Quarterlytics / Energy / Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing / Valero Energy / FY2009 Annual Report

Valero Energy
Annual Report 2009

VLO · NYSE Energy
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FY2009 Annual Report · Valero Energy
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VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION 2009 SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT

2009 marked an exceptionally challenging year for 
Valero and the refining industry. We worked hard 
to enhance our profitability amid difficult market 
conditions by focusing on reducing our operating 
costs, improving our operations, upgrading our 
portfolio of assets and executing on attractive 
acquisitions. We will continue this work in 2010, 
guided by our Commitment to Excellence and the 
three essential drivers that guide our actions:

1

Our products  
improve  
people’s lives.

2

We are committed to our vision 
to be a world-class competitor 
in the global energy business, 
generating industry-leading returns 
on investments in an employee-
focused, socially conscious, 
community-minded, safe, reliable and 
environmentally responsible way.

We will strengthen our company 
to restore profitability.

3

Our products improve  
people’s lives. 

Throughout its history, the petroleum refining 
industry has experienced cyclical ups and downs. 
But one thing remains constant – our products 
improve people’s lives. Petroleum products power the 
world economy efficiently, reliably and economically. 
Gasoline, diesel, heating oil, jet fuel, lubricants and 
hundreds of petrochemical building blocks greatly 
enhance our world.  The addition of alternative 
fuels to our product slate contributes to important 
growing sources of energy, with corn-based ethanol 
playing a significant role. 

The fuels produced by Valero give consumers the 
freedom to drive to work or play. Highways connect 
our cities and towns. Our military has a domestic fuel 
supply to protect our country. If you think about what 
we accomplish – the complexity of our processes 
compared with the low prices charged to deliver 
these products to market – the results are amazing. 
From fuels to plastics to polymers, sulfur to asphalt, 
Valero is a vehicle for progress.

Our products

improve people’s lives.

We are committed to our vision to 
be a world-class competitor in the 
global energy business, generating 
industry-leading returns on our 
investments.

In challenging times, it is easy to focus on the short-
term and lose sight of a long-term vision for the 
future.  Valero is engaged in a disciplined strategy 
to realize our vision using an employee-focused, 
socially conscious, community-minded, safe, reliable 
and environmentally responsible approach.  

Aggressive steps are necessary to meet the 
many challenges of the future.  We face a difficult 
economic recovery, government actions that 
attack our industry, and a surplus of global refining 
capacity. Now more than ever, every investment 
we make, every action we take, must be directly 
and efficiently tied to the achievement of our 
vision.  With excellence as our guiding principle, we 
believe that we will achieve our long-term vision 
as the economy regains its strength. Our discipline 
and integrity will allow Valero to emerge from this 
business cycle stronger and more competitive than 
ever, benefiting all of our stakeholders.    

Our vision is to be a world-class  
competitor in the global energy business,

generating industry-leading returns  
on our investments.

We will strengthen our 
company to restore profitability.

Every day, more than 20,000 Valero employees 
come to work with a goal to strengthen our 
company and restore profitability.  The past two 
years have served to focus Valero’s team on a 
critical analysis of everything we do and how 
we do it.  The results are what will set us apart 
from others in the industry in 2010 and beyond.  
We have made great strides in upgrading our 
portfolio to focus on those assets that maximize 
returns to investors. By taking action to idle 
or shut down uncompetitive operations, we 
improved the profit outlook for the company. 
Responding to the tough margin environment 
for heavy sour crude, we have seized on the 
unique flexibility of our assets to process a 
wider variety of crudes to enhance profitability.  
We have strategically reduced capital spending 
to respond to market conditions, while at the 
same time maintaining and upgrading our assets 
and reducing our impact on the environment.  
With individual employees acting as stewards 
of the company’s dollars, we have reduced 
costs in significant ways. While 2010 will be 
another difficult year for refiners, we believe the 
actions we have taken, and continue to take, will 
strengthen our company and return Valero to 
profitability as the economy recovers.   

We will strengthen our company

to restore profitability.

Valero Map of Operations

WELCOME

ALBERT CITY

FORT DODGE

CHARLES CITY

JEFFERSON

AURORA

ALBION

HARTLEY

BENICIA

WILMINGTON

ARUBA

MCKEE

ARDMORE

SAN ANTONIO

ST. CHARLES

THREE RIVERS

PORT ARTHUR

BILL GREEHEY
(CORPUS CHRISTI)
EAST & WEST

HOUSTON

TEXAS CITY

JEAN GAULIN
(QUEBEC)

MEMPHIS

PAULSBORO

BLOOMINGBURG

LINDEN

RETAIL AND BRANDED WHOLESALE PRESENCE

WHOLESALE MARKETING PRESENCE

VALERO REFINERIES

VALERO ETHANOL PLANTS

CAMERON HIGHWAY OIL PIPELINE PROJECT
(JOINT VENTURE)

THIRD-PARTY OFFSHORE PLATFORMS

VALERO HEADQUARTERS

ULTRAMAR 

_ 

CANADIAN OPERATIONS

CREDIT CARD CENTER

Valero Energy Corporation is a Fortune 500 company based in San Antonio with approximately 20,700 
dedicated employees. A network of 15 refineries gives Valero the capacity to process approximately 2.8 million 
barrels per day, delivering clean fuels and other petroleum products to consumers efficiently and reliably. 
Valero is also a leading ethanol producer with 10 ethanol plants in the Midwest and a combined processing 
capacity of 1.1 billion gallons per year. Meanwhile, Valero’s retail and branded wholesale network is 
marketed throughout North America under the brands Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar 
and Beacon.  Please visit www.valero.com for more information.

Financial Summary

Summary Annual Report
This summary annual report format provides only a financial summary.  The company’s full, audited financial statements are 
contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, which has been filed with the SEC 
and made available to all stockholders.  This information is also available at www.valero.com

[Millions of dollars, except per-share amounts]

OPERATING REVENUES  

OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)

LOSS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS

LOSS PER COMMON SHARE FROM CONTINUING  
OPERATIONS

TOTAL ASSETS

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES AND DEFERRED TURNAROUND 
AND CATALYST COSTS

68,144

2009
As Reported
$
$
$

(352)

(58)

$

$
$

$

(0.65)

35,629

14,725

2,721

2008
As Reported
$ 113,136
$
$ (1,012)

761

$

$
$

$

(1.93)

34,417

15,620

3,301

Note: The operating income (loss), loss from continuing operations, and loss per common share from continuing operations reflected above include 
the effect of certain special items that are described in various notes to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 
the year ended December 31, 2009.

To Our  
Stockholders

2009 was an exceptionally challenging year for Valero and the 
refining industry.  Low demand for refined products, as a result of 
the weak economy and high inventories around the world, resulted 
in low product margins.  Additionally, lower production of heavy sour 
crudes, particularly out of Mexico, and OPEC’s cutbacks of heavier 
grades of crude oil contributed to narrower differentials, substantially 
limiting the profitability of our larger, complex coking refineries.  
Consequently, our financial results were disappointing.  For the year, 
we had a loss of $55 million, or $0.10 per share, excluding special 
items and discontinued operations in Delaware City.*

I can assure you that our financial results do not reflect the 
many accomplishments achieved by our hard-working, dedicated 
employees.  Here are a few highlights:

Safety – Valero employees recorded the second-lowest recordable 
injury rate in company history.  Our contractors achieved their 
lowest-ever recordable injury rate.  Year after year, our safety 
statistics significantly beat the industry average, and we continue to 
be very supportive of OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), 
with 11 sites now certified as VPP Star Sites. 

Environmental Progress – We are in the final stages of construction 
of a state-of-the-art flue gas scrubber at our Benicia refinery in 
California that will cut sulfur dioxide emissions by 95 percent and 
nitrogen oxide releases by 55 percent annually.  We continue to 
implement best practices across our system that have reduced 
flaring events, wastewater discharges and refinery spills to water. 
Since 2005, we have improved these incidences by an average 
of 75 percent in each category.

Cost Reductions – With critical focus on being a world-class 
competitor in the refining industry, we reduced our non-energy 
operating costs at our refineries by $215 million versus 2008 – while 
significantly improving our industry benchmarking rank through 
operational excellence initiatives.  Moreover, our ongoing expense-
reduction efforts at the corporate level resulted in an additional 
savings of $70 million in 2009. Many of these savings were afforded 
through employees acting as stewards of the company’s dollars. 
These efforts reflect an ongoing focus to reduce operating expenses 
and maximize productivity.  

Financial Strength – A strategic decision to shut down the Delaware 
City refinery in October 2009 is expected to result in an improved 
cash position of about $900 million by the end of 2010. This is 

*The  company  reported,  on  a  GAAP  basis,  a  loss  from  continuing  operations  of  
$352 million, or $0.65 per share, for the full-year 2009. Excluding special items, the loss 
is reflected accurately at $55 million, or $0.10 per share. The Delaware City refinery, 
which was shut down in 4Q2009, is classified as discontinued operations.  The special 
items are fully discussed in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in our 
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.

attributed to the elimination of substantial operating losses, 
a reduction in capital expenditures, and cash benefits from 
selling the inventory and tax refunds.  In Aruba, we temporarily 
discontinued operations, reducing cash operating losses by  
$10 million per month.  We also agreed to a tax framework with 
the government of Aruba to foster a more stable tax system for 
the next 20 years and positively impact any strategic alternative 
identified for the Aruba refinery.  Importantly, we maintained 
our investment-grade credit rating.  At year-end, we had nearly 
$5 billion of liquidity and a net debt-to-capital ratio of  
31 percent.  We also reduced our dividend to reflect the 
low-margin environment.  Our financial position allowed us 
to continue investing in our plants for the future. In 2009, we 
invested more than $2.7 billion in our assets.

Alternative Energy – Valero entered the ethanol business in 2009 
with the well-timed acquisition of seven ethanol plants in the 
Midwest.  We were able to build our position in the ethanol 
business for an average of 35 percent of estimated replacement 
value.  With the more recent acquisition of three additional 
plants, we have quickly grown to 10 plants with more than  
1.1 billion gallons per year of capacity – making us one of 
the largest producers of ethanol in the country. With a 
favorable margin outlook for ethanol and the low cost of these 
acquisitions, Valero has established a competitive position in the 
ethanol business.

Profitable Retail Business – Valero’s retail business (U.S. and 
Canada) had its second-best profit year, with $293 million in 
operating income.  Valero Corner Store merchandise sales 
increased by $74 million from 2008, despite the weak economy. 
In the U.S., we built three new stores and upgraded 116. In 
Canada, we built three new stores and refurbished another three 
in 2009. Our customers will see a new and improved format at 
some of our sites, as well as several new product lines that will 
improve our brand recognition in the years to come. And, our 
home heat business continues to grow with 141,500 customers.

Commitment to Our Communities – Year after year,  Valero 
employees are proud ambassadors in the community, from the 
Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children Golf Classic to the 
United Way, National MS Society, Habitat for Humanity and 
dozens of local food banks and children’s charities. In 2009, Valero 
Volunteers devoted more than 142,000 hours to charities across 
the U.S. and Canada. Meanwhile, the Valero Energy Foundation – 
Valero’s philanthropic arm – contributed more than $25 million 
to worthy charities and events. We are honored to be part of 
hundreds of outreach missions each year and will continue to 
make community service a priority for our employees.

Voices for Energy – In July 2009,  Valero launched “Voices for 
Energy,” a full-scale advocacy effort to oppose proposed federal 
climate-change legislation.  This educational campaign focused 
on the negative impact proposed climate-change legislation 
will have on consumers, the economy and American jobs. 

Valero’s Voices for Energy Web site (www.voicesforenergy.com) 
provides streamlined legislative communication, making it easy for 
consumers to write their respective elected officials. In my role as 
Chairman of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, 
I testified before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works 
Committee on a proposed version of climate-change legislation. 
My testimony focused on how the bill would remove our nation’s 
competitive advantage, further damage our economy, destroy 
jobs and threaten our national security. I believe Valero’s efforts 
were critical to this bill being tabled in 2009.  We will continue 
to emphasize the devastating effects on the United States posed 
by this legislation as the issue works its way through Congress in 
2010.  We encourage you to get involved in the ongoing debate. 
Many of the pending bills, regulatory efforts, and other similar 
actions are bad for jobs in America.

Looking at all of these accomplishments, we are clearly better 
positioned to face another potentially challenging year.  Most 
importantly, these accomplishments demonstrate a clear strategy 
to achieve our long-term vision to become a world-class 
competitor in the global energy business by continuing to:

• Improve safety and environmental performance
• Improve reliability with continued focus on operational 

excellence initiatives

• Maintain financial strength
• Reduce operating costs
• Improve optimization and product yields
• Invest in our people and our assets
• Invest in communities where we live and work 

Every day, we are proud of the products we deliver.  They are 
essential, reliable and economical. Our people build better 
communities, and we offer excellent jobs. This is the true 
measure of our worth. As this economy recovers, we believe 
that our discipline and focus will bring better returns and greater 
shareholder value. 

I would like to thank Board of Directors member Bill Bradford, 
who retired this year after 18 years of service to Valero and its 
predecessors. His guidance over the years contributed to our 
company’s success.  

As always, I would also like to thank our employees for their 
hard work and dedication to our company.  And, thank you for 
your support and interest in our company.  With excellence as 
our guide, we continue to strengthen our company’s competitive 
position and contributions to society.

Bill Klesse 
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer  
and President

and

As Valero strives to be a world-class competitor in 
the global energy business, the company is undergoing 
a critical analysis of every aspect of its business – 
implementing aggressive action plans to achieve its 
goals and restore profitability.

Valero’s executive management team, led by CEO  
Bill Klesse and five Executive Vice Presidents, is driving  
these initiatives to achieve the company’s vision and 
ensure the best results for all stakeholders.

What are Valero’s 
financial priorities?

CISKOWSKI: First and foremost, we are focused on 
maintaining our financial strength and investment-grade credit 
rating.  We have taken action to bolster our liquidity as we 
face another challenging year.  In a well-received offering in 
early 2010, Valero issued $1.25 billion in debt primarily to 
refinance existing debt.  In addition, we expect to receive over 
$1 billion in cash from the liquidation of inventories at our 
shut-down Delaware City refinery and a federal tax refund.  
We have reduced our capital spending budget for 2010  
to $2 billion, which is $700 million lower than 2009 and  
$1.3 billion lower than 2008.  Also, we reduced our dividend 
in response to continued poor industry conditions.  We 
expect that these actions will enable the company to maintain 
financial strength while we manage difficult and uncertain 
industry conditions.

Kim Bowers
Executive Vice President
& General Counsel

Mike Ciskowski
Executive Vice President
& Chief Financial Officer

Gene Edwards
Executive Vice President
Corporate Development  
& Strategic Planning

Joe Gorder
Executive Vice President
Marketing & Supply

Rich Marcogliese
Executive Vice President
& Chief Operating Officer

and

How have you increased 
the competitiveness of 
Valero’s refineries during 
the downturn?

MARCOGLIESE: In 2009, we took many steps to improve 
the profitability of our refineries.  The permanent closure of 
the Delaware City refinery and the temporary closure of the 
Aruba refinery in 2009 eliminated a substantial drag on earnings.  
Through cost-saving measures taken at all of our refineries, we 
reduced non-energy operating costs by $215 million.  Also, a 
recent industry benchmarking study indicated that Valero made 
significant improvement versus its competitors in the categories 
of non-energy operating expenses, maintenance costs and 
personnel efficiency through our focus on excellence and best 
practices.  In 2010, we will continue to focus on reducing costs 
and increasing the competitiveness of our refineries, without 
jeopardizing our continued commitment to the safety of our 
employees, neighbors, communities and the environment.

Valero’s ability to  
process medium and 
heavy sour crudes 
has been its mark of 
distinction in the past. 
With rapid contraction 
of the sour crude oil 
differential, what is 
Valero’s outlook for 
feedstock supply in the 
future?

GORDER: Given the narrowing of differentials for medium 
and heavy sour crude, we capitalized on our feedstock flexibility 
in order to optimize our profitability.  In 2009, we reduced our 
consumption of heavy and medium grades in favor of more 
economical feedstocks.  We introduced eight new crude oils and 
ran 77 different varieties of crude oil.  Going forward, we will 
continue to adapt to changing market conditions and implement 
projects to increase the flexibility of our refineries.  

We also look forward to adding Canadian crude to further 
diversify our feedstock sourcing in early 2013.  TransCanada’s 
Keystone XL pipeline has the capacity to deliver up to 600,000 
barrels per day of Canadian crude oil to the Gulf Coast.  This 
large new source of crude oil for the Gulf Coast market will 
further diversify our feedstock slate and increase our ability to 
optimize our profitability.

Despite a difficult year and 
a difficult point in the cycle 
for Valero, the company 
aggressively entered the 
alternative energy business 
in 2009. Going forward, 
what is Valero’s alternative 
energy strategy?

EDWARDS: Alternative fuels will continue to be part of the 
transportation fuel supply mix.  We look at ethanol as a natural 
fit for us since we manufacture transportation fuels. Over the 
past few years, Valero studied the business and waited for the 
right moment to enter the industry.  During 2009, we executed 
a well-timed acquisition of seven ethanol plants at 35 percent of 
estimated replacement cost.  The plants generated $165 million 
in operating income in just under three quarters of operation 
in 2009.  In 2010, we are already integrating three new ethanol 
facilities, making our Renewables division one of the largest 
ethanol producers in the country.   We have brought significant 
value to this business, given our operating and logistics experience. 

Corn-based ethanol is just one part of Valero’s alternative energy 
portfolio.  We have also made several seed investments in  
biofuel technologies for ethanol and biodiesel, and our 
infrastructure has the capability to “bolt-on” future cellulosic 
production capacity.  In addition, we own a 50 mega-watt wind 
farm in the Texas Panhandle, near our McKee refinery, generating 
wind energy and helping reduce Valero’s carbon footprint.

BOWERS: The success of the company has always been 
measured by more than financials. It is realized in our employees’ 
ability to work safely, protect the environment, and just as 
importantly, take their commitment to excellence into their 
community to make lasting change.  Valero recognizes that the 
neighborhoods and communities surrounding our refineries, 
ethanol plants, retail stores and terminals are a part of who 
we are. We have an obligation to work as efficiently, smartly 
and as safely as we can so that everyone can benefit.  Valero 
employees and contractors consistently post very low injury 
rates; investments in clean fuel and cleaner refining processes 
continue to be made; and, our volunteer network is a national 
pacesetter in community involvement. Meanwhile, the Valero 
Energy Foundation strengthens communities through its own 
financial gifts, contributing more than $25 million in 2009 to 
worthy charities and events.  Valero employees also pay it 
forward, pledging $12 million to United Way agencies in 2009.  

Valero’s commitments to 
safety and the environment 
have always been top 
priority. How do these 
commitments, and Valero’s 
overall social responsibility, 
play a role in the success of 
the company?

Board of Directors

STANDING, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Bob Marbut 
Executive Chairman and 
Director of Electronic Line 
3000 Ltd.; former Director 
of Ultramar Diamond 
Shamrock Corporation

Dr. Ronald K. Calgaard
Chairman of the Ray 
Ellison Grandchildren Trust 
in San Antonio, Texas; 
former President of Trinity 
University of San Antonio

SEATED, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Sen. Donald L. Nickles 
Retired U.S. Senator 
(R-Okla.); Chairman and  
CEO of The Nickles Group

Dr. Susan Kaufman 
Purcell 
Director of the Center for 
Hemispheric Policy at the 
University of Miami

Jerry D. Choate 
Former Chairman of the 
Board and CEO of Allstate 
Corporation

Stephen M. Waters
Managing Partner of 
Compass Advisers, 
LLP; Chief Executive 
of Compass Partners 
European Equity Fund

Irl F. Engelhardt
Chairman and Executive
Advisor of Patriot Coal
Corporation; former 
Chairman and CEO of 
Peabody Energy Corporation

William R. Klesse 
Chairman of the Board,  
Chief Executive Officer  
and President of Valero 
Energy Corporation

Robert A. Profusek
A Partner in the law firm 
of Jones Day and Practice 
Leader of Mergers & 
Acquisitions

Ruben M. Escobedo 
Retired owner of Ruben 
Escobedo & Company, 
CPAs, in San Antonio, Texas

Stockholder Information

Annual Meeting
Valero’s annual meeting of stockholders is scheduled to be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 29, 2010, at Valero’s corporate 
headquarters, located at One Valero Way in San Antonio, Texas. Valero’s 2009 Annual Report on Form10-K and the proxy 
statement for the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders can be accessed at www.valero.com (Investor Relations section).

Valero Energy Corporation Common Stock
Valero’s common stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “VLO.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar
Computershare Investor Services has been appointed transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for Valero’s 
common stock. Inquiries with respect to stock accounts and dividends and all requests to transfer certificates should be 
addressed to:

Computershare Investor Services 
250 Royall Street 
Canton, MA  02021 
(888) 470-2938 
(312) 360-5261 
www.computershare.com/contactus

Dividend Withholding  
Under federal income tax law, you are subject to certain penalties, as well as withholding with respect to your dividend 
payments, if you have not provided Valero with your correct Social Security number or other taxpayer identification number. 
For this reason, any security holder who has not provided a taxpayer identification number should obtain a Form W-9 (Payer’s 
Request for Taxpayer Identification Number). To request a Form W-9, please contact Valero’s transfer agent and registrar at the 
address shown above.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information provided in this report includes or is based upon estimates, predictions, projections and other “forward-looking statements” (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and 
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that involve various risks and uncertainties. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good 
faith and reflect Valero’s current judgment regarding the direction of its business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions, 
or other future performance suggested herein. Certain risks and uncertainties that may affect Valero are detailed from time to time in its SEC reports, including Valero’s most recent Annual Report on Form 
10-K. The financial and other information provided in this summary annual report should be read in conjunction with Valero Energy Corporation’s complete Consolidated Financial Statements (including 
the notes) and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. This and other information about Valero is contained in Valero’s Notice of the 2010 Annual Meeting of 
Stockholders Proxy Statement and Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009. This document is provided to all stockholders of record as of March 1, 2010. In addition, persons may request, without 
charge, a Form 10-K by writing or calling Valero’s Investor Relations Department. Valero’s 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Proxy Statement also may be accessed at www.valero.com.

Contact Information

VALERO CORPORATE 
HEADQUARTERS
One Valero Way
San Antonio, TX 78249-1616
(210) 345-2000

WEB SITE
www.valero.com

INVESTOR INQUIRIES
For investor inquiries, please contact: 
Investor Relations Department
P.O. Box 696000
San Antonio, TX 78269-6000
(800) 531-7911 or (210) 345-2198
(210) 345-2103 (fax)
investorrelations@valero.com

MEDIA INQUIRIES
For media inquiries, please contact:
Media Relations Department
P.O. Box 696000
San Antonio, TX 78269-6000
(800) 531-7911 or (210) 345-2928
(210) 345-2103 (fax)
corporatecommunications@valero.com

Valero Energy Corporation
One Valero Way
San Antonio, Texas 78249

www.valero.com