Diamondback Energy Inc

5. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Property and equipment includes the following:

Capitalized internal costs were approximately $66 million, $58 million and $60 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Costs associated with unevaluated properties are excluded from the full cost pool until the Company has made a determination as to the existence of proved reserves. Although the evaluation process has not been completed on our unevaluated properties, the Company currently estimates these costs will be added to the amortization base withinten years.

Under the full cost method of accounting, the Company is required to perform a ceiling test each quarter which determines a limit, or ceiling, on the book value of proved oil and natural gas properties. No impairment expense was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

In addition to commodity prices, the Company’s production rates, levels of proved reserves, future development costs, transfers of unevaluated properties and other factors will determine its actual ceiling test calculation and impairment analysis in future periods. If the trailing 12-month commodity prices decline as compared to the commodity prices used in prior quarters, the Company may have material write downs in subsequent quarters. Given the rate of change impacting the oil and natural gas industry described above, it is possible that circumstances requiring additional impairment testing will occur in future interim periods, which could result in potentially material impairment charges being recorded.

In connection with the QEP Merger and the Guidon Acquisition, the Company recorded the oil and natural gas properties acquired at fair value, based on forward strip oil and natural gas pricing existing at the closing date of the respective transactions, in accordance with ASC 820 Fair Value Measurement. Pursuant to SEC guidance, the Company determined that the fair value of the properties acquired in the QEP Merger and the Guidon Acquisition clearly exceeded the related full cost ceiling limitation beyond a reasonable doubt. As such, the Company requested and received a waiver from the SEC to exclude the properties acquired from the ceiling test calculation for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. As a result, no impairment expense related to the QEP Merger and the Guidon Acquisition was recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Had the Company not received a waiver from the SEC, an impairment charge of approximately $1.1 billion would have been recorded for such period. Management affirmed there was not a decline in the fair value of these acquired assets. The properties acquired in the QEP Merger and the Guidon Acquisition had total unamortized costs at March 31, 2021 of $3.0 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively.

At December 31, 2023, there were $77 million in exploration and development costs and $337 million in capitalized interest that are not subject to depletion. At December 31, 2022, there were $126 million in exploration and development costs and $206 million in capitalized interest costs that were not subject to depletion.