Exxon Could Withdraw Completely From Russia Within Two Months

U.S. supermajor ExxonMobil, which joined other international majors in announcing withdrawal from Russian oil and gas projects, plans to shut down all its businesses in Russia by June 24, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting two sources with knowledge of the discussions.

In early March, days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Exxon said it would exit the Sakhalin-1 oil project in Russia, following the example of other majors, including BP and Shell, who quit their Russian operations following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

ExxonMobil operated the Sakhalin-1 project on behalf of an international consortium of Japanese, Indian, and Russian companies.

“The process to discontinue operations will need to be carefully managed and closely coordinated with the co-venturers in order to ensure it is executed safely,” the supermajor said in early March, adding that it would not invest in new developments in Russia, either.

According to Reuters’ sources, Exxon is now looking to shut down by June 24 its other operations in Russia, including sales of the Mobil brand of lubricants.

In a filing to the SEC regarding market and planned factors that would affect its first-quarter earnings, Exxon said in early April that the exit from the Sakhalin-1 project alone could lead to an impairment charge of $4 billion.

“In light of the ongoing situation in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia, the Company is proceeding with efforts to discontinue operations at the Sakhalin-1 project (“Sakhalin”) and is developing steps to exit the venture,” Exxon said.

“As operator of Sakhalin, the Company remains focused on the safety of people, protection of the environment and integrity of operations. Depending on the terms of its exit from Sakhalin, the Company may be required to impair its investment in the project up to the full book value of Property, Plant and Equipment of $4 billion.”

Shell has also flagged that its withdrawal from activities in Russia would result in impairment of non-current assets and additional charges of $4 billion-$5 billion for the first quarter of 2022.  

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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