.5 billion for the first quarter of 2011, compared with $1.9 billion for the same period in 2010. The increase in the first quarter of 2011 results was due to higher crude oil prices and higher sales volumes in the Middle East, partially offset by higher operating costs and DD&A rates.
For the first quarter of 2011, daily oil and gas production volumes averaged 730,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), compared with 701,000 BOE in the first quarter of 2010. Volumes increased over 4 percent, primarily in domestic gas and NGL production and Middle East/North Africa crude oil volumes.
The domestic gas increase was from the new acquisition in South Texas, which closed in the first quarter of 2011. The Middle East/North Africa increase included new production from Iraq and higher volumes from the Mukhaizna field in Oman.
As a result of higher year-over-year average oil prices affecting production sharing and similar contracts, production was negatively impacted in the Middle East/North Africa, Long Beach and Colombia by 12,000 BOE per day. Dolphin and Elk Hills volumes were also lower from planned maintenance and production shut-downs in the first quarter of 2011.
Daily sales volumes increased over 6 percent from 685,000 BOE per day in the first quarter of 2010 to 728,000 BOE per day in the first quarter of 2011.
Oxy’s realized price for worldwide crude oil was $92.14 per barrel for the first quarter of 2011, compared with $74.09 per barrel for the first quarter of 2010. Worldwide realized NGL prices rose from $47.48 per barrel in the first quarter of 2010 to $52.64 per barrel in the first quarter of 2011. Domestic realized gas prices dropped from $5.62 per Mcf in the first quarter of 2010 to $4.21 per Mcf for the first quarter of 2011.
