Exxon đặt ra câu hỏi về thương vụ trị giá 53 tỷ USD của Chevron cho Hess

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America’s two largest energy companies (công ty năng lượng), Exxon Mobil and Chevron, are jousting over (đấu tranh vượt qua) a prized new source of oil in the waters off Guyana, in Latin America.

The conflict is creating doubts over Chevron’s bid to acquire Hess for $53 billion, announced in October. Chevron this week warned of the possibility that “the merger would not close” because of the dispute.

Exxon seems to believe that it should be rewarded for the financial risks it has taken in developing Guyana’s oil resources and the technological contributions (đóng góp công nghệ) it has brought to the country.

But Chevron stressed that there was “no possible scenario” (không có kịch bản nào có thể xảy ra) in which Exxon could acquire the Hess position. If the merger failed, Hess would go on operating as an independent company, Chevron said.

The potential wealth has already attracted the unwelcome attention of neighboring Venezuela, which has revived old claims to a vast portion of Guyana. Venezuela’s economy has collapsed amid political turmoil that has also sharply reduced its own oil output.

It is not hard to understand Exxon’s interest. Acquiring the Hess stake “makes sense” because it would give the American company an even larger share of “a highly prized asset” that it is already managing, said Biraj Borkhataria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, in a research note on Tuesday. Mr. Borkhataria noted, however, that Exxon would have even more exposure to a country “that is already party to a potential border dispute (tranh chấp biên giới tiềm tàng).”

source: nytimes,