Valero Energy CorporationVLO

Core operations · Operational disruption and business continuity

Our refineries and plants are our principal operating assets and are subject to planned and unplanned downtime and interruptions. Our operations could also be subject to significant interruption if any of our refineries or plants were to experience a major accident or mechanical failure; be damaged by severe weather and natural disasters/acts of nature (such as hurricanes, winter storms, and earthquakes); or man-made disruptions (such as cybersecurity incidents, terrorism, protests, or human error); or otherwise be forced to shut down or curtail operations.

Supply chain and procurement · Raw material availability and cost volatility

The prices we pay to acquire feedstocks and the market prices at which we can ultimately sell our products depend upon several factors, including global and regional supplies, inventory levels, and availability of and demand for feedstocks, liquid transportation fuels, and other products.

Core operations · Facility damage and equipment failure

Any such interruption could materially and adversely affect our earnings (to the extent not recoverable through insurance) because of lost productivity and repair and other costs. Significant operational interruptions could also lead to increased volatility in the price of our feedstocks and many of our products.

International and currency · International operations and emerging markets

We have operations and business activities, including marketing activities, outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Mexico, and Peru, and are subject to disruptions and developments in or otherwise affecting any of these markets, including due to actual or alleged violations of laws or regulations (such as anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and foreign corrupt practices violations); expropriation or impoundment of assets; failure of foreign governments and state-owned entities to honor their contracts; differential treatment or goals of state-owned entities; property disputes; economic or political instability; currency exchange rates; restrictions on the transfer of funds; tariffs, duties, and sanctions; fees; taxes or penalties; transportation delays; import and export controls; price controls; labor unrest; security issues; government decisions (including designations with respect to terrorist organizations), orders, mandates, investigations, regulations, and issuances or revocations of permits and authorizations; global geopolitical and other conflicts and tensions; changing regulatory, judicial, and political environments.

Capital structure and performance · Credit rating and cost of capital

In addition, the cost and availability of debt and equity financing or commercial arrangements may be adversely impacted by prolonged periods of high interest rates, inflation, unstable or illiquid financial market conditions, or adverse changes in our credit profile or to our credit ratings.

International and currency · Foreign exchange and currency exposure

We have operations and business activities, including marketing activities, outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Mexico, and Peru, and are subject to disruptions and developments in or otherwise affecting any of these markets, including due to actual or alleged violations of laws or regulations (such as anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and foreign corrupt practices violations); expropriation or impoundment of assets; failure of foreign governments and state-owned entities to honor their contracts; differential treatment or goals of state-owned entities; property disputes; economic or political instability; currency exchange rates; restrictions on the transfer of funds.

Tax and financial reporting · Tax compliance and changes in tax law

We are subject to extensive tax liabilities imposed by multiple jurisdictions, including income taxes; indirect taxes (e.g., excise, duty, sales, use, gross receipts, and value-added taxes); and payroll, franchise, withholding, and ad valorem taxes. New and revised tax laws and regulations are continuously being enacted or proposed that could result in increased expenditures for tax liabilities in the future.

Industry regulation · Safety and environmental regulations

Applicable environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations expose us to various other risks. Our operations are also subject to other extensive environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations by various levels of government authorities where we operate or have operated, including those relating to the release or discharge of materials into the environment, waste management, pollution prevention, air emissions, and characteristics and composition of fuels.

Legal and litigation · Litigation and legal proceedings

We could face increased climate‐related litigation with respect to our operations, disclosures, or products. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and private parties across the world have filed lawsuits or initiated regulatory action against fossil fuel companies. Such lawsuits and actions often allege noncompliance with applicable laws or regulations, or personal injury or damages they attribute to perceived climate-related harms, and seek damages and/or abatement under various tort and other theories, including under consumer protection, human rights, or constitutional provisions.

Economic and market conditions · Consumer spending and confidence

In turn, the demand for and consumption of our products, and also our revenues, margins, growth prospects, and capital allocation decisions have been and could again be negatively impacted.

Geopolitical and trade · Government funding and budget changes

The demand for many of our low-carbon fuels may significantly decline without sufficient and continued government support and incentives therefor, and if our competitors are able to capture the benefits from such government support and incentives to a greater degree than we are it may place us at a competitive disadvantage.

Natural and catastrophic events · Pandemic and public health crises

Factors outside of our control, such as economic, legal, regulatory, and political uncertainties; global geopolitical and other conflicts and tensions; inflation (and the potential for increased prices to reduce demand); prolonged periods of high interest rates; and public health crises (such as pandemics or epidemics) have negatively affected, and many such factors could continue to negatively affect, economic activity and growth levels of the U.S. and other countries.

Geopolitical and trade · International conflicts and tensions

Factors outside of our control, such as economic, legal, regulatory, and political uncertainties; global geopolitical and other conflicts and tensions; inflation (and the potential for increased prices to reduce demand); prolonged periods of high interest rates; and public health crises (such as pandemics or epidemics) have negatively affected, and many such factors could continue to negatively affect, economic activity and growth levels of the U.S. and other countries.

Geopolitical and trade · Political instability and government changes

We have operations and business activities, including marketing activities, outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Mexico, and Peru, and are subject to disruptions and developments in or otherwise affecting any of these markets, including due to actual or alleged violations of laws or regulations (such as anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and foreign corrupt practices violations); expropriation or impoundment of assets; failure of foreign governments and state-owned entities to honor their contracts; differential treatment or goals of state-owned entities; property disputes; economic or political instability.

Market position and competition · Disruptive competitors and new market entrants

There may also be new entrants into the low-carbon fuels industry or developments by current competitors that could meet the market's demands in a more efficient or less costly manner than our technologies and products. Competition within the global ethanol industry also continues to grow.

Strategic execution · Strategic transformation and turnaround risks

We also regularly assess our facilities and operations in light of market dynamics and the regulatory environment and have taken, and may in the future take, strategic actions to optimize our portfolio of assets, including those described in Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements with respect to our operations in California.

Strategic execution · Joint venture and partnership risks

We conduct some of our operations through joint ventures in which we share control over certain economic, legal, and business interests with other joint venture members. We also conduct some of our operations through entities in which we have a minority or no equity ownership interest, such as the variable interest entities (VIEs) described in Note 12 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The other joint venture members and the third-party equity holders of the VIEs have certain economic, business, or legal interests, opportunities, or goals that are inconsistent with or different from our own, have different liquidity needs or financial condition characteristics than our own, are subject to different legal or contractual obligations than we are, and may be unable to meet their obligations, each of which exposes us to risks.

Customer and revenue · Changing customer preferences and behavior

A reduction in the demand for our products could result from events and trends such as increases in fuel efficiency, decreases in travel or fuel consumption levels, and a transition by consumers to alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, in each case, whether as a result of government mandates, incentives, or actions (including foreign dumping), industry developments, societal changes, or sentiment or perception with respect to our products, or fossil fuels and GHG emissions generally.

Digital transformation and innovation · Technology obsolescence and evolution

New developments may alter consumer fuel or energy preferences or make alternative fuel vehicles more affordable or desirable, including improvements in battery and storage technology, increases in driving ranges, increased availability of charging stations and other infrastructure, expanded and more reliable supply chains, autonomous driving capabilities, improvements in hydrogen fuel cell technology, and other technological changes.

Cybersecurity and data protection · Third party data security and vendors

A breach could also originate from or compromise our customers', vendors', suppliers', or other third-party networks outside of our control that could impact our business and operations, as occurred with the Colonial Pipeline cybersecurity incident in May 2021. Our vendors and suppliers are also increasingly using and offering platforms powered by AI. Although we implement internal controls on the connectivity of third parties to our systems that attempt to prevent or mitigate the impact from incidents affecting third-party systems, we have limited control over ensuring that third parties themselves are consistently enforcing strong controls over their systems.