successful efforts method

This subtopic governs how oil and gas entities capitalize, amortize, impair, and dispose of industry-specific property, plant, and equipment—mineral interests in properties, wells and related equipment and facilities, support equipment and facilities, and uncompleted wells—under the successful efforts method (full cost accounting is left to SEC literature). Only exploration and development costs that relate directly to specific oil and gas reserves are capitalized; other costs are expensed, and exploratory well costs are held in uncompleted wells pending a determination of whether proved reserves were found. Capitalized proved property and well costs are amortized by the unit-of-production method, unproved properties are periodically assessed for impairment via a valuation allowance, and conveyances of mineral interests generally produce no gain when they are poolings of assets or involve substantial future performance obligations.

This Subtopic identifies costs unique to oil- and gas-producing activities that do not result in acquisition of an asset and therefore must be charged to expense as incurred. Under the successful efforts framework, geological and geophysical (G&G) costs, costs of carrying and retaining undeveloped properties, dry hole and bottom hole contributions, and the costs of exploratory wells (and exploratory-type stratigraphic test wells) that do not find proved reserves are expensed immediately. It also notes the customary practice of accumulating an in-house exploration department's costs and allocating them to exploration activities using standardized charges.