(Bloomberg) 鈥� Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods foresees arbitration with Chevron Corp. over a premier asset offshore Guyana stretching into 2025 due to the importance of the case to both companies.
The companies still need to appoint a third arbitrator before they go into the discovery phase, Woods said during an interview on CNBC on Monday.
Chevron agreed to buy Hess for $53 billion in October, in large part to gain control of a 30% interest in Exxon鈥檚 offshore Guyana development. Exxon has asserted that it has a right of first refusal over the stake. Chevron disputes that the right is applicable to a corporate merger and wants to wrap up arbitration by the fourth quarter.
鈥淭his is around confirming our rights to this very valuable asset,鈥� Woods said. 鈥淢y view is it will go into 2025.鈥�
Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said in a separate CNBC interview that he feels 鈥済ood鈥� about ultimately closing the Hess transaction.
Aside from the arbitration process, the deal requires approval from Hess shareholders at a vote later this month, as well as a successful Federal Trade Commission review.
Lead image (Credit: Reuters)