Item 1. BUSINESS.

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Item 1. BUSINESS.

Our Company

All references to "CF Holdings," "we," "us," "our" and "the Company," refer to CF Industries Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries, except where the context makes clear that the reference is only to CF Industries Holdings, Inc. itself and not its subsidiaries. All references to "CF Industries" refer to CF Industries, Inc., a 100% owned subsidiary of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. Notes referenced throughout this document refer to consolidated financial statement note disclosures that are found in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

We are one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of nitrogen fertilizer products and other nitrogen products in the world. Our principal customers are cooperatives, independent fertilizer distributors, farmers and industrial users. Our principal nitrogen fertilizer products are ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN) and ammonium nitrate (AN). Our other nitrogen products include diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), urea liquor, nitric acid and aqua ammonia, which are sold primarily to our industrial customers, and compound fertilizer products (NPKs), which are solid granular fertilizer products for which the nutrient content is a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. We operate world-class nitrogen manufacturing complexes in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and distribute plant nutrients through a system of terminals, warehouses, and associated transportation equipment located primarily in the Midwestern United States. We also export nitrogen fertilizer products from our Donaldsonville, Louisiana and Yazoo City, Mississippi manufacturing facilities, and our United Kingdom manufacturing facilities in Billingham and Ince.

Our principal assets include:

•four U.S. nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities, located in Donaldsonville, Louisiana (the largest nitrogen fertilizer complex in the world); Port Neal, Iowa; Yazoo City, Mississippi; and Woodward, Oklahoma. These facilities are owned by CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC (CFN), of which we own approximately 89% and CHS Inc. (CHS) owns the remainder. See Note 16—Noncontrolling Interests for additional information on our strategic venture with CHS;
•an approximately 75.3% interest in Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P. (TNCLP), a publicly traded limited partnership of which we are the sole general partner and the majority limited partner and which, through its subsidiary Terra Nitrogen, Limited Partnership (TNLP), operates a nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facility in Verdigris, Oklahoma;
•two Canadian nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities, located in Medicine Hat, Alberta (the largest nitrogen fertilizer complex in Canada) and Courtright, Ontario;
•two United Kingdom nitrogen manufacturing complexes, located in Ince and Billingham;
•an extensive system of terminals and associated transportation equipment located primarily in the Midwestern United States; and
•a 50% interest in Point Lisas Nitrogen Limited (PLNL), an ammonia production joint venture located in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago that we account for under the equity method.

On February 7, 2018, we announced that Terra Nitrogen GP Inc. (TNGP), the sole general partner of TNCLP and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CF Holdings, elected to exercise its right to purchase all of the 4,612,562 publicly traded common units of TNCLP on April 2, 2018, for a cash purchase price of $84.033 per unit in accordance with the terms of TNCLP’s partnership agreement. The purchase price of $84.033 per unit was determined under the terms of TNCLP’s partnership agreement as the average of the daily closing prices per common unit for the 20 consecutive trading days beginning with January 5, 2018 and ending with February 2, 2018. The purchase price of all of the 4,612,562 publicly traded common units of TNCLP is approximately $390 million. We intend to fund the purchase with cash on hand. As of the April 2, 2018 purchase date, all rights of the holders of the units will terminate, with the exception of the right to receive payment of the purchase price. Upon completion of the purchase, we will own 100 percent of the general and limited partnership interests of TNCLP, and the common units representing limited partner interests will cease to be publicly traded or listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2016, we completed our capacity expansion projects at Donaldsonville, Louisiana and Port Neal, Iowa. These projects, originally announced in 2012, included the construction of new ammonia, urea, and UAN plants at our Donaldsonville,

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

Louisiana complex and new ammonia and urea plants at our Port Neal, Iowa complex. These plants increased our overall production capacity by approximately 25%, improved our product mix flexibility at Donaldsonville, and improved our ability to serve upper-Midwest urea customers from our Port Neal location. These new facilities allow us to benefit from the cost advantages of North American natural gas. At our Donaldsonville complex, the ammonia plant was placed in service in October 2016, the UAN plant was placed in service in the first quarter of 2016 and the granular urea plant was placed in service in the fourth quarter of 2015. At our Port Neal, Iowa complex, both the ammonia and granular urea plants were placed in service in the fourth quarter of 2016. The total capital cost of the capacity expansion projects was $5.2 billion.

We commenced a strategic venture with CHS on February 1, 2016, at which time CHS purchased a minority equity interest in CFN for $2.8 billion, which represented approximately 11% of the membership interest of CFN. We own the remaining membership interest. On February 1, 2016, CHS also began receiving deliveries pursuant to a supply agreement under which CHS has the right to purchase annually from CFN up to approximately 1.1 million tons of granular urea and 580,000 tons of UAN at market prices. As a result of its minority equity interest in CFN, CHS is entitled to semi-annual cash distributions from CFN. We are also entitled to semi-annual cash distributions from CFN. See Note 16—Noncontrolling Interests for additional information on our strategic venture with CHS.

On July 31, 2015, we acquired the remaining 50% equity interest in CF Fertilisers UK Group Limited (formerly known as GrowHow UK Group Limited) (CF Fertilisers UK) not previously owned by us for total consideration of $570 million, and CF Fertilisers UK became wholly owned by us. This transaction added CF Fertilisers UK’s nitrogen manufacturing complexes in Ince, United Kingdom and Billingham, United Kingdom to our consolidated manufacturing capacity.

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, we sold 20.0 million, 17.0 million and 13.7 million product tons generating net sales of $4.13 billion, $3.69 billion and $4.31 billion, respectively.

Our principal executive offices are located outside of Chicago, Illinois, at 4 Parkway North, Suite 400, Deerfield, Illinois 60015, and our telephone number is 847-405-2400. Our Internet website address is www.cfindustries.com. Information made available on our website does not constitute part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We make available free of charge on or through our Internet website, www.cfindustries.com, all of our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is filed electronically with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Copies of our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Corporate Conduct and charters for the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of our Board of Directors (the Board) are also available on our Internet website. We will provide electronic or paper copies of these documents free of charge upon request. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Company History

We were founded in 1946 as a fertilizer brokerage operation by a group of regional agricultural cooperatives. During the 1960s, we expanded our distribution capabilities and diversified into fertilizer manufacturing through the acquisition of several existing plants and facilities. During the 1970s and again during the 1990s, we expanded our production and distribution capabilities significantly, spending approximately $1 billion in each of these decades.

We operated as a traditional manufacturing and supply cooperative until 2002, when we adopted a new business model that established financial performance as our principal objective, rather than assured supply to our owners. A critical aspect of the new business model was to establish a more economically driven approach to the marketplace.

In August 2005, we completed our initial public offering (IPO) of common stock, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In connection with the IPO, we consummated a reorganization transaction whereby we ceased to be a cooperative and our pre-IPO owners' equity interests in CF Industries were canceled in exchange for all of the proceeds of the offering and shares of our common stock.

In April 2010, we acquired Terra Industries Inc. (Terra), a leading North American producer and marketer of nitrogen fertilizer products for a purchase price of $4.6 billion, which was paid in cash and shares of our common stock. As a result of the Terra acquisition, we acquired five nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities, our approximately 75.3% interest in TNCLP and certain joint venture interests.

In March 2014, we completed the sale of our phosphate mining and manufacturing business, which was located in Florida, to Mosaic for approximately $1.4 billion in cash.

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

In July 2015, we acquired the remaining 50% equity interest in CF Fertilisers UK not previously owned by us for total consideration of $570 million, and CF Fertilisers UK became wholly owned by us.

In February 2016, our strategic venture with CHS commenced, at which time CHS purchased a minority equity interest in CFN for $2.8 billion.

In 2016, we completed capacity expansion projects at Donaldsonville, Louisiana and Port Neal, Iowa which increased our production capacity by 25% for a total capital cost of $5.2 billion.

On February 7, 2018, we announced that TNGP elected to exercise its right to purchase all of the 4,612,562 publicly traded common units of TNCLP on April 2, 2018, for a cash purchase price of $84.033 per unit in accordance with the terms of TNCLP’s partnership agreement. The purchase price of all of the 4,612,562 publicly traded common units of TNCLP is approximately $390 million. Upon completion of the purchase, we will own 100 percent of the general and limited partnership interests of TNCLP.

Product Tons and Nutrient Tons

Unless otherwise stated, we measure our production and sales volume in this Annual Report on Form 10-K in product tons, which represents the weight of the product measured in short tons (one short ton is equal to 2,000 pounds). References to UAN product tons assume a 32% nitrogen content basis for production volume.

We also provide certain supplementary volume information measured in nutrient tons. Nutrient tons represent the weight of the product’s nitrogen content, which varies by product. Ammonia represents 82% nitrogen content, granular urea represents 46% nitrogen content, UAN represents between 28% and 32% nitrogen content and AN represents between 29% and 35% nitrogen content.

Reportable Segments

Our reportable segments consist of the following segments: ammonia, granular urea, UAN, AN and Other. These segments are differentiated by products. We use gross margin to evaluate segment performance and allocate resources. Total other operating costs and expenses (consisting of selling, general and administrative expenses and other operating—net) and non-operating expenses (interest and income taxes), are centrally managed and are not included in the measurement of segment profitability reviewed by management. See Note 20—Segment Disclosures for additional information.

Our Products

Our primary nitrogen fertilizer products are ammonia, granular urea, UAN and AN. Our historical sales of nitrogen fertilizer products are shown in the following table. Net sales do not reflect amounts used internally, such as ammonia, in the manufacture of other products.

201720162015
Sales Volume (tons)Net SalesSales Volume (tons)Net SalesSales Volume (tons)Net Sales
(tons in thousands; dollars in millions)
Products
Ammonia4,105$1,2092,874$9812,995$1,523
Granular urea4,3579713,5978312,460788
UAN7,0931,1346,6811,1965,8651,480
AN2,3534972,1514111,290294
Other(1)2,0443191,6542661,108223
Total19,952$4,13016,957$3,68513,718$4,308
(1)Other segment products include DEF, urea liquor, nitric acid, aqua ammonia and NPKs.

Gross margin was $430 million, $840 million and $1,547 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

We own and operate seven nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities in North America, including five nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities in the United States, one in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada and one in Courtright, Ontario, Canada. As of December 31, 2017, the combined production capacity of these seven facilities represented approximately 42%, 43%, 44%

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

and 19% of North American ammonia, granular urea, UAN and AN production capacity, respectively. Each of our nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities in North America has on-site storage to provide flexibility to manage the flow of outbound shipments without impacting production.

We also operate two United Kingdom nitrogen manufacturing complexes located in Ince and Billingham that produce ammonia, AN and NPKs and serve primarily the British agricultural and industrial markets.

The following table shows the production capacities as of December 31, 2017 at each of our nitrogen manufacturing facilities:

Average Annual Capacity(1)
Gross Ammonia(2)Net Ammonia(2)UAN(3)Urea(4)AN(5)Other(6)
(tons in thousands)
Donaldsonville, Louisiana(7)4,3351,3903,2552,635—445
Medicine Hat, Alberta1,230770—810——
Port Neal, Iowa1,2301108001,350—110
Verdigris, Oklahoma(8)(9)1,2104301,955———
Woodward, Oklahoma480130810——115
Yazoo City, Mississippi(9)(10)570—160—1,035125
Courtright, Ontario(9)(11)500265345——400
Ince, U.K.(12)38015——575415
Billingham, U.K.(9)595230——625410
10,5303,3407,3254,7952,2352,020
Unconsolidated Affiliate
Point Lisas, Trinidad(13)360360————
Total10,8903,7007,3254,7952,2352,020
(1)Average annual capacity includes allowance for normal outages and planned maintenance shutdowns.
(2)Gross ammonia capacity includes ammonia used to produce upgraded products. Net ammonia capacity is gross ammonia capacity less ammonia used to produce upgraded products based on the product mix shown in the table.
(3)Measured in tons of UAN containing 32% nitrogen by weight.
(4)Reflects granular urea capacity from the Donaldsonville, Medicine Hat, and Port Neal facilities. Urea liquor and diesel exhaust fluid production capacities are included in Other.
(5)AN includes prilled products (Amtrate and industrial-grade AN, or IGAN) and AN solution produced for sale.
(6)Includes product tons of: urea liquor and DEF from the Donaldsonville, Port Neal, Woodward, and Yazoo City, and Courtright facilities; nitric acid from the Courtright, Yazoo City, Billingham, and Ince facilities; and NPKs from the Ince facility. Production of DEF can be increased by reducing urea and/or UAN production.
(7)The Donaldsonville facility capacities present an estimated production mix. This facility is capable of producing between 2.4 million and 3.3 million tons of granular urea and between 1.2 million and 4.3 million tons of UAN annually. The facility is also capable of producing up to 1.2 million product tons of 32.5% DEF.
(8)Represents 100% of the capacity of this facility.
(9)Reduction of UAN or AN production at the Yazoo City, Courtright, Verdigris and Billingham facilities can allow more merchant nitric acid to be made available for sale.
(10)The Yazoo City facility's production capacity depends on product mix. With the facility maximizing the production of AN products, 160,000 tons of UAN can be produced. UAN production can be increased to 450,000 tons by reducing the production of AN to 900,000 tons.
(11)Production of urea liquor and DEF at the Courtright facility can be increased by reducing UAN production.
(12)The Ince facility can increase production of NPKs and nitric acid by reducing AN production.
(13)Represents our 50% interest in the capacity of PLNL.

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

The following table summarizes our nitrogen fertilizer production volume for the last three years.

December 31,
201720162015
(tons in thousands)
Ammonia(1)10,2958,3077,673
Granular urea4,4513,3682,520
UAN (32%)6,9146,6985,888
AN2,1271,8451,283
(1)Gross ammonia production, including amounts subsequently upgraded on-site into granular urea, UAN or AN.

Donaldsonville, Louisiana

The Donaldsonville nitrogen fertilizer complex is the world's largest nitrogen fertilizer production facility. It has six ammonia plants, five urea plants, four nitric acid plants, three UAN plants, and one DEF plant. The complex, which is located on the Mississippi River, includes deep-water docking facilities, access to an ammonia pipeline, and truck and railroad loading capabilities. The complex has on-site storage for 160,000 tons of ammonia, 201,000 tons of UAN (measured on a 32% nitrogen content basis) and 173,000 tons of granular urea.

As part of our capacity expansion projects, the new Donaldsonville urea plant became operational during the fourth quarter of 2015. The new UAN plant was placed in service in the first quarter of 2016, and the new ammonia plant was placed in service in October 2016. For additional details regarding the capacity expansion projects, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.

Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

Medicine Hat is the largest nitrogen fertilizer complex in Canada. It has two ammonia plants and one urea plant. The complex has on-site storage for 60,000 tons of ammonia and 60,000 tons of granular urea.

Port Neal, Iowa

The Port Neal facility is located approximately 12 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa on the Missouri River. The facility consists of two ammonia plants, three urea plants, two nitric acid plants and a UAN plant. The location has on-site storage for 90,000 tons of ammonia, 154,000 tons of granular urea, and 81,000 tons of 32% UAN.

As part of our capacity expansion projects, both the ammonia and urea plants were placed in service in December 2016. For additional details regarding the capacity expansion projects, see Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.

Verdigris, Oklahoma

The Verdigris facility is located northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, near the Verdigris River and is owned by TNLP. It is the second largest UAN production facility in North America. The facility comprises two ammonia plants, two nitric acid plants, two UAN plants and a port terminal. Through our approximately 75.3% interest in TNCLP and its subsidiary, TNLP, we operate the plants and lease the port terminal from the Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority. The complex has on-site storage for 60,000 tons of ammonia and 100,000 tons of 32% UAN.

Woodward, Oklahoma

The Woodward facility is located in rural northwest Oklahoma and consists of an ammonia plant, two nitric acid plants, two urea plants and two UAN plants. The facility has on-site storage for 36,000 tons of ammonia and 84,000 tons of 32% UAN.

Yazoo City, Mississippi

The Yazoo City facility is located in central Mississippi and includes one ammonia plant, four nitric acid plants, an AN plant, two urea plants, a UAN plant and a dinitrogen tetroxide production and storage facility. The site has on-site storage for 50,000 tons of ammonia, 48,000 tons of 32% UAN and 11,000 tons of AN and related products.

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

Courtright, Ontario, Canada

The Courtright facility is located south of Sarnia, Ontario near the St. Clair River. The facility consists of an ammonia plant, a UAN plant, a nitric acid plant and a urea plant. The location has on-site storage for 64,000 tons of ammonia, 10,400 tons of granular urea and 16,000 tons of 32% UAN.

Ince, United Kingdom

The Ince facility is located in northwestern England and consists of an ammonia plant, three nitric acid plants, an AN plant and three NPK plants. The location has on-site storage for 11,000 tons of ammonia, 95,000 tons of AN, and 40,000 tons of NPKs.

Billingham, United Kingdom

The Billingham facility, located in the Teesside chemical area in northeastern England, is geographically split among three primary locations: the main site, which contains an ammonia plant, three nitric acid plants and a carbon dioxide plant; the Portrack site, approximately two miles away, which contains an AN fertilizer plant; and the North Tees site, approximately seven miles away, which contains an ammonia storage area. These locations collectively have on-site storage for 40,000 tons of ammonia and 128,000 tons of AN.

Point Lisas, Trinidad

The Point Lisas Nitrogen facility in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is owned jointly through a 50/50 venture with Koch Fertilizer LLC. This facility has the capacity to produce 720,000 tons of ammonia annually from natural gas supplied under a contract with the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC).

Nitrogen Fertilizer Raw Materials

Natural gas is the principal raw material and primary fuel source used in the ammonia production process at our nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities. In 2017, natural gas accounted for approximately 47% of our total production costs for nitrogen fertilizer products. Our nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facilities have access to abundant, competitively-priced natural gas through a reliable network of pipelines that are connected to major natural gas trading hubs near the facilities. Our facilities utilize the following natural gas hubs: Henry Hub in Louisiana; SONAT in Louisiana; TETCO ELA in Louisiana; ONEOK in Oklahoma; AECO in Alberta; Ventura in Iowa; Demarcation in Kansas; Welcome in Minnesota; Dawn in Ontario; Parkway in Ontario; and the National Balancing Point (NBP) in the United Kingdom.

In 2017, our nitrogen manufacturing facilities consumed, in the aggregate, approximately 356 million MMBtus of natural gas. In 2017, the amount of natural gas consumed by our nitrogen manufacturing facilities increased as a result of the completion of our capacity expansion projects. We employ a combination of spot and term purchases from a variety of quality suppliers to maintain a reliable, competitively-priced supply of natural gas. We also use certain financial instruments to hedge natural gas prices. See Note 14—Derivative Financial Instruments for additional information about our natural gas hedging activities.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Distribution

The safe, efficient and economical distribution of nitrogen fertilizer products is critical for successful operations. Our nitrogen fertilizer production facilities have access to multiple transportation modes by which we ship fertilizer products to terminals, warehouses and customers. Each of our production facilities has a unique distribution pattern based on its production capacity and location.

Our North American nitrogen production facilities can ship products via truck and rail to customers and our storage facilities in the U.S. and Canada, with access to our leased railcar fleet of approximately 5,000 tank and hopper cars, as well as railcars provided by rail carriers. Our United Kingdom nitrogen production facilities mainly ship products via truck.

The North American waterway system is also used extensively to ship products from our Donaldsonville, Verdigris and Yazoo City facilities. To ship ammonia and UAN, we employ a fleet of ten tow boats and thirty-two river barges, which are primarily leased. We also utilize contract marine services to move urea fertilizer. We can also export nitrogen fertilizer products via seagoing vessels from our Donaldsonville, Yazoo City, Billingham and Ince manufacturing facilities.

Three of our nitrogen production facilities also have access to pipelines for the transportation of ammonia. The Donaldsonville facility is connected to the 2,000-mile long Nustar pipeline through which we have the ability to transport ammonia to more than 20 terminals and shipping points in the midwestern U.S. corn belt. Our Verdigris and Port Neal facilities are connected to the 1,100-mile long Magellan ammonia pipeline that also serves the Midwestern United States.

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

Storage Facilities and Other Properties

As of December 31, 2017, we owned or leased space at 62 in-market storage terminals and warehouses located in a 22-state region of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Including storage at our production facilities, we have an aggregate storage capacity for approximately 3.5 million tons of fertilizer. Our storage capabilities are summarized in the following table.

AmmoniaGranular UreaUAN(1)AN
Number of FacilitiesCapacity (000 Tons)Number of FacilitiesCapacity (000 Tons)Number of FacilitiesCapacity (000 Tons)Number of FacilitiesCapacity (000 Tons)
Plants9571543765303234
Terminal and Warehouse Locations
Owned2281012008219——
Leased(2)41301726342——
Total In-Market26940220734561——
Total Storage Capacity1,5116441,091234
(1)Capacity is expressed as the equivalent volume of UAN measured on a 32% nitrogen content basis.
(2)Our lease agreements are typically for periods of one to five years.

Customers

The principal customers for our nitrogen fertilizer and other nitrogen products are cooperatives, independent fertilizer distributors, farmers and industrial users. CHS was our largest customer in 2017 and accounted for approximately 11% of our consolidated net sales. Sales are generated by our internal marketing and sales force.

Competition

Our markets are global and intensely competitive, based primarily on delivered price and, to a lesser extent, on customer service and product quality. During the peak demand periods, product availability and delivery time also play a role in the buying decisions of customers.

Our primary North American-based competitors include Nutrien Ltd. (formed in January 2018 by the merger of Agrium Inc. and Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.), Koch Fertilizer LLC and Iowa Fertilizer Company. Additionally, Yara BASF is expected to bring a new North American nitrogen fertilizer production facility on line in 2018. There is also significant competition from products sourced from other regions of the world, including some with lower natural gas or other feedstock costs. Because ammonia, urea and UAN are widely-traded fertilizer products and there are limited barriers to entry, we experience competition from foreign-sourced products continuously.

Our primary United Kingdom competition comes from imported products supplied by companies including Yara International, Origin Fertilisers, Ameropa, CHS and Helm. Urea and UAN are not produced in the United Kingdom, but along with AN are widely-traded fertilizer products with limited barriers to entry.

Seasonality

The fertilizer business is seasonal. The degree of seasonality of our business can change significantly from year to year due to conditions in the agricultural industry and other factors. The strongest demand for our products in North America occurs during the spring planting season, with a second period of strong demand following the fall harvest. We and our customers generally build inventories during the low demand periods of the year to ensure timely product availability during the peak sales seasons. Seasonality is greatest for ammonia due to the short application season and the limited ability of our customers and their customers to store significant quantities of this product. The seasonality of fertilizer demand generally results in our sales volumes and net sales being the highest during the spring and our working capital requirements being the highest just prior to the start of the spring planting season. Our quarterly financial results can vary significantly from one year to the next due to weather-related shifts in planting schedules and purchasing patterns.

Financial Information About Foreign and Domestic Sales and Operations

The amount of net sales attributable to our sales to foreign and domestic markets over the last three fiscal years and the carrying value of our foreign and domestic long-lived assets are set forth in Note 20—Segment Disclosures.

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

Environmental, Health and Safety

We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, including laws and regulations relating to the generation and handling of hazardous substances and wastes; the cleanup of hazardous substance releases; the discharge of regulated substances to air or water; and the demolition of existing plant sites upon permanent closure. In the United States, these laws include the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and various other federal, state, provincial, local and international statutes. Violations of environmental, health and safety laws can result in substantial penalties, court orders to install pollution-control equipment, civil and criminal sanctions, permit revocations and facility shutdowns. In addition, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability, without regard to fault, for cleanup costs on potentially responsible parties who have released or disposed of hazardous substances into the environment. We may be subject to more stringent enforcement of existing or new environmental, health and safety laws in the future.

Environmental, Health and Safety Expenditures

Our environmental, health and safety capital expenditures in 2017 totaled approximately $21 million. We estimate that we will have approximately $60 million of capital expenditures for environmental, health and safety in 2018. Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent over time. We expect that continued government and public emphasis on environmental issues will result in increased future expenditures for environmental controls at our operations. Such expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations or reinterpretation of current laws and regulations may require us to make substantial expenditures. Our costs to comply with, or any liabilities under, these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

CERCLA/Remediation Matters

From time to time, we receive notices from governmental agencies or third parties alleging that we are a potentially responsible party at certain cleanup sites under CERCLA or other environmental cleanup laws. In 2011, we received a notice from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) that alleged that we were a potentially responsible party for the cleanup of a former phosphate mine we owned in the late 1950s and early 1960s located in Georgetown Canyon, Idaho. The current owner of the property and a former mining contractor received similar notices for the site. We and the current owner are currently conducting a remedial investigation/feasibility study of the site. In 2015, we and several other parties received a notice that the U.S. Department of Interior and other trustees intend to undertake a natural resource damage assessment for a group of former phosphate mines in southeast Idaho, including the former Georgetown Canyon mine. See Note 19—Contingencies for additional information on the CERCLA/Remediation matters.

Regulation of Greenhouse Gases

We are subject to regulations in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States concerning greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The United Kingdom is a party to the Kyoto Protocol. As a result of agreements reached during a conference in Durban, South Africa in 2011, the Kyoto Protocol will continue in force for a second commitment period, which will expire by 2020. On December 12, 2015, 195 countries adopted by consensus a new international agreement known as the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is intended to provide a framework pursuant to which the parties to the agreement will attempt to hold the increase in global average temperatures to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement, which has been accepted by the United States and ratified by Canada and the United Kingdom, went into effect in November 2016. The Paris Agreement could result in more aggressive efforts to reduce GHG emissions in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

The United Kingdom has adopted GHG emissions regulations, including regulations to implement the European Union Greenhouse Gas Trading System. Our U.K. manufacturing plants are required to report GHG emissions annually to the United Kingdom Environment Agency pursuant to their site Environmental Permits and Climate Change Agreement, which specify energy efficiency targets. Failure to meet efficiency targets may require these plants to purchase CO2 emissions allowances. The steam boilers at each of our U.K. sites are also subject to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.

Canada withdrew from further participation in the Kyoto Protocol in December 2011, but is a party to the Paris Agreement. In Canada, we are required to conduct an annual review of our operations with respect to compliance with

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

Environment Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory and Ontario's Mandatory Monitoring and Reporting Regulation and the GHG Reporting Regulation. In addition, the Canadian national government, in collaboration with Canadian provinces, has developed a Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Among other things, the framework establishes a nationwide price on carbon emissions, which price serves as a floor for the GHG emissions reduction requirements of the separate Canadian provinces and territories. The announced plan would impose a $10 per ton (Canadian dollars) charge beginning in 2018, rising to $50 per ton by 2022. The framework provides for a review of the approach taken by the national government and the provinces to address further action after 2022.

Ontario is party to the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), comprising California and several Canadian provinces. On January 1, 2017, Ontario launched its own GHG cap and trade program. Under this program, the Ontario government will set a hard limit on emissions, which will steadily decline annually. By 2020, the cap will mandate that GHG emissions decline by 15% compared to 1990 levels. Facilities that generate more than 25,000 tonnes of GHG emissions per year will be required to participate in the cap and trade program and will require emissions allowances for every tonne of GHG emitted. During the 2017-2020 compliance period, we are eligible to receive free emissions allowances, although the amount of free allowances will decline through 2020. This will require us to purchase emission allowances or to reduce GHG emissions. Ontario has stated it intends to reassess the extent to which it will provide free allowances for post-2020 compliance periods. Beginning January 1, 2018, Ontario's cap and trade program is linked with the cap and trade programs of Quebec and California.

In Alberta, the Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (GHG Regulation) was implemented in 2007. This program required facilities emitting more than 100,000 tons of GHGs per year to reduce emissions by 12% over such facilities' 2007 levels. To meet this requirement, companies could reduce emissions, purchase/use offset credits, or contribute to a technology fund at an annual rate of $15 per ton of CO2. Beginning in 2018, our facility will become subject to the Carbon Competitiveness Incentive Regulation, which establishes product-specific benchmarks based on the most efficient GHG emitting facilities in a sector. Similar to the existing regulation, a facility that exceeds the applicable benchmark will be required to take action to reduce its GHG emissions intensity, purchase emissions offsets or performance credits, or make contributions to Alberta's climate fund. The obligations under this regulation are being phased in over a three year period and will be tightened over time.

The United States is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol, but is a party to the Paris Agreement. However, in June 2017, the United States announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, subject to renegotiation of the Paris Agreement on terms more favorable to the United States. Under the terms of the Paris Agreement, the United States cannot formally provide notice of its withdrawal before November 2019, which would become effective one year after providing such notice. In the interim, it is unclear if the United States will comply with its commitments under the Paris Agreement. There has been no indication to date that the United States' announced withdrawal is causing other countries to also consider withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. In the United States, GHG regulation is evolving at state, regional and federal levels, although some of the more significant developments to date, including EPA's Clean Power Plan, do not directly impose obligations on our facilities. The EPA has issued a mandatory GHG reporting rule that required all of our U.S. manufacturing facilities to commence monitoring GHG emissions beginning on January 1, 2010 and report the previous year's emissions annually starting in 2011. In addition, if we seek to modify or expand any of our major facilities and as a result, are required to obtain a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) construction permit applicable to such facilities, we could be subject to pollution control requirements applicable to GHGs in addition to requirements applicable to conventional air pollutants. Such requirements may result in increased costs or delays in completing such projects. Other than the states' implementation of this permitting requirement, none of the states where our U.S. production facilities are located—Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma—has proposed control regulations limiting GHG emissions.

New Source Performance Standards for Nitric Acid Plants

We operate 14 nitric acid plants in the United States. On August 14, 2012, the EPA issued a final regulation revising air emission standards applicable to newly constructed, reconstructed or modified nitric acid plants. The regulations will apply to these plants if and when we undertake activities or operations that are considered modifications, including physical changes that would allow us to increase our production capacity at these plants. The regulations include certain provisions that could make it difficult for us to meet the limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) notwithstanding pollution controls we may add to our plants, and accordingly, the regulations could impact our ability to expand production at our existing plants. The EPA regulation did not include a limitation on emissions of nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas).

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

Regulatory Permits and Approvals

We hold numerous environmental and other governmental permits and approvals authorizing operations at each of our facilities. A decision by a government agency to deny or delay issuing a new or renewed regulatory material permit or approval, or to revoke or substantially modify an existing material permit or approval, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue operations at the affected facility. Any future expansion of our existing operations is also predicated upon securing the necessary environmental or other permits or approvals. More stringent environmental standards may impact our ability to obtain such permits. On December 15, 2016, the EPA re-designated the Greater Baton Rouge Nonattainment Area (BRNA), where our Donaldsonville facility is located, to attainment with the 2008 8-hour ozone standard. However, on October 26, 2015, the EPA published a more stringent national ambient air quality standard for ozone. The State of Louisiana has recommended to the EPA that Baton Rouge be designated as nonattainment with the 2015 ozone standard. On December 20, 2017, the EPA notified the State of Louisiana that it intends to designate the Baton Rouge area as non-attainment for the 2015 ozone standard. On January 5, 2018, the EPA published notice of a public comment period with respect to the proposed attainment/non-attainment designations of certain air quality regions, including the Baton Rouge area. Such a classification (in the Baton Rouge area or in other areas where our manufacturing facilities are located) could result in more stringent air pollution emissions limits for our existing operations and would also subject our facilities to more stringent requirements to obtain approvals for plant expansions, or could make it difficult to obtain such approvals.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we employed approximately 2,900 full-time and 100 part-time employees.

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, INC.

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