Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Our Company
We are a leading integrated energy services and technology company focused on providing innovative hydraulic services and related technologies to onshore oil and natural gas exploration and production (“E&P”) companies in North America. We offer customers hydraulic fracturing services, together with complementary services including wireline services, proppant delivery solutions, field gas processing and treating, compressed natural gas (“CNG”) delivery, data analytics, related goods (including our sand mine operations), and technologies that will facilitate lower emission completions, thereby helping our customers reduce their emissions profile.
Our areas of operations are in all of the most active shale basins in North America, including the Permian Basin, the Williston Basin, the Eagle Ford Shale, the Haynesville Shale, the Appalachian Basin (Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale), the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, the Denver-Julesburg Basin (the “DJ Basin”), and the Anadarko Basin. Our operations also extend to a few smaller shale basins, including the Uinta Basin, the Powder River Basin, and the San Juan Basin. The breadth of our operational footprint provides us an opportunity to leverage our fixed costs and to efficiently reposition our equipment in response to customer requirements. The map below represents our current primary areas of operation.
The process of hydraulic fracturing involves pumping a pressurized stream of fracturing fluid (typically a mixture of water, chemicals and proppant) into a well casing or tubing to cause the underground formation to fracture or crack. These fractures release trapped hydrocarbon particles and provide a conductive channel for the oil or natural gas to flow freely to the wellbore for collection. The propping agent, or proppant, typically sand, becomes lodged in the cracks created by the hydraulic fracturing process, “propping” them open to facilitate the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the well. The fracturing
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fluid is engineered to lose viscosity, or “break,” and is subsequently flowed back from the formation, leaving the proppant suspended in the formation fractures. Once our customer has flushed the fracturing fluids from the well using a controlled flow-back process, the customer manages fluid and water recycling or disposal.
Our hydraulic fracturing fleets consist of mobile hydraulic fracturing units and other auxiliary heavy equipment to perform fracturing services. Our hydraulic fracturing units consist primarily of high-pressure hydraulic pumps, engines, transmissions, radiators and other supporting equipment that are typically mounted on trailers. We refer to the group of units and other equipment, such as blenders, data vans, sand storage, tractors, manifolds and high-pressure fracturing iron, which are necessary to perform a typical hydraulic fracturing job, as a “fleet,” and the personnel assigned to each fleet as a “crew.” The size of each fleet and crew can vary depending on the requirements of each job design.
Wireline operations supplement our hydraulic fracturing fleets, which consist of a truck equipped with a spool of wireline that is lowered into wells to convey specialized tools or equipment, such as perforating guns and charges, which are necessary to connect the wellbore with the target formation. This operation is performed between each hydraulic fracturing stage. Our wireline service is primarily offered alongside our hydraulic fracturing services, which allows us to maximize efficiency for our customers through optimized coordination of the wireline and hydraulic fracturing services. In addition, we also offer our wireline service on a stand-alone basis.
We also operate two sand mines that allows us to vertically integrate our supply-chain in the Permian Basin. The mines provide sand to Liberty hydraulic fracturing fleets as well as to third parties. With a secured supply of regional sand in the basin, we reduce our dependency on other providers and any downtime that could result from sand supply issues.
As a result of the acquisition of PropX, which was completed in October 2021, we are a leading provider of last-mile proppant delivery solutions, including proppant handling equipment and logistics software across North America. PropX offers innovative environmentally friendly technology with optimized dry and wet sand containers and wellsite proppant handling equipment that drive logistics efficiency and reduce noise and emissions. We believe that PropX wet sand handling technology is a key enabler of the next step of cost and emissions reductions in the proppant industry. PropX also offers customers the latest real-time logistics software, PropConnect™, as a hosted software as a service.
In early 2023, we launched Liberty Power Innovations LLC (“LPI”), an integrated alternative fuel and power solutions provider for remote applications. On April 6, 2023, LPI expanded its footprint with the acquisition of Siren Energy & Logistics, LLC (“Siren”) (“the Siren Acquisition”), a Permian focused integrated natural gas compression and CNG delivery business. LPI provides CNG supply, field gas processing and treating, and well site fueling and logistics. LPI was formed with the initial focus on supporting Liberty’s transition towards our next generation digiFleets℠ and dual fuel fleets, as CNG fueling services are limited in the market, yet critical to maintaining highly efficient well site operations. Currently, LPI is primarily focused on supporting an industry transition to natural gas fueled technologies, serving as a key enabler of the next step of cost and emissions reductions in the oilfield.
Our operations are organized into a single business segment, which consists of hydraulic fracturing services, including wireline, proppant delivery and goods, including our Permian Basin sand mines, and natural gas compression and delivery, and we have one reportable geographical segment, North America. We have grown from one active hydraulic fracturing fleet as of December 2011 to over 40 active fleets as of December 31, 2023. We are focused on providing “next-generation” frac fleets and technologies to assist our customers with completing their wells in an environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) friendly manner.
Our founders and management are pioneers in the development of data-driven hydraulic fracturing technologies for application in shale plays. Prior to founding the Company, the majority of our management team founded and built Pinnacle Technologies, Inc. (“Pinnacle Technologies”) into a leading fracturing technology company. In 1992, Pinnacle Technologies developed the first commercial hydraulic fracture mapping technologies, analytical tools that played a major role in launching the shale revolution. Our extensive experience with fracture technologies and customized fracture design has enabled us to develop new technologies and processes that provide our customers with real-time solutions that significantly enhance their completions. These technologies include hydraulic fracture propagation models, reservoir engineering tools, large, proprietary shale production databases and multi-variable statistical analysis techniques. Taken together, these technologies have enabled us to be a leader in hydraulic fracture design innovation and application. Our management team has an average of over 20 years of energy services experience, and the majority of our management team worked together before founding our company.
We believe technical innovation and strong relationships with our customer and supplier bases distinguish us from our competitors and are the foundations of our business. We expect that E&P companies will continue to focus on technological innovation as completion complexity and fracture intensity of horizontal wells increases, particularly as customers are increasingly focused on reducing emissions from their completions operations. We remain proactive in developing innovative solutions to industry challenges, including developing: (i) our databases of U.S. unconventional wells to which we apply our proprietary multi-variable statistical analysis technologies to provide differential insight into fracture design optimization; (ii)
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our Liberty Quiet Fleet® design which significantly reduces noise levels compared to conventional hydraulic fracturing fleets; (iii) hydraulic fracturing fluid systems tailored to the specific reservoir properties in the basins in which we operate; (iv) our dual fuel dynamic gas blending (“DGB”) fleets that allow our engines to run diesel or a combination of diesel and natural gas, to optimize fuel use, reduce emissions and lower costs; (v) our digiFleets℠, comprising of digiFrac℠ and digiPrime℠ pumps, our innovative, purpose-built electric and hybrid frac pumps that have approximately 25% lower CO2e emission profile than the Tier IV DGB; (vi) our wet sand handling technology which eliminates the need to dry sand, enabling the deployment of mobile mines nearer to wellsites; and (vii) the launch of LPI to support the transition to our digiFleets as well as the transition to lower costs and emissions in the oilfield. In addition, our integrated supply chain includes proppant, chemicals, equipment, natural gas fueling services, logistics and integrated software which we believe promotes wellsite efficiency and leads to more pumping hours and higher productivity throughout the year to better service our customers. In order to achieve our technological objectives, we carefully manage our liquidity and debt position to promote operational flexibility and invest in the business throughout the full commodity cycle in the regions we operate.
ESG Focused
We support all energy sources that improve our energy system and better lives. We passionately work to better the process of bringing hydrocarbons to the surface in a clean, safe and efficient fashion and view these principles as foundational to our business. We focus on developing and adding technologies to our operations that assist our customers in implementing their goals. The list below sets forth specific examples of our efforts in this regard:
• In 2013, we introduced Tier II dual-fuel technology to our fleets which allows our frac pumps to use natural gas in place of some diesel fuel to lower particulate emissions.
• In 2014, we began the use of containerized sand delivery at frac locations, which reduces dust, noise and truck traffic.
• In 2016, we introduced Quiet Fleet® technology, which significantly reduces noise levels associated with frac operations.
• In 2018, we partnered with an equipment supplier to introduce Tier IV dynamic gas blending, or DGB, engines to our frac fleet that can substitute up to 80% of the diesel typically used by a frac pump with natural gas and significantly lower emission levels in frac operations. Tier IV DGB engines were added to our fleet in 2020.
• In 2018, we began the design and development of digiFrac SM , our innovative, purpose-built electric frac pump that has approximately a 25% lower CO2e emission profile than the Tier IV DGB.
• In 2021, we announced the successful test of digiFrac and in 2022 commenced delivery of commercial pumps.
• In October 2021, we acquired PropX, a leading provider of last-mile proppant delivery solutions including proppant handling equipment and logistics software. PropX offers innovative, environmentally friendly technology with optimized dry and wet sand containers and wellsite proppant handling equipment that drive logistics efficiency and reduce noise and emissions.
• In 2022, we began the design and development of digiPrime SM , the first hybrid pump technology, utilizing direct mechanical drive for the pumps while simultaneously generating power capable of electrifying supporting equipment at the well site. These pumps have a lower CO2e emissions profile than digiFrac.
• In 2023, we launched LPI and closed the acquisition of Siren. We believe that the shift in fuel consumption from diesel to cleaner natural gas has the potential to promote emissions reductions in the industry.
• In 2023, we commenced deployment of digiFleets SM , comprised of digiFrac and digiPrime pump technology along with other complementary equipment from our digiTechnologies SM suite.
• In January 2024, we established the Bettering Human Lives Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the well-being of communities worldwide with an early focus on promoting clean cooking solutions.
• In February 2024, we released the third edition of our Bettering Human Lives report, emphasizing energy’s central role in human lives. The report has been updated to include real-world case studies and is now segmented into six sections: Energy, Energy and the Modern World, Energy Poverty, Climate Change, Climate Economics, and an in-depth section on Liberty Energy.
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Furthermore, we are continuously committed to engagement in our communities. We provide K-12 scholarships to low-income children through ACE (Alliance for Choice in Education) and we have launched a Liberty Scholars program at Montana Technological University to enable lower-income students to obtain a college education. In total, over 140 students received Liberty scholarships across the U.S. and Canada in 2023. In addition to our educational initiatives, we have other efforts targeting veterans, poverty abatement, low-income housing, criminal justice reform, and job opportunities for those who had a disadvantaged start in life. To double our impact and encourage our employees to get involved in their communities, we launched Love, Liberty, our corporate matching program in 2021. In 2023, Liberty processed over 100 match requests to nearly 50 different organizations, totaling nearly $30,000 in matching contributions.
Cyclical Nature of Industry
We operate in a cyclical industry reflecting global oil and gas supply and demand dynamics, current and expected future oil and gas commodity prices, and the perceived stability and sustainability of those prices. Global oil and gas supply and demand can be impacted by general domestic and international economic conditions, inflationary pressures, geopolitical developments, government regulations, and other factors. Such factors also impact capital expenditures and drilling and completions activities of E&P companies, which in turn can impact demand for our services. For these reasons, the results of our operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and from year to year, and these fluctuations may distort comparisons of results across periods.
Seasonality
Our results of operations have historically reflected seasonal tendencies relating to holiday seasons, inclement weather and the conclusion of our customers’ annual drilling and completion capital expenditure budgets. Our most notable declines typically occur in the fourth quarter of the year for the reasons described above. Additionally, some of the areas in which we have operations, including Canada, the DJ Basin, Powder River Basin and Williston Basin, are adversely affected by seasonal weather conditions, primarily in the winter and spring. During periods of heavy snow, ice, rain, or frost, and related road restrictions, we may be unable to move our equipment between locations, thereby reducing our ability to provide services and generate revenues. The exploration activities of our customers may also be affected during such periods of adverse weather conditions. Additionally, extended drought conditions in our operating regions could impact our ability or our customers’ ability to source sufficient water or increase the cost for such water.
Intellectual Property
Over the last several years and in connection with the acquisitions of PropX, Siren, and others in prior periods, we have significantly invested in our research and technology capabilities. Our efforts to date have been focused on developing innovative, fit-for-purpose solutions designed to enhance our core service offerings, increase completion efficiencies, provide cost savings to our operations and add value for our customers. A cornerstone of our technological advantage is a series of proprietary databases of U.S. unconventional wells that include production data, completion designs and reservoir characteristics. We utilize these databases to perform multi-variable statistical analysis that generates differential insight into fracture design optimization to enhance our customers’ production economics. Our emphasis on data analytics is also deployed during job execution through the use of real-time feedback on variables that maximizes customer returns by improving cost-effective hydraulic fracturing operations.
Today, we hold approximately 500 patents and patent licenses relating to our engineering and technology solutions. We seek patent and trademark protections for our technology when we deem it prudent, and we aggressively pursue protection of these rights when warranted. We believe our patents, trademarks, and other protections for our proprietary technologies are adequate for the conduct of our business and that no single patent or trademark is critical to our business. In addition, we rely, to a great extent, on the technical expertise and know-how of our personnel to maintain our competitive position, and we take commercially reasonable measures to protect trade secrets and other confidential and/or proprietary information relating to the technologies we develop.
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Human Capital Management
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 5,500 employees and no unionized labor. We believe we have good relations with our employees and that one of our key competitive advantages is our people. Our highly trained, experienced and motivated employees are critical to delivering our hydraulic fracturing services. Taking care of our employees is one of our top priorities, and we continually invest in hiring, training and retaining the employees we believe to be the best in our field. We consistently assess the current business environment and labor market to refine our compensation and benefits programs in order to attract and retain top talent in our industry. We strive to promote from within our existing employee base to manage new hydraulic fracturing fleets and organically grow our operating expertise. This organic growth is essential in achieving the expertise and level of customer service we strive to provide each of our customers. As a result, we plan to continue to invest in our employees through both personal and professional training to attract and retain the best individuals in our areas of operation. Overall, we focus on individual contributions and team success to foster a culture built around operational excellence and superior safety.
Health and Safety
Our people are our most important asset and ensuring their safety and the safety of those around them is the most important thing we do. Making certain that the Liberty team is well trained to handle the complexities of daily field operations, and that their training and competency remains current with the latest technology and standards is a key component. In order to facilitate this training, we have developed the Liberty Frac Academy, a thorough program where employees are trained on various aspects of the Company, from safety in equipment operation to leadership skills. The Liberty Frac Academy not only ensures dissemination of high-quality training material, but also provides a forum for sharing best practices and lessons learned across the Company. As a result, we are among the safest service providers in the industry with a constant focus on Health, Safety and Environmental performance and service quality, as evidenced by an average incident rate that was consistently lower than the industry average from 2021 to 2023. Our employee-centered focus and reputation for safety has enabled us to obtain projects from industry leaders with some of the most demanding safety and operational requirements.
Programs and Benefits
One way we have demonstrated a history of investing in our workforce is by offering competitive salaries and wages. To foster a strong sense of ownership, restricted stock units are provided to eligible employees under our long-term incentive plan. Furthermore, we offer innovative benefits to all eligible employees, including, among others, comprehensive health insurance coverage, parental leave to all new parents, for birth or adoption, financial support for child adoption, leave to care for partners with serious health conditions, 401(k) savings plan and educational tuition assistance for both bachelor’s degree and master’s degree programs. We are also passionate about community investment and are a part of the Ban the Box initiative which provides work opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Governmental Regulation and Climate Change
As a company with operations in both the United States and Canada, we are subject to the laws of both jurisdictions in which we operate and the rules and regulations of various governing bodies, which may differ among those jurisdictions. Compliance with these laws, rules and regulations has not had, and is not expected to have, a material effect on our capital expenditures, results of operations and competitive position as compared to prior periods. We are also subject to numerous environmental and regulatory requirements related to our operations. For further information related to such regulation, see the risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report.
Our operations are subject to numerous stringent and complex laws and regulations at the federal, state, and local levels governing the discharge of materials into the environment, environmental protection, and health and safety aspects of our operations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations or to obtain or comply with permits may result in the assessment of administrative, civil, and criminal penalties, imposition of remedial or corrective action requirements, and the imposition of injunctions or other orders to prohibit certain activities, restrict certain operations, or force future compliance with environmental requirements.
There is inherent risk of incurring significant environmental costs and liabilities in the performance of our operations due to our handling of petroleum hydrocarbons, other hazardous substances, and wastes, as a result of air emissions and wastewater discharges related to our operations, and because of historical operations and waste disposal practices. Spills or other releases of regulated substances, including such spills and releases that occur in the future, could expose us to material losses, expenditures, and liabilities under applicable environmental laws and regulations. Under certain of such laws and regulations, we could be held strictly liable for the removal or remediation of previously released materials or property contamination, regardless of whether we were responsible for the release or contamination and even if our operations met previous standards in the industry at the time they were conducted. The following is a summary of some of the existing laws, rules, and regulations to which we are subject.
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U.S. Laws and Regulations
Hazardous Substances and Waste Handling
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) and comparable state statutes regulate the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal, and cleanup of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Under guidance issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), the individual states administer some or all of the provisions of RCRA, sometimes in conjunction with their own, more stringent requirements. RCRA currently exempts many E&P wastes from classification as hazardous waste. Specifically, RCRA excludes from the definition of hazardous waste produced waters and other wastes intrinsically associated with the exploration, development, or production of crude oil and natural gas. However, these E&P wastes may still be regulated under state solid waste laws and regulations, and it is possible that certain oil and natural gas E&P wastes now classified as non-hazardous could be classified as hazardous waste in the future. Stricter regulation of wastes generated during our or our customers’ operations could result in increased costs for our operations or the operations of our customers, which could in turn reduce demand for our services and adversely affect our business. We cannot guarantee that the EPA will not revisit the exemption of E&P waste or that waste will not become more heavily regulated at the federal or state level.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as the Superfund law, imposes joint and several liability, without regard to fault or legality of conduct, on classes of persons who are considered to be responsible for the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. These persons include the current and former owner or operator of the site where the release occurred and anyone who transported or disposed or arranged for the transport or disposal of a hazardous substance released at the site. Persons who are or were responsible for releases of hazardous substances under CERCLA and any state analogs may be subject to joint and several strict liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment and for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. We currently own, lease, or operate numerous properties that have been used for manufacturing and other operations for many years. These properties and the substances disposed or released on them may be subject to CERCLA and analogous state laws. Under such laws, we could be required to remove previously disposed substances and wastes, remediate contaminated property, or perform remedial operations to prevent future contamination. In addition, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous substances released into the environment.
Worker Health and Safety
We are subject to a number of federal and state laws and regulations, including the OSHA regulatory standards, which establish requirements to protect the health and safety of workers. Among others, we may be subject to OSHA regulations for safe operation of cranes, power industrial trucks and similar equipment at our worksites, safe practices for working in hazardous locations and permit-required confined spaces, and proper use of required personal protective equipment by workers. OSHA’s hazard communication standard requires tracking of hazardous chemicals present at the worksite, sharing of such information with the workers, and training the workers to handle the chemicals appropriately. The EPA’s community right-to-know regulations under Title III of the federal Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act, and comparable state statutes also require maintenance of information about hazardous materials used or produced in operations and provision of this information to employees, state and local government authorities, and citizens. We are also subject to OSHA’s regulatory standard for respirable crystalline silica, which provides measures to protect workers in hydraulic fracturing operations from exposure to this chemical including limiting exposure to airborne respirable crystalline silica in excess of a specified limit. Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (the “FMCSA”) regulates and provides safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles, the EPA establishes requirements to protect human health and the environment, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives establishes requirements for the safe use and storage of explosives, and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission establishes requirements for the protection against ionizing radiation. We are subject to Mine Safety & Health Administration regulations related to operation of sand mines including regulations for training and retraining of workers engaged in sand mine operations. Substantial fines and penalties can be imposed, and orders or injunctions limiting or prohibiting certain operations may be issued, in connection with any failure to comply with these laws and regulations.
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Water Discharges
The federal Water Pollution Control Act (the “Clean Water Act”) and analogous state laws impose restrictions and strict controls with respect to the discharge of pollutants, including spills and leaks of oil and other substances, into waters of the U.S. The discharge of pollutants into regulated waters, including jurisdictional wetlands, is prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA or an analogous state agency. To the extent the agencies expanding the range of properties subject to the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction or impose more stringent requirements on discharges of wastewater, certain energy companies could face increased costs and delays with respect to obtaining permits, including for the discharge of dredge and fill activities in waters of the U.S. or wetland areas, which in turn could reduce demand for our services. Furthermore, the process for obtaining permits has the potential to delay our operations and those of our customers. Spill prevention, control, and countermeasure requirements of federal laws require appropriate containment berms and similar structures to help prevent the contamination of navigable waters by a petroleum hydrocarbon tank spill, rupture, or leak. In addition, the Clean Water Act and analogous state laws require individual permits or coverage under general permits for discharges of wastewater and storm water runoff from certain types of facilities. The Clean Water Act and analogous state laws provide for administrative, civil, and criminal penalties for unauthorized discharges and, together with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, impose rigorous requirements for spill prevention and response planning, as well as substantial potential liability for the costs of removal, remediation, and damages in connection with any unauthorized discharges.
Air Emissions
The federal Clean Air Act (the “CAA”) and comparable state laws regulate emissions of various air pollutants through air emissions permitting programs and the imposition of other requirements. In addition, the EPA has developed, and continues to develop, stringent regulations governing emissions of toxic air pollutants and other air emissions at specified sources. These regulations change frequently. These laws and regulations may require us to obtain pre-approval for the construction or modification of certain projects or facilities expected to produce or significantly increase air emissions, obtain and strictly comply with stringent air permit requirements, utilize specific equipment or technologies to control emissions of certain pollutants or prohibit certain types of emissions management practices. In recent years, the CAA has been used to impose additional stringent requirements upon oil and gas production operations. While these rules may not be directly applicable to our business, they are applicable to the business of our customers. Promulgation of stricter permitting or emission control requirements could delay or impair our or our customers’ ability to obtain air emission permits, to develop new wells and to continue to operate existing wells, and result in fewer wells being drilled or redeveloped, causing a decrease in demand for our services. Federal and state regulatory agencies can impose administrative, civil, and criminal penalties, as well as injunctive relief, for non-compliance with air permits or other requirements of the CAA and associated state laws and regulations.
Climate Change
The EPA has determined that emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, present a danger to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are, according to the EPA, contributing to warming of the Earth’s atmosphere and other climatic changes. The EPA has established greenhouse gas emissions reporting requirements for sources in the oil and gas sector and has also promulgated rules requiring certain large stationary sources of greenhouse gases to obtain preconstruction permits under the CAA and follow “best available control technology” requirements. Although we are not likely to become subject to greenhouse gas emissions permitting and best available control technology requirements because none of our facilities are presently major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, such requirements could become applicable to our customers. In addition, the EPA has used the CAA to impose additional greenhouse gas emissions control requirements upon our customers. Furthermore, the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA 2022”) imposes a methane emissions charge on certain emissions from specific classes of sources that are required to report their greenhouse gas emissions, which began in calendar year 2024. This fee as well as additional requirements on greenhouse gas emissions from our customers could have an adverse effect on their costs of operations or financial performance, thereby adversely affecting our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Also, the U.S. Congress has from time to time considered adopting legislation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and many states have already established regional greenhouse gas “cap-and-trade” programs. The adoption of any legislation or regulation that restricts emissions of greenhouse gases from the equipment and operations of our customers or with respect to the oil and natural gas they produce could adversely affect demand for our products and services.
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Hydraulic Fracturing
Our business is clearly dependent on hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling activities. As further described herein, hydraulic fracturing is an important and common practice that is used to stimulate production of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas, from tight formations, including shale. The process, which involves the injection of water, sand, and chemicals under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production, is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions. However, federal agencies have asserted regulatory authority over certain aspects of the process. Specifically, there is considerable uncertainty surrounding regulation of the emissions of methane, which may be released during hydraulic fracturing, chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process, the discharge of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations and concerns about the triggering of seismic activity by the injection of produced waters into underground wells. Certain proposed regulation could make it significantly more difficult and/or costly to drill and operate oil and gas wells. If adopted, such regulation could result in a decline in the completion of new oil and gas wells or the recompletion of existing wells, which could negatively impact the drilling programs of our customers and, consequently, delay, limit or reduce the demand for our services. Given the long-term trend towards increasing regulation, future regulation in the industry remains a possibility.
Some states, counties, and municipalities have enacted or are considering moratoria on hydraulic fracturing. For example, New York, Vermont, Maryland, and Washington have banned the use of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Alternatively, some municipalities are, or have considered, zoning and other ordinances, the conditions of which could impose a de facto ban on drilling and/or hydraulic fracturing operations. Further, some states, counties, and municipalities are closely examining water use issues, such as permit and disposal options for processed water, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, prospects, and results of operations if such additional permitting requirements are imposed upon our industry. If new laws or regulations that significantly restrict hydraulic fracturing are adopted, such laws could reduce demand for our business by making it more difficult or costly for certain customers to perform fracturing to stimulate production from tight formations.
National Environmental Policy Act
Businesses and operations of our customers that are carried out on federal lands may be subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), which requires federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Interior, to evaluate major agency actions having the potential to significantly impact the human environment. In the course of such evaluations, an agency will evaluate the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of a proposed project and, if necessary, will prepare a detailed Environmental Impact Statement that must be made available for public review and comment. To the extent that our customers’ current activities, as well as proposed plans, on federal lands require governmental permits that are subject to the requirements of NEPA, this process has the potential to delay or impose additional conditions upon the development of oil and natural gas projects which in turn could reduce demand for our services.
Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The federal Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) was established to protect endangered and threatened species. Pursuant to that act, if a species is listed as threatened or endangered, restrictions may be imposed on activities adversely affecting that species or its habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “FWS”) must also designate the species’ critical habitat and suitable habitat as part of the effort to ensure survival of the species. A critical habitat or suitable habitat designation could result in further material restrictions to land use and may materially delay or prohibit land access for oil and natural gas development and development of sand mines used for hydraulic fracturing. Similar protections are offered to migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (the “MBTA”), which makes it illegal to, among other things, hunt, capture, kill, possess, sell, or purchase migratory birds, nests, or eggs without a permit. This prohibition covers most bird species in the U.S. Future implementation of the rules implementing the ESA and the MBTA are uncertain. If we or our customers were to have areas within our respective operations designated as critical or suitable habitat for a protected species, it could decrease demand for our services and have a material adverse effect on our business.
Canadian Laws and Regulations
Companies such as us offering energy services that include hydraulic fracturing, engineering, and wireline services in the Province of Alberta in Canada are regulated by both the provincial government of Alberta (“Province”) and the federal government of Canada (“Canada”). This includes, but is not limited to, regulation related to environmental protection legislation, climate change legislation, fracking legislation, and legislation related to wildlife. In addition to being regulated by the Province and Canada, energy services companies may also be subject to other international, national, and subnational laws, regulations, and policies.
Provincial Legislation
Energy services companies are primarily regulated by provincial governments in Canada. For example, in Alberta, provincial legislation potentially applicable to our Canadian operations includes the Environmental Protection and
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Enhancement Act , RSA 2000, e E-12. This Act promotes the protection, enhancement and wise use of the environment, and deals with matters such as air emissions, water discharges, and the handling of hazardous substances and waste control (for example, under the Waste Control Regulation , Alta Reg 192/1996). Other environmental legislation in the Province that applies to energy service companies includes: the Water Act, RCA 2000, c W-3 and associated regulations, under which companies must apply for a license for any water use; and the Wildlife Act, RCA 2000, c W-10 which provides for the protection and conservation of wild animals and endangered species in Alberta.
Other potentially applicable provincial legislation in Alberta includes legislation directed at the transportation of dangerous goods, including oil (the Dangerous Goods Transportation and Handling Act , RSA 2000, c D-4 and associated regulations), legislation intended to provide for the responsible management of oil wells and associated sites, including remediation responsibilities (the Oil and Gas Conservation Act , RSA 2000, c O-6 and associated regulations), legislation establishing regulatory bodies overseeing oil and gas and electricity in Alberta (the Responsible Energy Development Act , SA 2012, c R-17.3 and the Alberta Utilities Commission Act , SA 2007, c A-37.2), legislation governing the removal of gas or propane from Alberta (the Gas Resources Preservation Act , RSA 2000, c G-4), legislation to effect conservation and prevent waste of the oil sands resource in Alberta (the Oil Sands Conservation Act , RSA 2000, c O-7), and legislation governing worker safety (the Occupational Health and Safety Act , SA 2017, c O-2.1).
The Alberta Energy Regulator has a number of directives that are applicable to energy services companies, such as Directive 050, updated in March 2023, which addresses salinity ranges for soils that can receive drilling wastes, Directive 058, which sets out regulatory requirements for the handling, treatment, and disposal of upstream oilfield waste, and Directive 083, updated April 2023, which sets out the requirements for managing subsurface integrity associated with hydraulic fracturing, including seismic monitoring in certain areas of Alberta. Other provinces in Canada have their own statutory regime applicable to oilfield service companies.
Federal Legislation
The Federal government in Canada shares certain jurisdiction with the provinces over certain environmental matters. Federal legislation potentially applicable to our Canadian operations includes legislation focused on regulating greenhouse gases (the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, SC 2018, c 12, s 186), legislation aimed at protecting wildlife (the Species at Risk Act , SC 2002, c 29, Fisheries Act, RSC 1985, c F-14, and Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, SC 1994, c 22), and legislation governing the transportation of potentially dangerous substances and prevention of pollution (the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 , SC 1992, c 34 and Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, SC 1999, c 33).
Environmental assessment of major projects in Canada is shared between the federal and provincial governments. In October 2023 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canada’s Impact Assessment Act , SC 2019, c 28, s1, which governs approvals for federally regulated projects, is largely unconstitutional ( Reference re Impact Assessment Act , 2023 SCC 23). The federal government is currently amending its environmental impact assessment legislation in response to the decision.
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Properties
Properties
Our corporate headquarters are located at 950 17 th Street, Suite 2400, Denver, Colorado 80202. We lease our general office space at our corporate headquarters. The lease expires in December 2027. We currently own or lease the following additional principal properties:
District Facility Location Size Leased or Owned
Midland, TX 90,000 sq. ft on 35 acres Owned
Midland, TX 70,000 sq. ft on 12 acres Owned
Odessa, TX 77,500 sq. ft on 48 acres Owned
Cibolo, TX 90,000 sq. ft on 34 acres Owned
Kermit, TX 5,000 acres Owned
Monahans, TX 3,200 acres Owned
Magnolia, TX 63,350 sq. ft. Leased (through May 31, 2031)
Magnolia, TX 11,680 sq. ft Leased (through February 28, 2025)
Gainesville, TX 170,000 sq. ft. Leased (through May 31, 2024)
Shreveport, LA 215,000 sq ft. on 45 acres Owned
Cheyenne, WY 115,000 sq. ft on 60 acres Owned
Gillette, WY 32,757 sq. ft on 15 acres Leased (through December 31, 2034)
Henderson, CO 50,000 sq. ft on 13 acres Leased (through December 31, 2034)
Henderson, CO 96,582 sq. ft on 12 acres Owned
Williston, ND 55,000 sq. ft on 50 acres Owned
Vernal, UT 30,901 sq. ft on 10 acres Leased (through September 30, 2025)
Farmington, NM 34,000 sq. ft on 30 acres Owned
Farmington, NM 23,000 sq. ft on 9 acres Owned
El Reno, OK 80,000 sq. ft on 33 acres Owned
Red Deer, AB 170,000 sq. ft on 42 acres Owned
Grand Prairie, AB 135,000 sq. ft on 40 acres Owned
Huallen, AB 80 acres Owned
We also lease several smaller facilities, which leases generally have terms of one to six years. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate for our operations and their locations allow us to efficiently serve our customers. We do not believe that any single facility is material to our operations and, if necessary, we could readily obtain a replacement facility.
Marketing and Customers
We have developed long-term partnerships with our customers through a continuous dialogue focused on their production economics. Further, we have a proven track record of executing our customers’ plans and delivering on time and in line with expected costs. Our customer base includes a broad range of integrated and independent E&P companies, including some of the largest E&P companies in our areas of operation. Our technological innovations, customer-tailored approach and track record of consistently providing high-quality, safe and reliable service has allowed us to develop long-term customer partnerships, which we believe makes us the service provider of choice for many of our customers.
Our sales and marketing activities typically are performed through our local sales representatives in each geographic region and are supported by our corporate headquarters. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our top five customers collectively accounted for approximatel y 34% , 30%, and 27% of our revenues, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, no customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenues.
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Suppliers and Raw Materials
We have a dedicated supply chain team that manages sourcing and logistics to ensure flexibility and continuity of supply in a cost-effective manner across our areas of operation. We have built long-term relationships with multiple industry leading suppliers of proppant, chemicals and hydraulic fracturing equipment and have started to internally design and assemble key pump and maintenance parts. In addition, we have built a strong relationship with the assemblers of our custom-designed hydraulic fracturing fleets and believe we will continue to have timely access to new, high capability fleets as we continue to grow. In 2018, we vertically integrated a supplier of certain major components through the acquisition of ST9 Gas and Oil LLC, which recently changed its name to Liberty Advanced Equipment Technologies LLC. In October 2021, we vertically integrated a supplier of our containerized sand and last mile proppant logistics solutions with the acquisition of PropX. This, along with our two state-of-the-art sand mines in the Permian Basin, help us alleviate the risk of proppant supply shortages.
We purchase a wide variety of raw materials, parts and components that are manufactured and supplied for our operations. We are not dependent on any single source of supply for those parts, supplies or materials. To date, we have generally been able to obtain the equipment, parts and supplies necessary to support our operations, although we have experienced delivery delays and shortages on some items. While we believe that we will be able to make satisfactory alternative arrangements in the event of any interruption in the supply of these materials and/or products by one of our suppliers, we may not always be able to do so. In addition, certain materials for which we do not currently have long-term supply agreements could experience shortages and significant price increases in the future. As a result, we may be unable to mitigate any future supply shortages and our results of operations, prospects and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Competition
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. We provide services in various geographic regions across the United States and Canada, and our competitors include many large and small oilfield service providers, including some of the largest integrated service companies. Our hydraulic fracturing services compete with large, integrated companies such as Halliburton Company as well as other companies including Patterson-UTI Energy Inc., ProFrac Holding Corp., and ProPetro Services, Inc. In addition, we compete regionally with smaller service providers.
We believe that the principal competitive factors in the markets we serve are technical expertise, equipment capacity, work force competency, efficiency, safety record, reputation, experience and price. Additionally, projects are often awarded on a bid basis, which tends to create a highly competitive environment. We seek to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by delivering the highest-quality services and equipment possible, coupled with superior execution and operating efficiency in a safe working environment.
Available Information
We file or furnish annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other documents with the SEC under the Exchange Act. The SEC also maintains an internet website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC.
We also make available free of charge through our website, www.libertyenergy.com, electronic copies of certain documents that we file with the SEC, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.
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