filings.toolsExpand Energy 10-K 2021-12-31
Filed 2022-02-24. 23 sections, 654K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File No. 001-13726
CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Oklahoma | 73-1395733 | |||||||||||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |||||||||||||
| 6100 North Western Avenue, | Oklahoma City, | Oklahoma | 73118 | |||||||||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |||||||||||||
| (405) | 848-8000 | |||||||||||||
| (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) |
| Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: | ||||||||||||||
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | ||||||||||||
| Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share | CHK | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||||||||||||
| Class A Warrants to purchase Common Stock | CHKEW | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||||||||||||
| Class B Warrants to purchase Common Stock | CHKEZ | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||||||||||||
| Class C Warrants to purchase Common Stock | CHKEL | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large Accelerated Filer ☒ Accelerated Filer ☐ Non-accelerated Filer ☐
Smaller Reporting Company ☐ Emerging Growth Company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ☒ No ☐
The aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2021, was approximately $1.6 billion. As of February 21, 2022, there were 118,558,307 shares of our $0.01 par value common stock outstanding.
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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the proxy statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III.
| Definitions |
Unless the context otherwise indicates, references to “us,” “we,” “our,” “ours,” “Chesapeake,” the “Company” and “Registrant” refer to Chesapeake Energy Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries. All monetary values, other than per unit and per share amounts, are stated in millions of U.S. dollars unless otherwise specified. In addition, the following are other abbreviations and definitions of certain terms used within this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
“Adjusted Free Cash Flow” (a non-GAAP measure) means net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) less cash capital expenditures, adjusted to exclude certain items management believes affect the comparability of operating results.
“ASC” means Accounting Standards Codification.
“Backstop Commitment Agreement” means that certain Backstop Commitment Agreement, dated as of June 28, 2020, by and between Chesapeake and the Backstop Parties, as may be further amended, modified, or supplemented from time to time, in accordance with its terms.
“Backstop Parties” means the members of the FLLO Ad Hoc Group that are signatories to the Backstop Commitment Agreement and Franklin Advisers, Inc., as investment manager on behalf of certain funds and accounts.
“Bankruptcy Code” means Title 11 of the United States Code, 11 U.S.C. §§ 101–1532, as amended.
“Bankruptcy Court” means the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
“Bbl” or “Bbls” means barrel or barrels.
“Bcf” means billion cubic feet.
“Boe” means barrel of oil equivalent. Natural gas proved reserves and production are converted to Boe, at the pressure and temperature base standard of each respective state in which the natural gas is produced, at the rate of six Mcf of gas per Bbl of oil, based upon the approximate relative energy content of natural gas and oil. NGL proved reserves and production are converted to Boe on a one-to-one basis with oil.
“Chapter 11 Cases” means, when used with reference to a particular Debtor, the case pending for that Debtor under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court, and when used with reference to all the Debtors, the procedurally consolidated Chapter 11 cases pending for the Debtors in the Bankruptcy Court.
“Chief” means Chief E&D Holdings, LP.
“Chief Acquisition” means Chesapeake’s planned acquisition of Chief E&D Holdings, LP and associated non-operated interests held by affiliates of Tug Hill, Inc., which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, including certain regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
“Class A Warrants” means warrants to purchase 10 percent of the New Common Stock (after giving effect to the Rights Offering, but subject to dilution by the Management Incentive Plan, the Class B Warrants, and the Class C Warrants), at an initial exercise price per share of $27.63. The Class A Warrants are exercisable from the Effective Date until February 9, 2026.
“Class B Warrants” means warrants to purchase 10 percent of the New Common Stock (after giving effect to the Rights Offering, but subject to dilution by the Management Incentive Plan and the Class C Warrants), at an initial exercise price per share of $32.13. The Class B Warrants are exercisable from the Effective Date until February 9, 2026.
“Class C Warrants” means warrants to purchase 10 percent of the New Common Stock (after giving effect to the Rights Offering, but subject to dilution by the Management Incentive Plan), at an initial exercise price per share of $36.18. The Class C Warrants are exercisable from the Effective Date until February 9, 2026.
“Completion” means the process of treating a drilled well followed by the installation of permanent equipment for the production of oil, natural gas or natural gas liquids, or in the case of a dry well, the reporting to the appropriate authority that the well has been abandoned.
“Confirmation Order” means the order confirming the Fifth Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and its Debtor Affiliates, Docket No. 2915, entered by the Bankruptcy Court on January 16, 2021.
“Debtors” means the Company, together with all of its direct and indirect subsidiaries that have filed the Chapter 11 Cases.
“Developed Acreage” means acres which are allocated or assignable to producing wells or wells capable of production.
“DIP Facility” means that certain debtor-in-possession financing facility documented pursuant to the DIP Documents and DIP Order.
“Dry Well” means a well found to be incapable of producing either oil or natural gas in sufficient quantities to justify completion as an oil or natural gas well.
“Effective Date” means February 9, 2021.
“Exit Credit Facility” means the reserve-based revolving credit facility available upon emergence from bankruptcy.
“Exploratory Well” means a well drilled to find a new field or to find a new reservoir in a field previously found to be productive of oil or natural gas in another reservoir.
“FLLO Term Loan Facility” means the facility outstanding under the FLLO Term Loan Facility Credit Agreement.
“FLLO Term Loan Facility Credit Agreement” means that certain Term Loan Agreement, dated as of December 19, 2019 ((i) as supplemented by that certain Class A Term Loan Supplement, dated as of December 19, 2019 (as amended, restated or otherwise modified from time to time), by and among Chesapeake, as borrower, the Debtor guarantors party thereto, GLAS USA LLC, as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto, and (ii) as further amended, restated, or otherwise modified from time to time), by and among Chesapeake, the Debtor guarantors party thereto, GLAS USA LLC, as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto.
“Formation” means a succession of sedimentary beds that were deposited under the same general geologic conditions.
“Free Cash Flow” (a non-GAAP measure) means net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) less cash capital expenditures.
“GAAP” means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
“General Unsecured Claim” means any Claim against any Debtor that is not otherwise paid in full during the Chapter 11 Cases pursuant to an order of the Bankruptcy Court and is not an Administrative Claim, a Priority Tax Claim, an Other Priority Claim, an Other Secured Claim, a Revolving Credit Facility Claim, a FLLO Term Loan Facility Claim, a Second Lien Notes Claim, an Unsecured Notes Claim, an Intercompany Claim, or a Section 510(b) Claim.
“Gross Acres or Gross Wells” means the total acres or wells, as the case may be, in which a working interest is owned.
“MBbls” means thousand barrels.
“MMBbls” means million barrels.
“MBoe” means thousand Boe.
“MMBoe” means million Boe.
“Mcf” means thousand cubic feet.
“MMcf” means million cubic feet.
“Net Acres or Net Wells” means the sum of the fractional working interests owned in gross acres or gross wells.
“New Common Stock” means the single class of common stock issued by Reorganized Chesapeake on the Effective Date.
“NGL” means natural gas liquids.
“NYMEX” means New York Mercantile Exchange.
“OPEC” means Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
“Petition Date” means June 28, 2020, the date on which the Debtors commenced the Chapter 11 Cases.
“Plan” means the Fifth Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and its Debtor Affiliates, attached as Exhibit A to the Confirmation Order.
“Play” means a portion of the exploration and production cycle following the identification by geologists and geophysicists of areas with potential oil, natural gas and NGL reserves.
“Present Value of Estimated Future Net Revenues or PV-10 (non-GAAP)” means the estimated future gross revenue to be generated from the production of proved reserves, net of estimated production and future development costs, using prices calculated as the average oil and natural gas price during the preceding 12-month period prior to the end of the current reporting period, (determined as the unweighted arithmetic average of prices on the first day of each month within the 12-month period) and costs in effect at the determination date (unless such costs are subject to change pursuant to contractual provisions), without giving effect to non-property related expenses such as general and administrative expenses, debt service and future income tax expense or to depreciation, depletion and amortization, discounted using an annual discount rate of 10%.
“Price Differential” means the difference in the price of oil, natural gas or NGL received at the sales point and the NYMEX price.
“Productive Well” means a well that is not a dry well. Productive wells include producing wells and wells that are mechanically capable of production.
“Proved Developed Reserves” means reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods or in which the cost of the required equipment is relatively minor compared to the cost of a new well.
“Proved Properties” means properties with proved reserves.
“Proved Reserves” As used in this report, proved reserves has the meaning given to such term in Rule 4-10(a)(22) of Regulation S-X, which states in part proved oil and natural gas reserves are those quantities of oil and natural gas, which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible – from a given date forward, from known reservoirs, and under existing economic conditions, operating methods, and government regulations – prior to the time at which contracts providing the right to operate expire, unless evidence indicates that renewal is reasonably certain, regardless of whether deterministic or probabilistic methods are used for the estimation.
“Proved Undeveloped Reserves (PUDs)” means proved reserves that are expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled acreage, or from existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required. Reserves on undrilled acreage are limited to those directly offsetting development spacing areas that are reasonably certain of production when drilled, unless evidence using reliable technology exists that establishes reasonable certainty of economic producibility at greater distances.
“Put Option Premium” means a nonrefundable aggregate fee of $60 million, which represents 10 percent of the Rights Offering Amount, payable to the Backstop Parties in accordance with, and subject to the terms of the
Backstop Commitment Agreement based on their respective backstop commitment percentages at the time such payment is made.
“Reservoir” means a porous and permeable underground formation containing a natural accumulation of producible oil and/or natural gas that is confined by impermeable rock or water barriers and is individual and separate from other reservoirs.
“Rights Offering” means the New Common Stock rights offering for the Rights Offering Amount consummated by the Debtors on the Effective Date.
“SEC” means United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Second Lien Notes” means the 11.50% senior notes due 2025 issued by Chesapeake pursuant to the Second Lien Notes Indenture.
“Second Lien Notes Claim” means any Claim on account of the Second Lien Notes.
“Standardized Measure” means the discounted future net cash flows relating to proved reserves based on the means of the estimated future gross revenue to be generated from the production of proved reserves, net of estimated production and future development costs, using prices calculated as the average oil and natural gas price during the preceding 12-month period prior to the end of the current reporting period (determined as the unweighted arithmetic average of prices on the first day of each month within the 12-month period). The standardized measure differs from the PV-10 measure only because the former includes the effects of estimated future income tax expenses.
“Tranche A Loans” means the fully revolving loans made under and on the terms set forth under the Exit Credit Facility which will be partially funded on the Effective Date, will have a scheduled maturity of 3 years from the Effective Date, and shall at all times be repaid prior to the repayment of the Tranche B Loans.
“Tranche B Loans” means term loans made under and on the terms set forth under the Exit Credit Facility which will be fully funded on the Effective Date, will have a scheduled maturity of 4 years from the Effective Date, will be repaid or prepaid only after there are no Tranche A Loans outstanding, and once so prepaid or repaid, may not be reborrowed.
“Undeveloped Acreage” means acreage on which wells have not been drilled or completed to a point that would permit the production of economic quantities of oil and natural gas regardless of whether the acreage contains proved reserves.
“Unproved Properties” means properties with no proved reserves.
“Vine Acquisition” means Chesapeake’s acquisition of Vine Energy Inc. which closed on November 1, 2021.
“Vine” means Vine Energy Inc.
“Volumetric Production Payment (VPP)” means a limited-term overriding royalty interest in oil and natural gas reserves that: (i) entitles the purchaser to receive scheduled production volumes over a period of time from specific lease interests; (ii) is free and clear of all associated future production costs and capital expenditures; (iii) is nonrecourse to the seller (i.e., the purchaser's only recourse is to the reserves acquired); (iv) transfers title of the reserves to the purchaser; and (v) allows the seller to retain the remaining reserves, if any, after the scheduled production volumes have been delivered.
“Warrants” means collectively, the Class A Warrants, Class B Warrants and Class C Warrants.
“Working Interest” means the operating interest which gives the owner the right to drill, produce and conduct operating activities on the property and a share of production.
“WTI” means West Texas Intermediate.
“/Bbl” means per barrel.
“/Boe” means per Boe.
“/Mcf” means per Mcf.
“2019 Predecessor Period” means the year ended December 31, 2019.
“2020 Predecessor Period” means the year ended December 31, 2020.
“2021 Predecessor Period” means the period of January 1, 2021 through February 9, 2021.
“2021 Successor Period” means the period of February 10, 2021 through December 31, 2021.
| Forward-Looking Statements |
This report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include our current expectations or forecasts of future events, including matters relating to the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact thereof on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, the potential effects of the Plan restructuring on our operations, management, and employees, actions by, or disputes among or between, members of OPEC+ and other foreign oil-exporting countries, market factors, market prices, our ability to meet debt service requirements, our ability to continue to pay cash dividends, the amount and timing of any cash dividends, our ESG initiatives, and the other items discussed in the Introduction to Item 7 of Part II of this report. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business, financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as "expect," “could,” “may,” "anticipate," "intend," "plan," “ability,” "believe," "seek," "see," "will," "would," “estimate,” “forecast,” "target," “guidance,” “outlook,” “opportunity” or “strategy.”
Although we believe the expectations and forecasts reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are inherently subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. No assurance can be given that such forward-looking statements will be correct or achieved or that the assumptions are accurate or will not change over time. Particular uncertainties that could cause our actual results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements include:
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the ability to execute on our business strategy following emergence from bankruptcy;
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the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our business, financial condition, employees, contractors, vendors and the global demand for oil and natural gas and U.S. and world financial markets;
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risks related to the Vine Acquisition, including our ability to successfully integrate the business of Vine into the Company and achieve the expected synergies from the Vine Acquisition within the expected timeframe;
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risks related to the Chief Acquisition, including a delay or failure to complete the Chief Acquisition caused by a failure to receive required regulatory approvals or satisfy or waive, as applicable, other closing conditions to the Chief Acquisition, and if the Chief Acquisition is completed, our ability to successfully integrate the business of Chief into the Company and achieve the expected synergies from the Chief Acquisition within the expected timeframe;
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our ability to comply with the covenants under our Exit Credit Facility and other indebtedness;
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our ability to realize our anticipated cash cost reductions;
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the volatility of oil, natural gas and NGL prices, which are affected by general economic and business conditions, as well as increased demand for (and availability of) alternative fuels and electric vehicles;
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uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil, natural gas and NGL reserves and projecting future rates of production and the amount and timing of development expenditures;
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our ability to replace reserves and sustain production;
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drilling and operating risks and resulting liabilities;
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our ability to generate profits or achieve targeted results in drilling and well operations;
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the limitations our level of indebtedness may have on our financial flexibility;
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our inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms;
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the availability of cash flows from operations and other funds to finance reserve replacement costs or satisfy our debt obligations;
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adverse developments or losses from pending or future litigation and regulatory proceedings, including royalty claims;
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legislative, regulatory and environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) initiatives, including as a result of the change in the U.S. presidential administration, addressing environmental concerns, including initiatives addressing the impact of global climate change or further regulating hydraulic fracturing, methane emissions, flaring or water disposal;
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terrorist activities and/or cyber-attacks adversely impacting our operations;
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effects of purchase price adjustments and indemnity obligations; and
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other factors that are described under Risk Factors in Item 1A of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K” or this “report”).
We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this report, which speak only as of the filing date, and we undertake no obligation to update this information. We urge you to carefully review and consider the disclosures in this report and our other filings with the SEC that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business.
PART I
Item 1. Business
Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Chesapeake,” the “Company,” “us,” “we” and “our” in this report are to Chesapeake Energy Corporation together with its subsidiaries. Our principal executive offices are located at 6100 North Western Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118, and our main telephone number at that location is (405) 848-8000.
| Our Business |
We are an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties to produce oil, natural gas and NGL from underground reservoirs. We own a large and geographically diverse portfolio of onshore U.S. unconventional natural gas and liquids assets, including interests in approximately 8,200 gross oil and natural gas wells.
On June 28, 2020, we and certain of our subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court. The Bankruptcy Court confirmed the Plan in a bench ruling on January 13, 2021 and entered the Confirmation Order on January 16, 2021. The Debtors emerged from bankruptcy on February 9, 2021. Upon emergence, all existing equity was canceled and New Common Stock was issued to the previous holders of our FLLO Term Loan Facility, Second Lien Notes, senior unsecured notes and certain general unsecured creditors whose claims were impaired as a result of our bankruptcy, as well as to other parties as set forth in the Plan, including to other parties participating in a $600 million rights offering. Upon emergence from bankruptcy, we adopted fresh start accounting, which resulted in us becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the consolidated financial statements on or after February 9, 2021 are not comparable to the consolidated financial statements prior to that date. To facilitate our discussion in this report, we refer to the post-emergence reorganized company as the “Successor” and the pre-emergence company as the “Predecessor.” See Note 2 and Note 3 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for further discussion of our bankruptcy, the resulting reorganization and fresh start accounting.
On November 1, 2021, we completed our acquisition of Vine, an energy company focused on the development of natural gas properties in the over-pressured stacked Haynesville and Mid-Bossier shale plays in Northwest Louisiana. The Vine Acquisition strengthens Chesapeake’s competitive position, meaningfully increasing our Free Cash Flow outlook and deepening our inventory of premium natural gas locations, while preserving the strength of our balance sheet.
On January 24, 2022, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Chief and associated non-operated interests held by affiliates of Tug Hill, Inc. (“Tug Hill”), for $2.0 billion in cash and approximately 9.44 million common shares. Chief and Tug Hill hold producing assets and an inventory of premium drilling locations in the Marcellus Shale in Northeast Pennsylvania. The cash portion of the Chief Acquisition will be financed with cash on hand and the use of our Exit Credit Facility. The Chief Acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including certain regulatory approvals, is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
On January 24, 2022, we entered into an agreement to sell our Powder River Basin assets in Wyoming to Continental Resources, Inc. for approximately $450 million in cash. The transaction, which is subject to certain customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
The completion of these transactions will clarify and strengthen our asset portfolio, concentrating on three operating areas and advancing our highest-return assets in the Marcellus and Haynesville gas basins.
| Information About Us |
We make available, free of charge on our website at chk.com, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. From time to time, we also post announcements, updates, events, investor information and presentations on our website in addition to copies of all recent news releases. Documents and information on our website are not incorporated by reference herein.
The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including Chesapeake, that file electronically with the SEC.
| Business Strategy |
Consistent returns, sustainable future. Our strategy is to create shareholder value by generating sustainable Free Cash Flow from our oil and natural gas development and production activities. We continue to focus on improving margins through operating efficiencies and financial discipline and improving our Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) performance. To accomplish these goals, we intend to allocate our human resources and capital expenditures to projects we believe offer the highest cash return on capital invested, to deploy leading drilling and completion technology throughout our portfolio and to take advantage of acquisition and divestiture opportunities to strengthen our portfolio. We also intend to continue to dedicate capital to projects that reduce the environmental impact of our oil and natural gas producing activities. We continue to seek opportunities to reduce cash costs (production, gathering, processing and transportation and general and administrative) per barrel of oil equivalent production through operational efficiencies, including but not limited to improving our production volumes from existing wells. We believe that we have emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a fundamentally stronger company, built to generate sustainable Free Cash Flow with a strengthened balance sheet, geographically diverse asset base and continuously improving ESG performance.
Maintain low leverage and strong liquidity. Subsequent to our emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, we believe that maintaining low net leverage is integral to our business strategy and will allow us to maintain lower fixed costs, improve our margins and maintain the flexibility of our capital program.
Returns-focused capital reinvestment strategy. Our business focus will be on optimizing the development of our large, geographically diverse resource base with a prioritization of generating high cash returns on capital invested. We expect our maintenance capital program to yield in excess of annual production of 700 mboe per day and generate significant Free Cash Flow at today’s prevailing commodity market prices.
Low-cost operator with expected top-quartile cash costs. We expect to continue to focus on our cost optimization initiatives.
Continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and operate in an environmentally responsible manner with a goal of net zero direct GHG emissions by 2035. We are committed to operating our business responsibly and protecting the environments in which we operate. We eliminated routine flaring on all new wells completed in 2021, and plan to accomplish the same on all wells enterprise-wide by 2025. We reduced our methane loss rate to 0.08% and our GHG intensity to 5.0 as of December 31, 2021.
Manage commodity price exposure and ensure stability through prudent hedging strategy. We employ a prudent hedging strategy, which is aligned with our capital expenditure program and is designed to manage our exposure to commodity price volatility, ensure the stability of our cash flows and mitigate o
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
There are numerous factors that affect our business and results of operations, many of which are beyond our control. The following is a description of factors that we consider to be material and that might cause our future results to differ materially from those currently expected. The risks described below are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, financial position, results of operations, cash flows, reserves and/or our ability to pay our debts and other liabilities could suffer, the trading price and liquidity of our securities could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment in our securities.
| Summary Risk Factors |
| Risks Related to our Emergence from Bankruptcy |
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We recently emerged from bankruptcy, which may adversely affect our business and relationships.
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Our actual financial results after emergence from bankruptcy may not be comparable to our historical financial information as a result of the implementation of the Plan and the transactions contemplated thereby.
| Risks Related to Operating our Business |
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Conservation measures and technological advances could reduce demand for natural gas and oil.
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Negative public perception regarding us or our industry could have an adverse effect on our operations.
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The oil and gas exploration and production industry is very competitive; some of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do, and there is competition to attract and retain talent, and competition over access to certain industry equipment.
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Oil, natural gas and NGL prices fluctuate widely, and lower prices for an extended period of time are likely to have a material adverse effect on our business.
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The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related economic turmoil have affected and could continue to adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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If commodity prices fall or drilling efforts are unsuccessful, we may be required to record write downs of the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties.
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Significant capital expenditures are required to replace our reserves and conduct our business.
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If we are not able to replace reserves, we may not be able to sustain production.
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The actual quantities of and future net revenues from our proved reserves may be less than our estimates.
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Our development and exploratory drilling efforts and our well operations may not be profitable or achieve our targeted returns.
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Certain of our undeveloped properties are subject to leases that will expire over the next several years unless production is established on units containing the acreage or the leases are renewed.
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Our commodity price risk management activities may limit the benefit we would receive from increases in commodity prices, may require us to provide collateral for derivative liabilities and involve risk that our counterparties may be unable to satisfy their obligations to us.
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Oil and natural gas operations are uncertain and involve substantial costs and risks.
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Our ability to produce oil, natural gas and NGL economically and in commercial quantities could be impaired if we are unable to acquire adequate supplies of water for our operations or are unable to dispose of or recycle the water we use economically and in an environmentally safe manner.
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Risks related to potential acquisitions or dispositions may adversely affect our business.
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Our operations may be adversely affected by pipeline, trucking and gathering system capacity constraints and may be subject to interruptions that could adversely affect our cash flow.
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Cyber-attacks targeting systems and infrastructure used by the oil and gas industry and related regulations may adversely impact our operations and, if we or our third-party providers are unable to obtain and maintain adequate protection for our data, our business may be harmed.
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Our operations could be disrupted by natural or human causes beyond our control.
| Financial Risks Related to our Business |
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We have significant capital needs, and our ability to access the capital and credit markets to raise capital on favorable terms is limited by industry conditions.
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Restrictive covenants in certain of our debt agreements could limit our growth and our ability to finance our operations, fund our capital needs, respond to changing conditions and engage in other business activities that may be in our best interests.
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Changes in the method of determining the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect interest expense related to outstanding debt.
| Risks Related to Recent and Pending Acquisitions |
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The Chief Acquisition may not be completed. Failure to complete the Chief Acquisition could negatively impact the price of shares of our common stock, as well as our future business and financial results.
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The synergies attributable to the Vine Acquisition, or Chief Acquisition, if consummated, may vary from expectations, and we will be subject to business uncertainties for a period of time after the closing of the Vine Acquisition and Chief Acquisition, if consummated, which could adversely affect the combined company after these acquisitions. These uncertainties could include, but may not be limited to, loss of key personnel, retention of customer or supplier contracts or relationships, and litigation in connection with the Chief Acquisition.
| Legal and Regulatory Risks |
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We are subject to extensive governmental regulation, which can change and could adversely impact our business.
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Environmental and regulatory matters and related costs can be significant.
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Increasing attention to environmental, social and governance matters may impact our business, financial results or stock price.
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The taxation of independent producers is subject to change, and changes in tax law could increase our cost of doing business.
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Trading in our new common stock, additional issuances of new common stock, and certain other stock transactions could lead to a second, potentially more restrictive annual limitation on the utilization of our tax attributes reducing their ability to offset future taxable income, which may result in an increase to income tax liabilities.
| General Risk Factors |
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A deterioration in general economic, political, business or industry conditions would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
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Military and other armed conflicts, including terrorist activities, could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
| Risks Related to our Emergence from Bankruptcy |
We recently emerged from bankruptcy, which may adversely affect our business and relationships.
It is possible that our having filed for bankruptcy and our recent emergence from bankruptcy may adversely affect our business and relationships with customers, vendors, contractors or employees. Due to uncertainties, many risks exist, including the following:
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key vendors or other contract counterparties may terminate their relationships with us or require additional financial assurances or enhanced performance from us;
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our ability to renew existing contracts and compete for new business may be adversely affecte
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties
Information regarding our properties is included in Item 1. Business and in the Supplementary Information included in Item 8 of Part II of this report.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Chapter 11 Proceedings
Commencement of the Chapter 11 Cases automatically stayed the proceedings and actions against us that are referenced below, in addition to actions seeking to collect pre-petition indebtedness or to exercise control over the property of the Company’s bankruptcy estates. The Plan in the Chapter 11 Cases, which became effective on February 9, 2021, provided for the treatment of claims against the Company’s bankruptcy estates, including pre-petition liabilities that had not been satisfied or addressed during the Chapter 11 Cases. See Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for additional information.
Litigation and Regulatory Proceedings
We were involved in a number of litigation and regulatory proceedings as of the Petition Date. Many of these proceedings were in early stages, and many of them sought damages and penalties, the amount of which is currently indeterminate. See Note 7 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for information regarding our estimation and provision for potential losses related to litigation and regulatory proceedings.
Business Operations. We are involved in various lawsuits and disputes incidental to our business operations, including commercial disputes, personal injury claims, royalty claims, property damage claims and contract actions. The majority of these prepetition legal proceedings were settled during the Chapter 11 Cases or will be resolved in connection with the claims reconciliation process before the Bankruptcy Court. Any allowed claim related to such prepetition litigation will be treated in accordance with the Plan.
Environmental Contingencies
The nature of the oil and gas business carries with it certain environmental risks for us and our subsidiaries. We have implemented various policies, programs, procedures, training and audits to reduce and mitigate such environmental risks. We conduct periodic reviews, on a company-wide basis, to assess changes in our environmental risk profile. Environmental reserves are established for environmental liabilities for which economic losses are probable and reasonably estimable. We manage our exposure to environmental liabilities in acquisitions by using an evaluation process that seeks to identify pre-existing contamination or compliance concerns and address the potential liability. Depending on the extent of an identified environmental concern, we may, among other things, exclude a property from the transaction, require the seller to remediate the property to our satisfaction in an acquisition or agree to assume liability for the remediation of the property.
We were recently dismissed from numerous lawsuits in Oklahoma alleging that we and other companies engaged in activities that have caused earthquakes. The lawsuits sought compensation for injury to real and personal property, diminution of property value, economic losses due to business interruption, interference with the use and enjoyment of property, annoyance and inconvenience, personal injury and emotional distress. In addition, they sought the reimbursement of insurance premiums and the award of punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, costs, expenses and interest.
Other Matters
Based on management’s current assessment, we are of the opinion that no pending or threatened lawsuit or dispute relating to our business operations is likely to have a material adverse effect on our future consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The final resolution of such matters could exceed amounts accrued, however, and actual results could differ materially from management’s estimates.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
The information concerning mine safety violations and other regulatory matters required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Item 104 of Regulation S-K (17CFR 229.104) is included in Exhibit 95.1 to this Form 10-K.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
| Common Stock |
Upon our emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 9, 2021, our then-authorized common stock and preferred stock were canceled and released under the Plan without receiving any recovery on account thereof. In accordance with the Plan confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court on February 9, 2021, we issued 97,097,081 shares of New Common Stock of the Successor, which are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol CHK. In addition, on February 9, 2021, we issued 11,111,111 Class A Warrants, 12,345,679 Class B Warrants and 9,768,527 Class C Warrants, each of which are exercisable for one share of common stock per warrant at the initial exercise prices of $27.63, $32.13 and $36.18 per share, respectively. The warrants are immediately exercisable and will expire on February 9, 2026. For more information regarding our emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and our Plan of Reorganization, see Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report.
| Dividends |
We declared the first quarterly dividend on our New Common Stock in the second quarter of 2021 of $0.34375 per share (an initial annual rate of $1.375 per share). In the third quarter of 2021, we announced an increase in the base quarterly dividend to $0.4375 per share (an annual rate of $1.75 per share) and announced our intent to adopt a variable return program that will result in the payment of an additional variable dividend, payable beginning in March 2022, equal to the sum of Adjusted Free Cash Flow from the prior quarter less the base quarterly dividend, multiplied by 50%. In January 2022, we announced our intent to increase the base dividend to $0.50 per share (an annual rate of $2.00 per share) beginning in the second quarter of 2022.
| Repurchases of Equity Securities; Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
There were no repurchases or unregistered sales of our common stock during the quarter ended December 31, 2021.
On December 2, 2021, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $1.0 billion in aggregate value of our common stock and/or warrants from time to time. The repurchase authorization permits repurchases on a discretionary basis as determined by management, subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements, available liquidity, compliance with the Company’s debt agreements and other appropriate factors. As of February 21, 2022, no repurchases had occurred.
| Shareholders |
As of February 21, 2022, there were approximately 146 holders of record of our common stock.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
We have adopted the SEC’s Disclosure Modernization Final Rule, effective February 10, 2021, for Item 301 of Regulation S-K. As such, Item 6 Selected Financial Data has not been provided.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s perspective of our business, financial condition and overall performance. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future and should be read in conjunction with Item 8 of Part II of this report.
| Introduction |
We are an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties to produce oil, natural gas and NGL from underground reservoirs. We own a large and geographically diverse portfolio of onshore U.S. unconventional natural gas and liquids assets, including interests in approximately 8,200 oil and natural gas wells. Upon closing of the Chief Acquisition and divestiture of our assets in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, our portfolio will be focused on three operating areas including the natural gas resource plays in the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania (“Marcellus”) and the Haynesville/Bossier Shales in northwestern Louisiana (“Haynesville”) and the liquids-rich resource play in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas (“Eagle Ford”).
Our strategy is to create shareholder value by generating sustainable Free Cash Flow from our oil and natural gas development and production activities. We continue to focus on improving margins through operating efficiencies and financial discipline and improving our Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) performance. To accomplish these goals, we intend to allocate our human resources and capital expenditures to projects we believe offer the highest cash return on capital invested, to deploy leading drilling and completion technology throughout our portfolio, and to take advantage of acquisition and divestiture opportunities to strengthen our portfolio. We also intend to continue to dedicate capital to projects that reduce the environmental impact of our oil and natural gas producing activities. We continue to seek opportunities to reduce cash costs (production, gathering, processing and transportation and general and administrative) per barrel of oil equivalent production through operational efficiencies by, among other things, improving our production volumes from existing wells.
Leading a responsible energy future is foundational to Chesapeake's success. Our core values and culture demand we continuously evaluate the environmental impact of our operations and work diligently to improve our ESG performance across all facets of our Company. Our path to leading a responsible energy future begins with our initiative to achieve net-zero direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, which we announced in February 2021. To meet this challenge, we have set meaningful initial goals including:
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Eliminate routine flaring from all new wells completed from 2021 forward, and enterprise-wide by 2025;
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Reduce our methane intensity to 0.09% by 2025 (achieved 0.08% in 2021); and
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Reduce our GHG intensity to 5.5 by 2025 (achieved 5.0 in 2021).
In July 2021, we announced our plan to receive independent certification of our natural gas production under the MiQ methane standard and EO100 Standard for Responsible Energy Development. Certified natural gas was available in our Haynesville assets as of the end of 2021, and we expect it to be available in our legacy Marcellus assets by the end of the second quarter of 2022. The MiQ certification will provide a verified approach to tracking our commitment to reduce our methane intensity to 0.09% by 2025, as well as support our overall objective of achieving net-zero direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
Our results of operations as reported in our consolidated financial statements for the 2021 Successor Period, 2021 Predecessor Period, 2020 Predecessor Period and 2019 Predecessor Period are in accordance with GAAP. Although GAAP requires that we report on our results for the periods January 1, 2021 through February 9, 2021 and February 10, 2021 through December 31, 2021 separately, management views our operating results for the year ended December 31, 2021 by combining the results of the 2021 Predecessor Period and the 2021 Successor Period because management believes such presentation provides the most meaningful comparison of our results to prior periods. We are not able to compare the 40 days from January 1, 2021 through February 9, 2021 operating results to any of the previous periods reported in the consolidated financial statements and do not believe reviewing this period in isolation would be useful in identifying any trends in, or reaching any conclusions regarding, our overall operating performance. We believe the key performance indicators such as operating revenues and expenses for the 2021 Successor Period combined with the 2021 Predecessor Period provide more meaningful comparisons to other periods and are useful in understanding operational trends. Additionally, there were no changes in policies between the periods, and any material impacts as a result of fresh start accounting were included within the discussion of these changes. These combined results do not comply with GAAP and have not been prepared as pro forma results under applicable regulations, but are presented because we believe they provide the most meaningful comparison of our results to prior periods.
| Recent Developments |
Vine Acquisition
On November 1, 2021, we completed our acquisition of Vine pursuant to a definitive agreement with Vine dated August 10, 2021. The transaction strengthens Chesapeake’s competitive position, meaningfully increasing our Free Cash Flow outlook and deepening our inventory of premium natural gas locations, while preserving the strength of our balance sheet.
Chief Acquisition and Powder River Basin Divestiture
On January 25, 2022, we announced our planned Chief Acquisition and the planned divestiture of our Powder River Basin assets. These transactions, which are subject to certain customary closing conditions, including certain regulatory approvals, are expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. In conjunction with the Vine Acquisition, these transactions simplify and refocus our asset portfolio, concentrating on three operating areas and advancing our highest-return assets in the Marcellus and Haynesville gas basins.
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer
On April 27, 2021, we announced the departure of Doug Lawler from his positions as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Chesapeake, effective April 30, 2021. Michael A. Wichterich, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, served as Interim Chief Executive Officer while the Board of Directors conducted a search for a new Chief Executive Officer.
On October 11, 2021, we announced that the Board of Directors appointed Domenic “Nick” Dell’Osso Jr. as President and Chief Executive Officer and as member of the Board of Directors, effective October 11, 2021. Additionally, on October 11, 2021, the Board of Directors appointed Michael A. Wichterich, who resigned as Interim Chief Executive Officer upon the appointment of Mr. Dell’Osso, as Executive Chairman of the Company.
On November 30, 2021, we announced that the Board of Directors appointed Mohit Singh as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective December 6, 2021.
On January 25, 2022, we announced that the Board of Directors appointed Josh Viets as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective February 1, 2022.
Emergence from Bankruptcy
On the Petition Date, the Debtors filed the Chapter 11 Cases under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court. On June 29, 2020, the Bankruptcy Court entered
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
The primary objective of the following information is to provide forward-looking quantitative and qualitative information about our exposure to market risk. The term market risk relates to our risk of loss arising from adverse changes in oil, natural gas, and NGL prices and interest rates. These disclosures are not meant to be precise indicators of expected future losses, but rather indicators of reasonably possible losses. The forward-looking information provides indicators of how we view and manage our ongoing market risk exposures.
Commodity Price Risk
Our results of operations and cash flows are impacted by changes in market prices for oil, natural gas and NGL, which have historically been volatile. To mitigate a portion of our exposure to adverse price changes, we enter into various derivative instruments. Our oil, natural gas and NGL derivative activities, when combined with our sales of oil, natural gas and NGL, allow us to predict with greater certainty the revenue we will receive. We believe our derivative instruments continue to be highly effective in achieving our risk management objectives.
We determine the fair value of our derivative instruments utilizing established index prices, volatility curves and discount factors. These estimates are compared to counterparty valuations for reasonableness. Derivative transactions are also subject to the risk that counterparties will be unable to meet their obligations. This non-performance risk is considered in the valuation of our derivative instruments, but to date has not had a material impact on the values of our derivatives. Future risk related to counterparties not being able to meet their obligations has been partially mitigated under our commodity hedging arrangements that require counterparties to post collateral if their obligations to us are in excess of defined thresholds. The values we report in our financial statements are as of a point in time and subsequently change as these estimates are revised to reflect actual results, changes in market conditions and other factors. See Note 15 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for further discussion of the fair value measurements associated with our derivatives.
For the combined 2021 Successor and Predecessor Periods, oil, natural gas, and NGL revenues, excluding any effect of our derivative instruments, were $1.735 billion, $2.818 billion, and $246 million, respectively. Based on production, oil, natural gas, and NGL revenue for the combined 2021 Successor and Predecessor Periods would have increased or decreased by approximately $173 million, $282 million, and $25 million, respectively, for each 10% increase or decrease in prices. As of December 31, 2021, the fair values of our oil and natural gas derivatives were net liabilities of $358 million and net liabilities of $785 million, respectively. A 10% increase in forward oil prices would decrease the valuation of oil derivatives by $95 million while a 10% decrease would increase the valuation by $95 million. A 10% increase in forward natural gas prices would decrease the valuation of natural gas derivatives by approximately $270 million while a 10% decrease would increase the valuation by $269 million. This fair value change assumes volatility based on prevailing market parameters at December 31, 2021. See Note 15 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for further information on our open derivative positions.
Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to interest rate changes relates primarily to borrowings under our Exit Credit Facility for the 2021 Successor Period and pre-petition revolving credit facility and DIP Facility for the 2021, 2020 and 2019 Predecessor Periods. Interest is payable on borrowings under the Exit Credit Facility, pre-petition revolving credit facility and DIP Credit Facility based on a floating rate. See Note 6 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this report for additional information. As of December 31, 2021, we had no outstanding borrowings under our Exit Credit Facility - Tranche A Loans, and $221 million under our Exit Credit Facility - Tranche B Loans. A 1.0% increase in interest rates based on the variable borrowings as of December 31, 2021 would result in an increase in our interest expense of approximately $2 million per year. Changes in interest rates do affect the fair value of our fixed-rate debt.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
| Note 22. Separation and Other Termination Costs | 138 | |||||||||||||
| Note 23. Asset Retirement Obligations | [138](#i56d3efaf87e |
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Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
As of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded as of December 31, 2021 that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
It is the responsibility of the management of Chesapeake Energy Corporation to establish and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Management utilized the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission's Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) in conducting the required assessment of effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Management has performed an assessment of the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting and has determined the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2021.
Management’s assessment and conclusion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 excludes an assessment of the internal control over financial reporting of Vine Energy, which was acquired in a business combination on November 1, 2021. Vine Energy represents approximately 20% of our consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2021 and approximately 7% of our consolidated revenues for the period from February 10, 2021 through December 31, 2021.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report which appears herein.
| /s/ DOMENIC J. DELL'OSSO, JR. | ||||||||||||||
| Domenic J. Dell'Osso, Jr. | ||||||||||||||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ MOHIT SINGH | ||||||||||||||
| Mohit Singh | ||||||||||||||
| Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||||||||
| February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||||
CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES (DEBTOR-IN-POSSESSION)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION - (Continued)
Item 9B. Other Information
Not applicable.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The names of executive officers of the Company and their ages, titles and biographies as of the date hereof are incorporated by reference from Item 1 of Part I of this report. The other information called for by this Item 10 is incorporated herein by reference to the definitive proxy statement to be filed by Chesapeake pursuant to Regulation 14A of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 not later than May 2, 2022 (the “2022 Proxy Statement”).
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information called for by this Item 11 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2022 Proxy Statement.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholders Matters
The information called for by this Item 12 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2022 Proxy Statement.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information called for by this Item 13 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2022 Proxy Statement.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information called for by this Item 14 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2022 Proxy Statement.
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
(a) The following financial statements, financial statement schedules and exhibits are filed as a part of this report:
1.Financial Statements. Chesapeake's consolidated financial statements are included in Item 8 of Part II of this report. Reference is made to the accompanying Index to Financial Statements.
2.Financial Statement Schedules. No financial statement schedules are applicable or required.
3.Exhibits. The exhibits listed below in the Index of Exhibits are filed, furnished or incorporated by reference pursuant to the requirements of Item 601 of Regulation S-K.
INDEX OF EXHIBITS
| 101 SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101 CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101 DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101 LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101 PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data file - the Cover Page Interactive Data File does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * | Schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. The registrant hereby undertakes to furnish supplemental copies of any of the omitted schedules upon request by the SEC. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † | Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PLEASE NOTE: Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we have filed or incorporated by reference the agreements referenced above as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The agreements have been filed to provide investors with information regarding their respective terms. The agreements are not intended to provide any other factual information about Chesapeake Energy Corporation or its business or operations. In particular, the assertions embodied in any representations, warranties and covenants contained in the agreements may be subject to qualifications with respect to knowledge and materiality different from those applicable to investors and may be qualified by information in confidential disclosure schedules not included with the exhibits. These disclosure schedules may contain information that modifies, qualifies and creates exceptions to the representations, warranties and covenants set forth in the agreements. Moreover, certain representations, warranties and covenants in the agreements may have been used for the purpose of allocating risk between the parties, rather than establishing matters as facts. In addition, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may have changed after the date of the respective agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in our public disclosures. Accordingly, investors should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants in the agreements as characterizations of the actual state of facts about Chesapeake Energy Corporation or its business or operations on the date hereof. |
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
Not applicable.
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION | |||||||||||
| Date: February 24, 2022 | By: | /s/ DOMENIC J. DELL’OSSO, JR. | |||||||||
| Domenic J. Dell’Osso, Jr. | |||||||||||
| President and Chief Executive Officer |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Domenic J. Dell'Osso, Jr. his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all, exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each, and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, or the substitute or substitutes of any or all of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Capacity | Date | ||||||||||||
| /s/ DOMENIC J. DELL’OSSO, JR. | President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Domenic J. Dell’Osso, Jr. | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ MOHIT SINGH | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Mohit Singh | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ GREGORY M. LARSON | Vice President - Accounting & Controller (Principal Accounting Officer) | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Gregory M. Larson | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ MICHAEL WICHTERICH | Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Michael Wichterich | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ TIMOTHY S. DUNCAN | Director | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Timothy S. Duncan | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ BENJAMIN C. DUSTER, IV | Director | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Benjamin C. Duster, IV | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ SARAH A. EMERSON | Director | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Sarah A. Emerson | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ MATTHEW M. GALLAGHER | Director | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Matthew M. Gallagher | ||||||||||||||
| /s/ BRIAN STECK | Director | February 24, 2022 | ||||||||||||
| Brian Steck |