Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Introduction

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is intended to provide a reader of our financial statements with management’s perspective on our financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and certain other factors that may affect our future results. The following discussion should be read together with the condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report and the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of our 2023 Form 10-K.

We are an independent exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties to produce natural gas, oil and NGL from underground reservoirs. We own a large portfolio of onshore U.S. unconventional natural gas assets, including interests in approximately 5,100 natural gas wells as of June 30, 2024. Our natural gas resource plays are the Marcellus Shale in the northern Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania (“Marcellus”) and the Haynesville/Bossier Shales in northwestern Louisiana (“Haynesville”). Our liquids-rich resource play was in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas (“Eagle Ford”). During 2023, we completed our exit from Eagle Ford through three separate divestiture transactions, with aggregate proceeds from these three transactions exceeding $3.5 billion, subject to customary post-closing adjustments.

Our strategy is to create shareholder value through the responsible development of our significant resource plays while continuing to be a leading provider of affordable, reliable, lower carbon energy to markets in need. We continue to focus on improving margins through operating efficiencies and financial discipline and improving our 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 production activities. We continue to seek opportunities to reduce cash costs (production, gathering, processing and transportation and general and administrative), through operational efficiencies and 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 answering the call for affordable, reliable, lower carbon energy begins with our goal to achieve net zero GHG emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2035. To meet this challenge, we have set meaningful goals including:

• Reduce our methane intensity to 0.02% by 2025 (achieved approximately 0.02% in 2023 for our natural gas assets); and

• Reduce our GHG intensity to 3.0 metric tons CO2 equivalent per thousand barrel of oil equivalent by 2025 (achieved approximately 2.1 in 2023 for our natural gas assets).

In conjunction with the goals set above, we have received independent certification of our operated natural gas production under the MiQ methane standard and EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development as responsibly sourced gas, and we intend on maintaining certifications. The independent certification of our production as responsibly sourced provides a verified approach to tracking our progress towards our commitment to reduce our methane intensity, as well as supporting our overall objective of achieving net-zero GHG emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2035.

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Recent Developments

Southwestern Merger Agreement

On January 10, 2024, Chesapeake and Southwestern entered into an all-stock agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Southwestern is an independent energy company engaged in development, exploration and production activities, including related marketing activities, within its operating areas in the Appalachia and Haynesville shale plays. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Southwestern Merger, each eligible share of Southwestern common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time will be automatically converted into the right to receive 0.0867 of a share of Chesapeake’s common stock. Our Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Southwestern both approved the Merger Agreement. At separate special meetings each held on June 18, 2024, Chesapeake’s stockholders approved the issuance of Chesapeake’s common stock to the stockholders of Southwestern in connection with the Merger, and Southwestern’s stockholders approved the Merger Agreement. Subject to the obtaining of certain regulatory approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions, the Southwestern Merger is targeted to close in the second half of 2024.

Divestitures

On January 17, 2023, we entered into an agreement to sell a portion of our Eagle Ford assets to WildFire Energy I LLC for approximately $1.425 billion, subject to post-closing adjustments. This transaction closed on March 20, 2023 (with an effective date of October 1, 2022) and resulted in the recognition of a gain of approximately $337 million.

On February 17, 2023, we entered into an agreement to sell a portion of our remaining Eagle Ford assets to INEOS Energy for approximately $1.4 billion, subject to post-closing adjustments. This transaction closed on April 28, 2023 (with an effective date of October 1, 2022) and resulted in the recognition of a gain of approximately $470 million.

On August 11, 2023, we entered into an agreement to sell the final portion of our remaining Eagle Ford assets to SilverBow Resources, Inc. (“SilverBow”) for approximately $700 million, subject to post-closing adjustments. Subject to the satisfaction of certain commodity price triggers, we may receive up to an additional $50 million cash consideration shortly following the first anniversary of the transaction close date. This transaction closed on November 30, 2023 (with an effective date of February 1, 2023) and resulted in the recognition of a gain of approximately $140 million.

LNG Agreement

On February 13, 2024, we announced our entrance into an LNG export deal that includes executed Sales and Purchase Agreements (“SPA”) for long-term liquefaction offtake. Under the SPAs, we will purchase approximately 0.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum from Delfin LNG LLC at a Henry Hub price with a contract targeted start date in 2028, then deliver to Gunvor Group Ltd., on a free on board basis with the sales price linked to the Japan Korea Market for a period of 20 years.

Investments - Momentum Sustainable Ventures LLC

During the fourth quarter of 2022, we entered into an agreement with Momentum Sustainable Ventures LLC to build a new natural gas gathering pipeline and carbon capture and sequestration project, which will gather natural gas produced in the Haynesville Shale for re-delivery to Gulf Coast markets, including LNG export. The pipeline is expected to have an initial capacity of 1.7 Bcf/d expandable to 2.2 Bcf/d. The carbon capture portion of the project anticipates capturing and permanently sequestering up to 2.0 million tons per annum of CO2. The natural gas gathering pipeline is projected for a potential in-service date in 2025, and the carbon sequestration portion of the project is subject to regulatory approvals. Through the end of the Current Period, we have made total capital contributions of $275 million to the project.

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Economic and Market Conditions

Instability and conflict in Europe and the Middle East has caused, and could intensify, volatility in natural gas, oil and NGL prices, and may further impact on global growth prospects, which could in turn affect supply and demand for natural gas and oil. In addition, a mild winter in 2023 and historically higher inventory levels have resulted in an observed decline in natural gas pricing in 2023 and into 2024. Our 2024 estimated cash flow is partially protected from commodity price volatility due to our current hedge positions that cover approximately 60% of our projected natural gas volumes for 2024. We believe our cost structure and liquidity position will enable us to successfully navigate continued price volatility.

During early 2023, our industry experienced inflationary pressures, including increased demand for oilfield service equipment, rising fuel costs, and labor shortages, which resulted in observed increases to our operating and capital costs that were not fixed. Reductions in rig activity in the lower 48 states of the United States allowed service costs to stabilize and then decline in the second half of 2023, which has continued into 2024. We continue to monitor these situations and assess their impact on our business, including business partners and customers. For additional discussion regarding risks associated with price volatility and economic deterioration, see Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our 2023 Form 10-K.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity Overview

Our primary sources of capital resources and liquidity are internally generated cash flows from operations and borrowings under our Credit Facility, and our primary uses of cash are for the development of our natural gas and oil properties, acquisitions of additional natural gas properties and return of value to stockholders through dividends and equity repurchases. We believe our cash flow from operations, proceeds from our recent Eagle Ford divestitures, cash on hand and borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility, as discussed below, will provide sufficient liquidity during the next 12 months and the foreseeable future. As of June 30, 2024, we had $3.5 billion of liquidity available, including $1.0 billion of cash on hand and $2.5 billion of aggregate unused borrowing capacity available under the Credit Facility. As of June 30, 2024, we had no outstanding borrowings under our Credit Facility. In April 2024, the aggregate commitments under the Credit Facility were increased by $500 million to $2.5 billion, bringing our total unused borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility to $2.5 billion. See Note 4 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion of our debt obligations, including the carrying and fair value of our senior notes.

Dividends

On July 29, 2024, we declared a base quarterly dividend payable of $0.575 per share, which will be paid on September 5, 2024 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 15, 2024.

The declaration and payment of any future dividend, whether fixed or variable, will remain at the full discretion of the Board and will depend on the Company’s financial results, cash requirements, future prospects and other relevant factors. The Company’s ability to pay dividends to its stockholders is restricted by (i) Oklahoma corporate law, (ii) its Certificate of Incorporation, (iii) the terms and provisions of the Credit Agreement governing the Credit Facility and (iv) the terms and provisions of the indentures governing its 5.50% Senior Notes due 2026, 5.875% Senior Notes due 2029 and 6.75% Senior Notes due 2029.

Derivative and Hedging Activities

Our results of operations and cash flows are impacted by changes in market prices for the commodities we produce. We enter into various derivative instruments to mitigate a portion of our exposure to commodity price declines, but these transactions may also limit our cash flows in periods of rising commodity prices. Our natural gas, oil and NGL derivative activities, when combined with our sales of natural gas, oil and NGL, allow us to better predict the total revenue we expect to receive. See Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk included in Part I of this report for further discussion on the impact of commodity price risk on our financial position.

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Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of June 30, 2024, our material contractual obligations include repayment of senior notes, derivative obligations, asset retirement obligations, lease obligations, capital commitments relating to our investments, undrawn letters of credit and various other commitments we enter into in the ordinary course of business that could result in future cash obligations. In addition, we have contractual commitments with midstream companies and pipeline carriers for future gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas to move certain of our production to market. The estimated gross undiscounted future commitments under these agreements were approximately $2.0 billion as of June 30, 2024. As discussed above, we believe our existing sources of liquidity will be sufficient to fund our near and long-term contractual obligations. See Notes 4, 5, 11 and 12 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

Credit Facility

On April 29, 2024, we amended our Credit Agreement to, among other things, increase the aggregate commitments under the Credit Facility from $2.0 billion to $2.5 billion and increase the sublimit available for the issuance of letters of credit from $200 million to $500 million. Our Credit Facility matures in December 2027. The Credit Facility provides for a $50 million sublimit available for swingline loans. The borrowing base under the Credit Facility is $3.5 billion. Subject to certain exceptions, the borrowing base will be redetermined semi-annually in or around April and October of each year. As of June 30, 2024, we have approximately $2.5 billion available for borrowings under the Credit Facility.

Borrowings under the Credit Agreement may be alternate base rate loans or term SOFR loans, at the Company’s election. The Credit Facility contains certain features that, upon receipt and maintenance of investment grade ratings from S&P, Moody’s and/or Fitch and the satisfaction of certain other conditions, result in the removal or relaxation of specified negative and financial covenants, among other favorable adjustments.

See Note 4 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

Capital Expenditures

For the year ending December 31, 2024, we currently expect to drill approximately 95 to 115 gross wells across 7 to 9 rigs and plan to invest between approximately $1.2 – $1.3 billion in capital expenditures. We currently plan to fund our 2024 capital program through cash on hand, expected cash flow from our operations and borrowings under our Credit Facility. We may alter or change our plans with respect to our capital program and expected capital expenditures based on developments in our business, our financial position, our industry or any of the markets in which we operate.

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Sources and (Uses) of Cash and Cash Equivalents

The following table presents the sources and uses of our cash and cash equivalents for the periods presented:

						Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023
Cash provided by operating activities						$	761					$	1,404
Proceeds from divestitures of property and equipment						12						1,963
Receipts of deferred consideration						116						—
Funds held for transition services						—						97
Proceeds from warrant exercise						1						—
Capital expenditures						(723)						(1,027)
Contributions to investments						(45)						(88)
Payments on Credit Facility, net						—						(1,050)
Cash paid to repurchase and retire common stock						—						(181)
Cash paid for common stock dividends						(176)						(335)
Debt issuance and other financing costs						(4)						—
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash						$	(58)					$	783

Cash Flow from Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $761 million and $1,404 million during the Current Period and Prior Period, respectively. The decrease during the Current Period is primarily due to lower prices for the natural gas we sold, as well as decreased sales volumes related to our Eagle Ford divestitures and planned production curtailments and activity deferrals. Cash flows from operations are largely affected by the same factors that affect our net income (loss), excluding various non-cash items, such as depreciation, depletion and amortization, certain impairments, gains or losses on sales of assets, deferred income taxes and mark-to-market changes in our open derivative instruments. See further discussion below under Results of Operations.

Proceeds from Divestitures of Property and Equipment

During the Prior Period, we sold a portion of our Eagle Ford assets to WildFire Energy I LLC and also sold a portion of our remaining Eagle Ford assets to INEOS Energy (each transaction with an effective date of October 1, 2022). See Note 2 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

Receipts of Deferred Consideration

During the Current Period, we received $116 million in deferred consideration associated with our Eagle Ford divestiture transactions. See Note 2 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

Funds Held for Transition Services

During the Prior Period, we held $97 million of funds relating to transition services associated with our Eagle Ford divestitures.

Capital Expenditures

Our capital expenditures decreased during the Current Period compared to the Prior Period, primarily as a result of decreased drilling and completion activity within our Marcellus and Haynesville operating areas, as well as reduced activity in Eagle Ford due to our Eagle Ford divestitures. See Note 2 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

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Contributions to Investments

During the Current Period and Prior Period, contributions to investments primarily consisted of contributions to our investment with Momentum Sustainable Ventures LLC to build a new natural gas gathering pipeline and carbon capture project. See Note 12 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

Payments on Credit Facility, net

During the Prior Period, we made net repayments of $1,050 million on the Credit Facility, utilizing a portion of the divestiture proceeds from the Eagle Ford divestitures and also from internally generated cash provided by operating activities.

Cash Paid to Repurchase and Retire Common Stock

We did not repurchase any shares during the Current Period, and during the Prior Period, we repurchased 2.2 million shares of common stock for an aggregate price of $181 million, which is inclusive of shares for which cash settlement occurred in early July 2023. The repurchased shares of common stock were retired and recorded as a reduction to common stock and retained earnings.

Cash Paid for Common Stock Dividends

As part of our dividend program, we paid common stock dividends of $176 million and $335 million during the Current Period and Prior Period, respectively. See Note 9 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for further discussion.

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Results of Operations

Natural Gas, Oil and NGL Production and Average Sales Prices

						Three Months Ended June 30, 2024
						Natural Gas												Oil												NGL												Total
						MMcf per day						$/Mcf						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MMcfe per day						$/Mcfe
Marcellus						1,554						1.35						—						—						—						—						1,554						1.35
Haynesville						1,191						1.70						—						—						—						—						1,191						1.70
Total						2,745						1.51						—						—						—						—						2,745						1.51
Average NYMEX Price												1.89												—
Average Realized Price (including realized derivatives)												2.51												—												—												2.51
						Three Months Ended June 30, 2023
						Natural Gas												Oil												NGL												Total
						MMcf per day						$/Mcf						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MMcfe per day						$/Mcfe
Marcellus						1,830						1.51						—						—						—						—						1,830						1.51
Haynesville						1,590						1.77						—						—						—						—						1,590						1.77
Eagle Ford						85						2.32						15						76.39						10						23.67						233						6.73
Total						3,505						1.65						15						76.39						10						23.67						3,653						1.97
Average NYMEX Price												2.10												73.78
Average Realized Price (including realized derivatives)												2.36												84.58												23.67												2.67

						Six Months Ended June 30, 2024
						Natural Gas												Oil												NGL												Total
						MMcf per day						$/Mcf						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MMcfe per day						$/Mcfe
Marcellus						1,637						1.71						—						—						—						—						1,637						1.71
Haynesville						1,334						1.88						—						—						—						—						1,334						1.88
Total						2,971						1.79						—						—						—						—						2,971						1.79
Average NYMEX Price												2.07												—
Average Realized Price (including realized derivatives)												2.69												—												—												2.69

						Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
						Natural Gas												Oil												NGL												Total
						MMcf per day						$/Mcf						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MBbl per day						$/Bbl						MMcfe per day						$/Mcfe
Marcellus						1,901						2.52						—						—						—						—						1,901						2.52
Haynesville						1,570						2.32						—						—						—						—						1,570						2.32
Eagle Ford						106						2.11						34						76.72						13						25.54						389						8.19
Total						3,577						2.42						34						76.72						13						25.54						3,860						3.01
Average NYMEX Price												2.76												74.96
Average Realized Price (including realized derivatives)												2.55												70.67												25.54												3.08

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Natural Gas, Oil and NGL Sales

						Three Months Ended June 30, 2024
						Natural Gas						Oil						NGL						Total
Marcellus						$	192					$	—					$	—					$	192
Haynesville						186						—						—						186
Total natural gas, oil and NGL sales						$	378					$	—					$	—					$	378
						Three Months Ended June 30, 2023
						Natural Gas						Oil						NGL						Total
Marcellus						$	250					$	—					$	—					$	250
Haynesville						256						—						—						256
Eagle Ford						18						104						21						143
Total natural gas, oil and NGL sales						$	524					$	104					$	21					$	649

						Six Months Ended June 30, 2024
						Natural Gas						Oil						NGL						Total
Marcellus						$	509					$	—					$	—					$	509
Haynesville						458						—						—						458
Total natural gas, oil and NGL sales						$	967					$	—					$	—					$	967

						Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
						Natural Gas						Oil						NGL						Total
Marcellus						$	867					$	—					$	—					$	867
Haynesville						658						—						—						658
Eagle Ford						41						477						59						577
Total natural gas, oil and NGL sales						$	1,566					$	477					$	59					$	2,102

Natural gas, oil and NGL sales during the Current Quarter decreased $271 million compared to the Prior Quarter. Lower average prices, which were consistent with the downward trend in index prices for all products, drove a $33 million decrease during the Current Quarter. The Eagle Ford divestitures resulted in a $143 million decrease. Additionally, planned curtailments and activity deferrals during the Current Quarter led to lower sales volumes in Marcellus and Haynesville, resulting in an aggregate decrease of $95 million.

Natural gas, oil and NGL sales during the Current Period decreased $1,135 million compared to the Prior Period. Lower average prices, which were consistent with the downward trend in index prices for all products, drove a $402 million decrease during the Current Period. The Eagle Ford divestitures resulted in a $577 million decrease. Additionally, planned curtailments and activity deferrals led to lower sales volumes in Marcellus and Haynesville, resulting in an aggregate decrease of $156 million.

Production Expenses

						Three Months Ended June 30,																								Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024												2023												2024												2023
												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe
Marcellus						$	19					0.14						$	19					0.12						$	40					0.14						$	43					0.13
Haynesville						30						0.28						52						0.36						68						0.28						99						0.35
Eagle Ford						—						—						18						0.82						—						—						78						1.11
Total production expenses						$	49					0.20						$	89					0.27						$	108					0.20						$	220					0.31

Production expenses during the Current Quarter decreased $40 million compared to the Prior Quarter. The decrease was due to a $22 million decrease in Haynesville primarily related to decreased workover activity and lower saltwater disposal expenses, as well as an $18 million decrease due to the Eagle Ford divestitures.

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Production expenses during the Current Period decreased $112 million compared to the Prior Period. The decrease was primarily due to a $78 million decrease due to the Eagle Ford divestitures, as well as a $31 million decrease in Haynesville as a result of decreased workover activity and lower saltwater disposal expenses.

Gathering, Processing and Transportation Expenses

						Three Months Ended June 30,																								Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024												2023												2024												2023
												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe
Marcellus						$	102					0.72						$	108					0.65						$	211					0.71						$	219					0.64
Haynesville						52						0.48						65						0.45						116						0.48						133						0.47
Eagle Ford						—						—						34						1.58						—						—						119						1.69
Total GP&T						$	154					0.62						$	207					0.62						$	327					0.60						$	471					0.67

Gathering, processing and transportation expenses during the Current Quarter decreased $53 million compared to the Prior Quarter. The decrease was primarily related to a $34 million decrease due to the Eagle Ford divestitures. Additionally, decreased volumes resulted in a $13 million decrease in Haynesville.

Gathering, processing and transportation expenses during the Current Period decreased $144 million compared to the Prior Period. The decrease was primarily related to a $119 million decrease due to the Eagle Ford divestitures. Additionally, decreased volumes resulted in a $17 million decrease in Haynesville.

Severance and Ad Valorem Taxes

						Three Months Ended June 30,																								Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024												2023												2024												2023
												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe												$/Mcfe
Marcellus						$	3					0.02						$	2					0.01						$	7					0.02						$	7					0.02
Haynesville						15						0.14						29						0.21						40						0.17						63						0.22
Eagle Ford						—						—						9						0.42						—						—						39						0.55
Total severance and ad valorem taxes						$	18					0.07						$	40					0.12						$	47					0.09						$	109					0.16

Severance and ad valorem taxes during the Current Quarter decreased $22 million compared to the Prior Quarter. The decrease was primarily related to a $10 million decrease due to ad valorem taxable value decreasing based on lower commodity prices and a $9 million decrease due to the Eagle Ford divestitures. Additionally, Haynesville severance taxes decreased as a result of decreased volumes.

Severance and ad valorem taxes during the Current Period decreased $62 million compared to the Prior Period. The decrease was primarily related to a $39 million decrease due to the Eagle Ford divestitures and a $15 million decrease due to ad valorem taxable value decreasing based on lower commodity prices. Additionally, Haynesville severance taxes decreased as a result of decreased volumes.

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Natural Gas and Oil Derivatives

						Three Months Ended June 30,												Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023						2024						2023
Natural gas derivatives - realized gains						$	251					$	226					$	490					$	86
Natural gas derivatives - unrealized gains (losses)						(262)						(68)						(350)						953
Total gains (losses) on natural gas derivatives						$	(11)					$	158					$	140					$	1,039
Oil derivatives - realized gains (losses)						$	—					$	11					$	—					$	(38)
Oil derivatives - unrealized gains (losses)						—						(10)						—						88
Total gains on oil derivatives						$	—					$	1					$	—					$	50
Contingent consideration unrealized gains						$	—					$	—					$	21					$	—
Total gains (losses) on natural gas and oil derivatives						$	(11)					$	159					$	161					$	1,089

See Note 11 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for a discussion of our derivative activity.

General and Administrative Expenses

						Three Months Ended June 30,												Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023						2024						2023
Total G&A, net						$	47					$	31					$	94					$	66
G&A, net per Mcfe						$	0.19					$	0.09					$	0.17					$	0.09

The absolute and per unit increase in total general and administrative expenses, net during the Current Quarter and Current Period is primarily due to a decrease in our producing well count following the Eagle Ford divestitures, which reduced our allocations and reimbursements of G&A.

Separation and Other Termination Costs

During the Current Period, we recognized $23 million of separation and other termination costs related to one-time termination benefits for certain employees.

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

						Three Months Ended June 30,												Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023						2024						2023
DD&A						$	348					$	376					$	747					$	766
DD&A per Mcfe						$	1.39					$	1.14					$	1.38					$	1.09

The per unit increase in depreciation, depletion and amortization for the Current Quarter and Current Period compared to the Prior Quarter and Prior Period, respectively, is primarily the result of a higher depletion rate. The increase in our depletion rate is due to a decrease in prices used in the evaluation of our reserves. The decrease in absolute depreciation, depletion and amortization for the Current Quarter and Current Period compared to the Prior Quarter and Prior Period is due to decreased volumes.

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Other Operating Expense, Net

						Three Months Ended June 30,												Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023						2024						2023
Other operating expense, net						$	16					$	9					$	33					$	12

During the Current Quarter and Current Period, we recognized approximately $15 million and $26 million, respectively, of costs related to the pending Southwestern Merger, which included legal fees, consulting fees and financial advisory fees.

Interest Expense

						Three Months Ended June 30,												Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023						2024						2023
Interest expense on debt						$	32					$	32					$	64					$	78
Amortization of premium, issuance costs and other						(3)						(3)						(5)						(5)
Capitalized interest						(9)						(7)						(20)						(14)
Total interest expense						$	20					$	22					$	39					$	59

The decrease in total interest expense during the Current Quarter and Current Period compared to the Prior Quarter and Prior Period was due to lower average debt outstanding between periods as well as increased capitalized interest, primarily related to our investment in Momentum Sustainable Ventures LLC.

Other Income

						Three Months Ended June 30,												Six Months Ended June 30,
						2024						2023						2024						2023
Other income						$	21					$	23					$	41					$	33

Other income during the time periods presented above primarily consists of interest income and deferred consideration amortization. The increase during the Current Period was primarily due to increased interest income related to our higher average cash balance compared to the Prior Period.

Income Taxes

An income tax benefit of $61 million was recorded for the Current Period. This amount was entirely related to projections of deferred federal and state income taxes. Income tax expense was $531 million for the Prior Period. Of this amount, $132 million was the result of projecting current federal and state income taxes, predominately as a result of taxable gains on closed divestitures, and the remainder was related to projections of deferred federal and state income taxes. Our effective income tax rate was 23.3% and 23.0% during the Current Period and the Prior Period, respectively. Our effective tax rate can fluctuate due to the impact of discrete items, state income taxes and permanent differences. See Note 8 of the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this report for a discussion of income taxes.

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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 pending Southwestern Merger, armed conflict and instability in Europe and the Middle East, along with the effects of the current global economic environment, and the impact of each on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, the potential effects of the Plan 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, and our ESG initiatives. Forward-looking and other statements in this Form 10-Q regarding our environmental, social and other sustainability plans and goals are not an indication that these statements are necessarily material to investors or required to be disclosed in our filings with the SEC. In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking environmental, social and sustainability-related statements may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the future. 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:

• conservation measures and technological advances could reduce demand for natural gas and oil;

• negative public perceptions of our industry;

• competition in the natural gas and oil exploration and production industry;

• the volatility of natural gas, oil 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;

• risks from regional epidemics or pandemics and related economic turmoil, including supply chain constraints;

• write-downs of our natural gas and oil asset carrying values due to low commodity prices;

• significant capital expenditures are required to replace our reserves and conduct our business;

• our ability to replace reserves and sustain production;

• uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of natural gas, oil and NGL reserves and projecting future rates of production and the amount and timing of development expenditures;

• drilling and operating risks and resulting liabilities;

• our ability to generate profits or achieve targeted results in drilling and well operations;

• leasehold terms expiring before production can be established;

• risks from our commodity price risk management activities;

• uncertainties, risks and costs associated with natural gas and oil operations;

• our need to secure adequate supplies of water for our drilling operations and to dispose of or recycle the water used;

• pipeline and gathering system capacity constraints and transportation interruptions;

• our plans to participate in the LNG export industry;

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• terrorist activities and/or cyber-attacks adversely impacting our operations;

• risks from failure to protect personal information and data and compliance with data privacy and security laws and regulations;

• disruption of our business by natural or human causes beyond our control;

• a deterioration in general economic, business or industry conditions;

• the impact of inflation and commodity price volatility, including as a result of armed conflict and instability in Europe and the Middle East, along with the effects of the current global economic environment, on our business, financial condition, employees, contractors, vendors and the global demand for natural gas and oil and on U.S. and global financial markets;

• our inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms;

• the limitations on our financial flexibility due to our level of indebtedness and restrictive covenants from our indebtedness;

• our actual financial results after emergence from bankruptcy may not be comparable to our historical financial information;

• risks related to acquisitions or dispositions, or potential acquisitions or dispositions, including risks related to the pending Southwestern Merger, such as the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement for the Southwestern Merger; the risk that we or Southwestern may be unable to obtain governmental and regulatory approvals required for the proposed transaction, or required governmental and regulatory approvals may delay the Southwestern Merger or result in the imposition of conditions that could cause the parties to abandon the Southwestern Merger; the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the proposed transaction in a timely manner or at all; risks related to limitation on our ability to pursue alternatives to the Southwestern Merger; risks related to change in control or other provisions in certain agreements that may be triggered upon completion of the Southwestern Merger; risks related to the merger agreement’s restrictions on business activities prior to the effective time of the Southwestern Merger; risks related to loss of management personnel, other key employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, landlords, joint venture partners and other business partners following the Southwestern Merger; risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction; the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of our common stock or Southwestern’s common stock; the risk of any unexpected costs or expenses resulting from the proposed transaction; the risk of any litigation relating to the proposed transaction; the risk that problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected; and the risk that the combined company may be unable to achieve synergies or other anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction or it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies or benefits;

• our ability to achieve and maintain ESG certifications, goals and commitments;

• legislative, regulatory and ESG initiatives, addressing environmental concerns, including initiatives addressing the impact of global climate change or further regulating hydraulic fracturing, methane emissions, flaring or water disposal;

• federal and state tax proposals affecting our industry;

• risks related to an annual limitation on the utilization of our tax attributes, which is expected to be triggered upon the completion of the Southwestern Merger, as well as trading in our common stock, additional issuance of common stock, and certain other stock transactions, which could lead to an additional, potentially more restrictive, annual limitation; and

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• other factors that are described under Risk Factors in Item 1A of our 2023 Form 10-K.

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.

Information About Us

Investors should note that 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. We also post announcements, updates, events, investor information and presentations on our website in addition to copies of all recent news releases. We may use the Investors section of our website to communicate with investors. It is possible that the financial and other information posted on the Investors section of our website could be deemed to be material information. 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.

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