BP : 4Q and full-year 2017 results

Cautionary statement

In order to utilize the 'safe harbor' provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the 'PSLRA'), BP is providing the following cautionary statement: The discussion in this results announcement contains certain forecasts, projections and forward-looking statements - that is, statements related to future, not past events - with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of BP and certain of the plans and objectives of BP with respect to these items. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as 'will', 'expects', 'is expected to', 'aims', 'should', 'may', 'objective', 'is likely to', 'intends', 'believes', 'anticipates', 'plans', 'we see' or similar expressions. In particular, the following, among other statements, are all forward looking in nature: expectations regarding the expected quarterly dividend payment and timing of such payment; plans and expectations regarding cash flows and returns to 2021 and beyond; expectations regarding 2018 organic capital expenditure and depreciation, depletion and amortization charges; plans and expectations with respect to gearing including to target gearing within a 20-30% band; plans and expectations to target a net debt ratio of 20-30%; expectations regarding divestment transactions and the amount and timing of divestment proceeds; expectations regarding the adjusted effective tax rate in 2018; plans and expectations regarding the continuation of the share buyback programme; expectations regarding Upstream 2018 underlying production and first-quarter 2018 reported production; expectations regarding Downstream first-quarter 2018 refining margins, turnaround activity and discounts for North American heavy crude oil; expectations regarding Other businesses and corporate 2018 average quarterly charges; expectations with respect to cash margins of 2016 and 2017 Upstream project start-ups; plans and expectations regarding the joint development agreement with Rosneft with respect to subsoil resources within the Kharampurskoe and Festivalnoye licence areas; plans and expectations regarding the joint ventures with Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group; plans and expectations regarding the strategic partnership with Lightsource; expectations regarding the determination of business economic loss claims in respect of the 2012 PSC settlement; and expectations with respect to the timing and amount of future payments relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill including 2012 PSC settlement payments. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will or may occur in the future and are outside the control of BP. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in such statements, depending on a variety of factors, including: the specific factors identified in the discussions accompanying such forward-looking statements; the receipt of relevant third party and/or regulatory approvals; the timing and level of maintenance and/or turnaround activity; the timing and volume of refinery additions and outages; the timing of bringing new fields onstream; the timing, quantum and nature of certain divestments; future levels of industry product supply, demand and pricing, including supply growth in North America; OPEC quota restrictions; PSA effects; operational and safety problems; potential lapses in product quality; economic and financial market conditions generally or in various countries and regions; political stability and economic growth in relevant areas of the world; changes in laws and governmental regulations; regulatory or legal actions including the types of enforcement action pursued and the nature of remedies sought or imposed; the actions of prosecutors, regulatory authorities and courts; delays in the processes for resolving claims; amounts ultimately payable and timing of payments relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill; exchange rate fluctuations; development and use of new technology; recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce; the success or otherwise of partnering; the actions of competitors, trading partners, contractors, subcontractors, creditors, rating agencies and others; our access to future credit resources; business disruption and crisis management; the impact on our reputation of ethical misconduct and non-compliance with regulatory obligations; trading losses; major uninsured losses; decisions by Rosneft's management and board of directors; the actions of contractors; natural disasters and adverse weather conditions; changes in public expectations and other changes to business conditions; wars and acts of terrorism; cyber-attacks or sabotage; and other factors discussed elsewhere in this report, under 'Principal risks and uncertainties' in our Form 6-K for the period ended 30 June 2017 and under 'Risk factors' in BP Annual Report and Form 20-F 2016 as filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

This document contains references to non-proved resources and production outlooks based on non-proved resources that the SEC's rules prohibit us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures in our Form 20-F, SEC File No. 1-06262. This form is available on our website at www.bp.com. You can also obtain this form from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330 or by logging on to their website at www.sec.gov.