US ENERGY major ExxonMobil’s arbitration case that could block Chevron’s purchase of Hess will extend into 2025, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said in an interview on CNBC on Monday (May 6), ahead of a coming vote by Hess shareholders on the deal.
ExxonMobil and CNOOC filed cases before the International Chamber of Commerce in March, seeking a right of first refusal over any sale of Hess’s 30 per cent stake in the Stabroek offshore oil block in Guyana, where the three companies control the largest oil discovery in nearly a decade.
Hess has set May 28 for a shareholder vote on the US$53 billion all-stock deal that would give Chevron a major stake in Guyana’s lucrative offshore oil fields, which to date have been shown to hold more than 11 billion barrels of oil and gas resources.
ExxonMobil would prefer to slow the deal closing to gain time to consider its next steps, Roy Behren, co-president of the New York investment firm Westchester Capital Management and a large Hess shareholder, said.
Westchester Capital expects to vote its two million Hess shares in favour of the Chevron deal unless a higher bid materialises, Behren said.
At Monday’s closing price for Hess and Chevron shares, Hess traded at a US$6.97 spread to the current value of the transaction. Chevron closed at US$162.30 and Hess at US$159.40 at 4 pm New York Stock Exchange trading.
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“The spread suggests an about 79 per cent chance of the deal being successfully completed,” said Behren. “That is lower than the implied likelihood a high-quality transaction would typically trade.”
ExxonMobil has said it was not planning to bid for Hess but could consider a larger stake in the Guyana joint venture.
“ExxonMobil would probably like to see a shareholder vote not take place because it is one more of the dominos that needs to fall for the transaction to be completed,” Behren said on Monday. “They want shareholders to be not comfortable with the assumption that this is a cake walk for Chevron.”
Woods’ comments present a later timeline for a decision on its claims and for when the Chevron deal could close. Previously, Hess said it sought to have the case heard by the third quarter and completed by year-end.
Chevron CEO Michael Wirth separately told CNBC the company is working towards US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval and the Hess shareholder vote.
Hess did not reply to requests for comment.
An ExxonMobil spokesperson said the 2025 arbitration timeline was not new and did not comment on the shareholder remarks on any impact on the Hess shareholder vote.
US antitrust regulators have not yet approved the Chevron-Hess deal. The US FTC last week consented to ExxonMobil’s US$60 billion all-stock purchase of top US shale oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources.
ExxonMobil has claimed it holds a right of first refusal over any change of control in Hess’s Guyana properties as part of the Stabroek consortium’s operating agreement. Hess and Chevron have said they believe a right does not apply to the sale of the entire company. REUTERS
